Jason Paradise, the community manager for the game, explained via Steam that “delivering this fantasy” required “clear priorities for the team.” In other words, this was likely a time-cutting measure to ensure that the game hit its late winter release date. This doesn’t stop Ubisoft from referring to the game as a “full” Far Cry title, however. The game is not only being sold for full price, but also includes a $70 “deluxe” version that includes a steelbook, map, CD, and extra DLC.
Since the franchise’s resurgence in 2012, this would be the first Far Cry game to not include any multiplayer component. Far Cry 3 included simple competitive and cooperative modes, the latter of which amounted to a shooting gallery, while Far Cry 4 introduced a borderline-asymmetric component — its gameplay appears to mirror the bow and animal-focused combat of Primal.
Ubisoft’s 2016 could look very different from past years. Although the open-world RPG experiment The Division releases this spring, the holiday season looks far more barren. A new rumor suggests that, for the first time since 2008, an Assassin’s Creed game will not be released this year, with a Watch Dogs sequel possibly taking its place. The official page for the open-world tactical shooter Ghost Recon: Wildlands currently lists a 2016 release date, but this is likely just a placeholder until a final release date has been set.
Far Cry Primal hits Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on February 23, with the PC version releasing the following week.
