The future of Far Cry will be multiplayer-focused, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said. While this pivot likely won't spell the end of single-player story campaigns, it suggests that the next entry in the Far Cry franchise will go down a road that might differ from fan expectations.
October 7 will mark the fourth anniversary of Far Cry 6, the latest numbered installment in the long-running series. Starring Giancarlo Esposito, the first-person shooter launched as the lowest-rated mainline Far Cry game, partly due to its increased focus on RPG elements. Reviewers argued that mechanics like anti-armor bullets dealing little damage to unarmored enemies made little sense and clashed with the gameplay of earlier entries. Far Cry 6 marked the end of the near-annual release cadence for the series, but the franchise is expected to continue, with previously spotted job listings indicating that the next installment entered development no later than 2023.
Far Cry 7 Will Be Multiplayer-Focused, Ubisoft CEO Suggests
However, the direction of Far Cry 7 might end up differing from fan expectations by focusing on multiplayer rather than the single-player story campaigns the series is best known for. This was suggested by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot during his late August 2025 appearance at the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "[The goal] on Far Cry, it’s really to bring the multiplayer aspects more predominantly pushed, so that it can also be played for a long time by players," the executive said, as first reported by Game File.
Will Far Cry 7 Be a Live-Service Game?
Merely focusing on "multiplayer aspects" does not necessarily imply that the next entry in the Far Cry franchise will lack a single-player campaign. Guillemot himself did not suggest otherwise. What the move could entail is a pivot toward a live-service component, which may or may not be integrated into the story mode. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a contemporary example of a Ubisoft game that attempted to combine live-service elements with a narrative campaign, though its poor initial reception may deter the company from repeating the exact same approach. A stronger emphasis on multiplayer would not automatically mark a radical shift for the franchise, as all prior Far Cry games featured multiplayer in some shape or form.
Is Tencent Pushing for the Far Cry Multiplayer Pivot?
Guillemot did not elaborate on the circumstances behind the decision to increase the series' multiplayer focus. While the shift may have been initiated by the company leadership, Tencent also has a say in the Far Cry franchise since it launched its joint venture with Ubisoft in March 2025. The spun-off subsidiary, which is still officially nameless, was put in charge of some of the largest Ubisoft properties: Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry. While Tencent has historically taken a hands-off approach to its gaming investments, most of its industry holdings stem from traditional acquisitions or minority stakes. The joint venture with Ubisoft is an exception, suggesting that standard operating practices may not fully apply.
[The goal] on Far Cry, it’s really to bring the multiplayer aspects more predominantly pushed, so that it can also be played for a long time by players.
Based on today's AAA development cycles, the next Far Cry game is likely to be a cross-gen title, released for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and their successors, which are expected to launch as early as late 2027. One 2023 rumor suggested that Far Cry 7 will put players on a timer, giving them 72 in-game hours to rescue the protagonist's family. The countdown will reportedly only advance when the player is outside a safe house, rather than in real time.
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