A brand-new Far Cry game codenamed “Kodiak” has reportedly entered development at Ubisoft as an ambitious open-world FPS focused on emergent storytelling. Far Cry is one of Ubisoft’s staple franchises, with recent rumors suggesting the publisher wants to take it in several new directions.
Since the release of Far Cry 6 in 2021, Ubisoft’s enduring open-world FPS franchise has been dormant for one of its longest stretches. The series has traditionally been built around large open worlds, hostile factions, improvised combat, and a sandbox-style approach to objectives, but new reports suggest the company has bigger ambitions for the series, including expanded co-op gameplay and an extraction shooter. Ubisoft has yet to formally reveal Far Cry 7 or when it is expected to release, leaving reports about internal projects like “Blackbird” and “Maverick” remaining the primary source of information about its future. According to a new report, Kodiak is being built from the foundations of a canceled Far Cry project.
A New Far Cry Project Emerges After Reported Cancellation
In a new report from Insider Gaming, the previous Far Cry extraction shooter, codenamed Maverick, has allegedly been canceled due to development issues. In its wake, Far Cry‘s project Kodiak has entered production at Vantage Studios, passing its conception stage earlier in July 2026, and is said to reuse some of Maverick’s technical and production foundations while abandoning the extraction-shooter framework. Sources contacted by Insider Gaming describe the project as a “really ambitious” shooter in which “player interactions and player-driven stories take center stage.” Given how early in development Kodiak is, it could be several years before Ubisoft makes an official announcement, and even longer until a full release.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
Drag weapons to fill the grid
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The language used by sources familiar with the game could point to a deepening of unscripted encounters, factions, NPCs, wildlife, and player choices that the Far Cry franchise is known for. Part of what fans already love about the series is how it encourages improvisation through stealth, weapons, and environmental chaos, so Kodiak expanding on those qualities may appeal more strongly to longtime fans, rather than the Far Cry extraction shooter rumors that previously made the rounds. However, the central question with the next Far Cry is how Ubisoft can make those emergent gameplay systems meaningfully different from the existing emergent chaos in earlier entries, especially after some players criticized recent games for adhering too closely to the established formula.
Fans should note that the recent report does not state that Kodiak is a replacement for the next mainline Far Cry game. At this time, Insider Gaming continues to identify Blackbird as the internal name for Far Cry 7, which itself has reportedly faced repeated delays and development issues but is now said to be moving in a healthier direction. The franchise as a whole seems to have a lot planned for the future, with Vantage Studios co-CEO Charlie Guillemot vaguely describing Blackbird as an “Act One,” suggesting that more games are on the way.
Far Cry’s Kodiak, having passed the conception stage, is still only an early milestone in its development, and plenty could change over the course of the next few years. Like many AAA games, Kodiak could undergo major creative changes, receive another internal reboot, or even be canceled before Ubisoft formally announces it. However, its reported shift away from extraction gameplay suggests Ubisoft is once again betting on the unpredictable open-world action that made Far Cry successful in the first place and could delight longtime fans of the franchise.
