Introduction: One of the biggest game development companies in the world, Ubisoft, is reportedly working on a game that will take them into the genre of battle royale shooters. The title, which is codenamed Scout, is inspired heavily by the popular battle royale release, Apex Legends. However, despite the numerous players in the multiplayer shooter space, many inside Ubisoft believe that the company is stepping into the same gaming ecosystem too late, which risks further dragging down the already struggling game development giant.
Article: Battle Royale has been one of the biggest trends in modern gaming, especially in the area of shooters. The principle where only one victor can emerge from a chaotic match is not only self-explanatory but is also ideally suited for the multiplayer space. Due to that, battle royale games began slowly dominating the field of shooters in the mid-2010s. From that period, the genre’s biggest hits to date emerged – games like PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends all came about in these years. Since then, the genre has been on a slow but noticeable decline. New gaming mods began emerging and from them, even bigger titles started to appear on the markets.
Today, extraction shooters are offering a similar setup to battle royale games but still have a range of fresh elements that are appalling to players. Other big titles in development, mainly Deadlock by Valve, are building hybrid gameplay mechanisms that reach outside of the strict shooter genre. But, it seems that Ubisoft believes that Battle Royale still has its best days in front of it. This is why the company is currently developing its own shooter codenamed Scout. The same should emulate a lot of elements of the popular Apex Legends and try to give them its unique twist. Presently, not much is known about the game, despite the fact that it has been in development for several years. What is certain, however, is that Ubisoft is trying to reverse its fortunes with a low-risk shooter game. Yet that game could still backfire on the company if its deployment comes too late for the battle royale lifecycle.
Apex as a Role Model
In the field of game development, just like across the entire popular entertainment industry, cases of creative borrowing are not rare. Many teams find huge inspiration in other existing games and usually try to emulate the successful elements while upgrading the things that could work better. When it comes to Ubisoft’s Scout, the development team is heavily borrowing from Apex Legends. According to the existing information, the developers are first and foremost looking to create characters and classes that are similar to Apex Legends and its Wraith, Pathfinder, Lifeline, and others. Each of these characters comes with their particular baseline stats and passive powers, as well as a selection of direct capabilities that they can deploy either offensively or to aid their team members. Scout is likely going to keep that element, as well as the science fiction setting for the game’s world-building.
Ubisoft Shooter Genesys
One of the main reasons why Ubisoft decided to try its hand in the battle royale genre is the fact that Apex Legends is struggling. The famous battle royale and hero shooter by Respawn Entertainment came out quietly back in 2019. The title’s fun gameplay and high-quality visuals allowed the game to expand its player base quickly. In fact, the game had over 50 million players in its first month. However, years are going by and now, Apex is gradually losing old players, while the title has a hard time coaxing new gamers to try it out. Ubisoft sees its opportunity there, especially because the company already has experience in the battle royale space. The company developed its Hyper Scape, a shooter game that offered a lot of regular battle royale elements. Hyper Space was shut down in 2022, but Ubisoft moved at least some of its developers on a project with the codename Pathfinder, which was also a battle royale game. It seems that now, Pathfinder morphed yet again into the current Scout.
The Fall of xDefiant
One of the reasons why Ubisoft is in a problematic business state is its history of shooter development. Last year, the company launched xDefiant, a free-to-play FPS that was supposed to take on the Call of Duty: Warzone market niche. The game failed almost immediately after it was brought to the market in May 2024. After a range of mixed or negative reviews, Ubisoft decided to pull the plug and stopped new players from registering on the servers or downloading the xDefiant client. Now, the game’s full shutdown will come in June 2025. For Ubisoft critics, the fact that the company is again jumping into FPS with Scout shows just how its management is devoid of both new ideas and willingness to take risks. So, while Scout will likely gain at least some traction once it comes out, it can easily become the new xDefiant story. Moments like that could become Ubisoft’s death by a thousand cuts.
Beyond Battle Royale
In the game development industry, sometimes it is not necessary to have the most innovative idea to find success. A recent example is the Marvel Rivals project, a game that more or less offers a new and revamped version of Overwatch. However, the slight changes to the game’s features, along with the support of the hugely popular superhero franchise, allowed Marvel Rivals to become one of the biggest new games in the past year. Additionally, its success seems to be only growing. Ubisoft is hoping to do something similar with Scout and simply siphon over the current Apex Legends gamers. But, many in the video game industry understand that sometimes, innovation is necessary as well. Ubisoft is reportedly building a tactics game that takes place in its Rainbow Six universe. Other companies, like the team behind PUBG, are also creating its PUBG: Blindspot, which functions in the broadly same genre. Simply put, something new will inherit the battle royale and extraction shooter fans alike. It is somewhat disheartening to see that companies like Ubisoft, who have so much to gain by being at the forefront of the next big genre, are still reluctant to double down on it. Arguably, a Rainbow Six tactic game could be wildly more successful than any rehashed battle royale title. Still, for Ubisoft, a safer alternative is what the company is willing to explore, even if that effort ultimately only adds another breach to the hull of the already sinking ship.
Author: Ivica Milaric, game designer and assistant professor of game design at the Novi Sada Academy of Arts, Republic of Serbia