A report by Eurogamer has all but confirmed rumors of Far Cry 4, the sequel to 2012’s well-received open-world First-Person Shooter Far Cry 3. Although publisher Ubisoft has so far refused to comment on the game, the details that have emerged include a striking change of environment for the Far Cry series.
Instead of the lush jungle environments from the previous three games in the series, Far Cry 4 will take place in the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, and will allow for the player to, for the first time in the series, ride an elephant. The Himalayas is a mountain range of varying flora and fauna that encompasses countries from China all the way to Pakistan, and considering that previous Far Cry games took place in locations that were also geologically and ecologically diverse, this new game location is in keeping with the series’ strengths.
The Himalayan setting was first hinted at on Twitter by Superannuation, gaming tipster and columnist at Kotaku. Other details about Far Cry 4 include the fact that Cliff Martinez will be composing the score. Martinez is best known as the composer of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, and he mentioned in a 2013 interview that he would be “working on a video game called Far Cry 4.” Additionally, Ubisoft Shanghai are reported to be collaborating on the game’s development, according to studio design manager Xavier Plagnal’s LinkedIn profile, which credits him as “Content Director on the next Far Cry.”
Eurogamer’s source also confirmed that the game’s world map will be similar to Far Cry 3’s and will have outposts that can be liberated.
The most recent main entry in the series, Far Cry 3, sold 4.5 million units and received numerous gaming awards, including Best Game at the British Academy Video Game Awards and Best Gaming Moment at the Golden Joystick Awards. It subsequently spawned a standalone expansion, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which sold over 1 million units and was also critically successful.
Far Cry 4 is expected to be released sometime during the first half of 2015, most likely for the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, although it is uncertain if current-gen versions of the game are in the works. More news is likely to come from Ubisoft at its upcoming press conference at the E3 in June. Other eagerly anticipated titles likely to be highlighted include Watch Dogs, Tom Clancy’s The Division, and Assassin’s Creed 5: Unity, which was recently leaked by Kotaku.