The Far Cry franchise is one of the most successful first-person shooter video game series in the world. Over its 19-year history, there have been six major titles and nine spinoffs. There have also been several adaptations, including a web series, a live-action movie, comics, and novels, among others. Now, new talent has taken the reins on the storied IP.
The franchise is about to get a new lease on life, as the company behind it, Ubisoft, has chosen a new director for the IP. The new director, Drew Holmes, announced the development on his LinkedIn page a few days ago.
He wrote, “It’s been an exciting few months… I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as IP Director of Far Cry at Ubisoft! We have big things in store 🙂 Don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to be a part of the next evolution of this great brand!”
Holmes definitely has the chops for this sort of role, as he is a writer and narrative designer who has worked on many popular projects, including the BioShock franchise, the Red Faction franchise, and the Saints Row franchise.
He also worked on the Far Cry franchise in the past and was recently the narrative lead before his promotion to director. Holmes replaces Dan Hay, the former Far Cry IP director, who left the company in 2021 after a decade at the helm of the company’s Montreal division.
The shoes Hay left are massive, as his time as Far Cry director saw massive growth for the IP. For the sake of Far Cry fans and the video game industry as a whole, we hope Holmes fills Hay’s shoes and drives even more success for the franchise.
Earlier this year, we told you that Ubisoft is working on the next mainline game in the Far Cry franchise as well as a spinoff game. If everything goes according to plan, the company will release both games in 2025.
According to the original reports, the game was set in the Alaskan wilderness. However, a new report came to light last month that the title will now be set in Korea. The leaker also reported that the game will be named Far Cry: Rise, thereby ditching Ubisoft’s tradition of distinguishing one game from the next with numbers.
If those reports were true, Holmes will assume responsibility for the upcoming games and also chart the franchise’s course for the future. These are troubled times for Ubisoft as a company, which has seen all kinds of hardship in the past few years leading to a reevaluation of how the studio handles its IP.
Netflix announced it was working on a Far Cry animated series in 2021. In June, almost two years after the announcement, the streamer released the show’s first trailer. Titled Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon remix, it will arrive on the platform this fall.
