Ubisoft has canceled a Far Cry game that had been in development for years. The project was an extraction shooter codenamed Maverick. In its place, a new open-world spin-off called Kodiak has entered development.
The news comes from Tom Henderson, who broke the story on Insider Gaming. Henderson has a strong track record with Ubisoft leaks, and outlets across the gaming press have picked up his report.
What Happened to Far Cry Maverick
Maverick was first revealed by Henderson back in October 2023. It was going to be an extraction shooter set in the Alaskan wilderness. Players would have fought each other, wild animals, and harsh weather conditions to survive.
That project has now been canceled. According to Henderson’s sources, Maverick did not convince Ubisoft’s leadership. The cancellation fits into the publisher’s wider push toward a smaller number of higher quality releases.
Kodiak: The New Far Cry Spin-Off
Ubisoft has not walked away from the extraction genre idea entirely. Instead, the work already done on Maverick has been reused to build something new.
The new project is codenamed Kodiak. It is described as an open-world FPS where player interactions and player-driven stories take center stage. Kodiak passed its conception stage earlier this month and has now moved into full development at Vantage Studios.
Sources describe Kodiak as “really ambitious.” That said, the game is still several years away from release, since it only recently left the concept phase.
Far Cry 7 Also Faces Delays
Henderson’s report also touches on Far Cry 7, internally codenamed Blackbird. The mainline game has faced its own development troubles and has been delayed internally more than once.
Despite the setbacks, Blackbird is reportedly now on a solid path toward completion. The game will include a multiplayer component, allowing more than one player to experience the world together.
Charlie Guillemot, CEO of Vantage Studios, reportedly called Blackbird “honestly impressive” during an internal interview. He also referred to it as “Act One,” which suggests Ubisoft may build more mainline Far Cry games in a similar style if Blackbird performs well after launch.
Earlier leaks claimed that Far Cry 7 would be set in Alaska and would include an extraction mode. Those details did not belong to Far Cry 7 after all. They were describing Maverick, the spin-off that has since been scrapped.
What This Means for the Far Cry Franchise
Vantage Studios is the Ubisoft subsidiary responsible for the publisher’s biggest franchises, including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six Siege. Kodiak becomes another entry in that studio’s pipeline, alongside Blackbird.
Far Cry is also getting a television adaptation. Fargo creator Noah Hawley is producing the show for FX, working alongside Rob McElhenney, known for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mythic Quest, and Welcome to Wrexham.
For now, Blackbird appears to be the closer of the two Far Cry projects to release. Kodiak remains in the early stages, with Ubisoft yet to confirm a release window for either game.
