Ubisoft’s Far Cry Extraction Shooter, Codenamed Maverick, Reportedly Rebooted Amid Development Shake-Up

Details have emerged about Ubisoft’s upcoming Far Cry extraction-shooter, codenamed Project Maverick, revealing that the game has undergone a significant reboot. This decision comes as a substantial portion of the development team has been reassigned to Project Blackbird, the mainline Far Cry 7 project. While some team members are simply shifting priorities to focus on Far Cry 7, the reboot of Maverick appears to be part of a broader effort by Ubisoft to restructure its development process for greater agility and efficiency.

A Quiet Period for Far Cry

The Far Cry series has been relatively quiet in recent years as Ubisoft has focused its efforts on developing the next installments. However, the studio has kept fans engaged with updates to existing titles, such as unlocking Steam achievements for Far Cry 5 and Far Cry 6 and ensuring that achievement progress made through Ubisoft Connect carries over to Steam. These updates are likely intended to maintain player interest while they await the next major entries in the franchise. However, the upcoming projects, including Project Maverick and Far Cry 7, may take longer than initially anticipated due to the recent restructuring.

The Reboot of Project Maverick

According to a report by Insider Gaming, Project Maverick has been rebooted following an internal review at Ubisoft. Sources close to the project indicated that the game’s development had reached a point where a reboot was inevitable, with some describing the situation as having “writing on the wall.” The final push for this decision came when the core tech team behind Maverick, known as Talisker, was reassigned to work on Project Blackbird, the primary Far Cry 7 project.

Originally, Project Maverick was conceived as a multiplayer component of Far Cry 7, set in the Alaskan wilderness. The mode was designed to pit players against both human opponents and AI-controlled animals and soldiers, offering a survival-focused experience. However, the ambitious scope of the project led Ubisoft to spin it off into a standalone title in 2023. Despite this, the game’s development struggled to gain traction, ultimately leading to the decision to reboot it.

Development Shake-Up and Restructuring

As part of the reboot, teams at Ubisoft Montreal and Sherbrooke are now tasked with revamping Project Maverick during its prototyping phase. Meanwhile, approximately 12 developers from Ubisoft Berlin who had been working on Maverick have been reassigned to Project Blackbird, with another group of similar size moving to an unrelated project. According to Insider Gaming, around 50 developers have been left without active projects and are set to be “placed on viability,” a term that suggests they may be reassigned or let go as part of Ubisoft’s broader restructuring efforts.

This shake-up aligns with Ubisoft’s recent initiatives to streamline its development process and improve efficiency. The company has faced criticism in the past for its sprawling development cycles and bloated project pipelines, and the restructuring of Project Maverick appears to be part of an effort to address these issues.

The Future of Far Cry 7 and Project Maverick

While the reboot of Project Maverick has cast some uncertainty over the future of the extraction-shooter, developers working on Far Cry 7 remain confident that their project is on track for a release around 2026. Project Blackbird is expected to be the next mainline entry in the Far Cry series, continuing the franchise’s tradition of open-world exploration, chaotic action, and morally complex storytelling.

As for Project Maverick, its fate remains unclear. The reboot suggests that Ubisoft is committed to refining the concept, but it may be some time before players see the results of this effort. The extraction-shooter genre has grown increasingly competitive in recent years, with titles like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown setting high standards. If Maverick is to succeed, it will need to offer a unique twist on the formula while staying true to the Far Cry brand.

A Time of Transition for Ubisoft

The reboot of Project Maverick and the reassignment of its team members highlight a period of transition for Ubisoft. As the company seeks to streamline its operations and focus on its most promising projects, fans of the Far Cry series will need to exercise patience. While the wait for Far Cry 7 and the revamped Maverick may be longer than expected, the hope is that these changes will ultimately result in higher-quality games that live up to the legacy of the franchise.

In the meantime, players can continue to enjoy the recent updates to Far Cry 5 and Far Cry 6, as well as speculate about what the future holds for one of gaming’s most beloved open-world series. Whether Project Maverick will emerge as a standout entry in the extraction-shooter genre or fade into obscurity remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the Far Cry universe is far from finished.