Debuting in 2004, theFar Cryfranchise is almost 20 years old, and it’s seen better days. Though it might not hold up too well today, the firstFar Crywas an impressive title for its era, boasting a primitive open-world and some excellentCryEngine graphics.Far Cry 2was a great follow-up, establishing a lot of the groundwork that the rest of the franchise would continue to build upon for the next 15 years. The franchise really hit the big time withFar Cry 3, widely considered to be one of the greatest open-world games of all time.
With an accessible but compelling story, a bright and colorful open-world, an eye-watering amount of content, and some tight combat mechanics,Far Cry 3was a rare overnight success, and one that would essentially become the foundation for the modern open-world genre moving forward. Ubisoft was quick to follow up on that success, with a plethora of sequels and spinoffs bombarding the market consistently for the next decade. WithFar Cry 6being a bit of a disappointment for the publisher, the franchise factory’s cogs have stopped turning, but that could end up givingFar Crythe most important year of its life.
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The Far Cry Franchise Used to Run Like Clockwork
Far Cry 3was an unprecedented success for the franchise. WhileFar CryandFar Cry 2sold plenty of units, it was nothing compared to the sheer force ofFar Cry 3’s release, selling over 10 million copies in under two years. With more critical and commercial success behind it than ever before,theFar Cryseriesquickly became one of Ubisoft’s spotlight franchises, and it didn’t take long before a sequel hit store shelves.
Arriving just two years later,Far Cry 4was just as commercially successful asFar Cry 3, though its critical reception was just slightly more mixed. Though it still reviewed very highly across the board, some fans and critics noted thatFar Cry 4felt a little too similar toFar Cry 3in a few key ways. Despite that criticism, Ubisoft put its developers back to work, andFar Cry Primalreleased another two years later.Far Cry 5would then follow it in 2018, andFar Cry New Dawndropped just one year after that. By this point, franchise fatigue had set in thoroughly, andFar Cry New Dawn’s critical and commercial receptionreflected that.
2023 Could Ironically Be One of Far Cry’s Most Important Years
The latest entry in the franchise,Far Cry 6, released in 2021, marking the seventhFar Cryrelease in just nine years. For almost a decade, Ubisoft was putting out at least one newFar Crygame every two years, even despite the global pandemic. WhileFar Cry 6was far from a bad game, there was just no escaping the franchise fatigue, and this time, it seems as though Ubisoft has taken notice of that.
For the first time in a decade, theFar Cryfranchise might not end up releasing a new entry in its two-year window. Currently, there are no officially confirmed plans for aFar Cry 7, and while an announcement could be right around the corner at the upcoming Ubisoft Forward showcase, it’s unlikely that anyFar Crygame is releasing this year. If recent rumors are to be believed, thenFar Cry 7might not even be in full development yetat all, but it’s this absence that could ironically make 2023 one ofFar Cry’s biggest years ever. This gap in releases could finally giveFar Cry’s developers enough breathing room to finally take the franchise back to the drawing board, and come up with a new entry that feels just as fresh asFar Cry 3did all those years ago.
Far Cry 6is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
