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''Far Cry'' is an
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
franchise of first-person shooter games published by
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
. The first game, '' Far Cry'', was developed by Crytek to premiere their CryEngine software, and released in March 2004. Subsequently, Ubisoft obtained the rights to the franchise and the bulk of the development is handled by Ubisoft Montreal with assistance from other Ubisoft satellite studios. The following games in the series have used a Ubisoft-modified version of the CryEngine, the Dunia Engine, allowing for open world gameplay. In the present, the franchise consists of six mainline games, a standalone expansion, and several spin-offs; additionally, the first game, initially developed for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, saw a number of ports to
video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...
s, which changed several elements and are therefore considered standalone releases. The ''Far Cry'' games, due to the history of their development, do not have any significant shared narrative elements, but instead share a theme of placing the player in a wilderness environment where they must fight against one or more despots that control the region as well as survive against wild animals that roam the open spaces. The ''Far Cry'' games feature a single-player campaign with later titles also offering co-operative campaign support. The games also offer competitive multiplayer options and the ability for users to edit the games' maps for these matches. The ''Far Cry'' games have generally been well received, with praise for their open world gameplay and antagonists, but criticism for their lack of innovation, and are considered commercial successes.


Premise and gameplay

The main ''Far Cry'' games are
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
s (FPS) with action-adventure elements. Whereas the first ''Far Cry'' and its spin-offs/remakes were typical FPS with discrete levels, ''Far Cry 2'' and the subsequent games have adapted an open world-style of gameplay, with main story and side missions and optional quests to complete. There are minimal narrative elements or chronology between the games. Instead, the ''Far Cry'' games have generally shared the theme of taking the player to "a lawless frontier" where "values and laws of today are non-functional", along with elements of having to survive in the wilderness including hunting and crafting. The player often needs to work with
freedom fighter A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion. Termi ...
s attempting to regain control of a region from a ruling party, and may have to pit different sides of a conflict against each other through their actions. Some of the series' games have been more rooted in realistic conflicts, while others have involved elements of the
supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
or
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
. Ubisoft Montreal, the principal developers of the series, do consider that all games share the same common fictional universe, and have reused some minor characters to maintain that, but otherwise anticipate each game can be enjoyed as a standalone title without knowledge of the other games.


History


Origins with Crytek (2004–2007)

The first '' Far Cry'' game was developed by the German studio Crytek, and premiered their CryEngine software. One of Crytek's goals with the CryEngine was to be able to render realistic outdoor spaces with large viewing distances, which was a unique feature compared with other game engines at the time of its release. The CryEngine was originally demonstrated as a tech demo at
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual Trade fair, trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, wit ...
(E3) 1999 under the name ''X-Isle: Dinosaur Island'' specifically aimed at
NVIDIA Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...
graphics processors. The demo allowed the user to explore a virtual tropical island populated with dinosaurs, showcasing the size of the virtual world that the CryEngine could handle. Following E3 1999, they secured a deal with NVIDIA to distribute ''X-Isle'' alongside all NVIDIA cards as benchmarking software, as at the time the CryEngine was the most demanding game engine on the market.
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
made a deal with Crytek to build out ''X-Isle'' into a full AAA title and obtained publishing rights for this title. This game develops the story of player-character Jack Carver, who stumbles upon the genetic research of Dr. Krieger and the Krieger Corporation, on a fictional Micronesia island, to create powerful Trigen Beasts as weapons later sold to mercenaries. ''Far Cry'' released in March 2004 for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
to critical praise and strong sales, with over 730,000 units sold in the first four months. Following ''Far Cry''s release, Crytek, wanting to show that CryEngine had other applications, signed a deal in July 2004 to develop a gaming franchise with publisher
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
(EA), a direct competitor to Ubisoft. This franchise became the '' Crysis'' series, and through which Crytek continued to improve their CryEngine. With Crytek unable to work with them, Ubisoft assigned its studio Ubisoft Montreal to help port the title to the various game consoles through the '' Far Cry Instincts'' and '' Far Cry Vengeance'' titles. These titles required Ubisoft Montreal to rework much of the game as the consoles at this point in time were not as powerful as personal computers, and could not handle the wide open levels without performance problems. These games created more linear levels from the original ''Far Cry'', added campaigns and multiplayer modes, and in some cases, changed the game's narrative to less-realistic outcomes. In March 2006, Ubisoft acquired all rights to the ''Far Cry'' series and a perpetual license for the CryEngine version used in the development of ''Far Cry''. Ubisoft Montreal remained the principal studio developing all future ''Far Cry'' games.


Shifts to internal development (2008–2011)

'' Far Cry 2'' was announced by Ubisoft in July 2007 and featured two significant changes from the previous ''Far Cry'' games. First, it premiered the use of the Dunia Engine, a modified form of the licensed CryEngine by Ubisoft Montreal. The Dunia engine was developed alongside ''Far Cry 2'' to make a fully open-world game as well as adding realistic physics and destroyable environments. Second, rather than continuing in the narrative of the first ''Far Cry'', it created a more open-ended narrative, featuring nine playable characters and the means for the player to create their own stories with the other non-playable characters in the game with an advanced
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
system. Part of the reason the narrative from ''Far Cry'' was dropped was that its main character Jack Carver was not memorable with players, and that the ending of the game, particularly with the changes made for ''Instincts'' and ''Vengeance'', took a significant turn into science fiction, something that the developers wanted to avoid with ''Far Cry 2''. Ubisoft also recognized that through the various console versions that players would be tired of the tropic setting as well as fearing that Crytek's project with EA was also set in a tropic location, and thus opted to change the locale to the plains of Africa. For ''Far Cry 2'', the game takes place in a fictional African county in the midst of a civil war that is being financially funded by a figure known as the Jackal, whom the player-character, a mercenary for hire, is tasked to bring down with the help of other mercenaries and locals. ''Far Cry 2'' was released in October 2008, and was critically praised and commercially successful, with over 2.9 million in sales by 2009. However, the game's director, Clint Hocking, noted that internally, much of the design of ''Far Cry 2'' was haphazard. ''Far Cry 2'' had a polarizing reception from players over some of the gameplay features that were implemented to make the game feel diegetic and immerse the player into the world. Some of these disputed mechanics included the random onset of
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
that would impact the character's vision and movement until they obtained and took medicine for it, a weapon decay system that would cause guns picked up from enemies to wear down and break over use, military checkpoints that a player could clear out but which would become repopulated with enemies minutes later, and the game's buddy system, where the player could call a selected non-player character to help their character in battle, but only for a short while and would not be available until the player reached a safe house to rest.


Expansion as series (2012–ongoing)

Pre-production work for ''Far Cry 3'' had reportedly started just after ''Far Cry 2'' was shipped, with plans to keep it as a narrative sequel, but in the few years that followed, many of the development leads for ''Far Cry 2'' left the studio. The project had a significant shift of locale, returning to a tropical island theme similar to ''Far Cry'' while retaining the open-world nature of ''Far Cry 2''. They also looked to keep the key elements of ''Far Cry 2''s open world that worked but add in more features to make it feel like a living world but with purpose behind how they designed it. This led to the development of the Dunia 2 engine to implement some open-world features such as weather system, which premiered in ''Far Cry 3''. Several of the questionable gameplay elements of ''Far Cry 2'' were eliminated. Further, to make this world meaningful, they eliminated the multiple player-characters and instead provided one character that they could write a strong narrative around. Within ''Far Cry 3'', the player-character is part of a group of adventuring tourists caught by the pirate Vaas Montenegro who has tortured the island's native population. The introduction of a well-defined villain character in Vaas that was the focal point for much of the game further redefined how the ''Far Cry'' games going forward would be presented, each centered around a similar crafted character central to the game's plot. ''Far Cry 3'' was formally announced in 2011 and released in November 2012. Though ''Far Cry 3'' presented some controversial elements within its narrative, it received critical acclaim and had sold more than 10 million units by 2014. The basic gameplay of ''Far Cry 3'' established the series' general approach that was used in the next main series' iterations but shifted locales from the tropical setting. These games included '' Far Cry 4'' (2014), set in the fictional Himalayan country of Kyrat ruled by the tyrannical Pagan Min and his Royal Army, '' Far Cry 5'' (2018), taking place in fictional Hope County in Montana where a doomsday cult Eden's Gate, led by Joseph Seed, has locked down the region, and '' Far Cry 6'' (2021), set on a fictional island country of Yara in the midst of revolution which "El Presidente" Antón Castillo rules as a dictator. All these games maintained the theme of a lawless land and required the player to rely on a number of gameplay skills beyond combat, such as hunting and crafting to a degree, to succeed. Each iteration of the games has used the Dunia 2 engine with further enhancements to improve performance and take advantage of newer technologies. Extending from the main games were smaller side games that were built using the main games' existing maps and assets. The first of these was '' Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon'', released in May 2013, following its announcement by Ubisoft on the previous
April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...
. The game, a standalone title, was an experiment release developed by Dean Evans that worked atop the existing ''Far Cry 3'' assets, reskinning some of the game's existing maps and geometry. It took a tongue-in-cheek approach to the culture of the 1980s. It became a commercial success with more than 1 million units sold. Its success led to similar "reskins" for the next two main games in '' Far Cry Primal'' (2016) (from ''Far Cry 4'') and '' Far Cry New Dawn'' (2019) (from ''Far Cry 5''). While Ubisoft has yet to formally announce further ''Far Cry'' games after ''Far Cry 6'', reports emerged in November 2021 that the next ''Far Cry'' game would be a live-service game similar to Ubisoft's plans for the next ''
Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is a historical fiction, historical action-adventure video game series and media franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil (game engine), Anvil and its m ...
'' game, codenamed ''Assassin's Creed Infinity''. Around the same time, Dan Hay, executive producer for the ''Far Cry'' series since ''Far Cry 3'', announced his departure from Ubisoft Montreal to pursue other opportunities.


Main series


''Far Cry'' (2004)

''Far Cry'', the first game in the series, was developed as an open-ended first-person shooter by German studio Crytek, being the first title to use their CryEngine software. The game is set on a mysterious
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
in
Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Poly ...
, where ex-special forces operative Jack Carver must use various weapons, tools, and his surroundings to survive against hostile mercenaries that control the islands while searching for the journalist who was accompanying him and who went missing. As Jack explores the islands, he uncovers the horrific genetic experiments being conducted on the local wildlife and must confront the mad scientist behind them. The game was published by
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
on March 23, 2004, for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
. It received generally positive reviews, with praise for its visuals, gameplay mechanics, and the level of freedom given to the player, and sold 730,000 units within four months of release.


''Far Cry 2'' (2008)

''Far Cry 2'' was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
on October 21, 2008, in North America, October 23 in Australia, and October 24 in Europe. The game is set in a fictional
East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
n state where an arms smuggler known as "The Jackal" is selling weapons to two factions engaged in a civil war. The player assumes the role of a mercenary sent to find and kill the Jackal, who is inflaming the conflict. The game's sandbox gameplay has been highly touted, allowing the player access to 50 km2 of African terrain, complete with open
savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
, forests, animals, and towns. ''Far Cry 2'' also puts more emphasis on realism compared to other games in the series, incorporating features such as weapon jamming and
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
, which the player character gets infected with at the start of the game and must thereafter regularly take medication to avoid dying. ''Far Cry 2'' received generally positive reviews from critics for its setting, visuals, and open-ended gameplay, although some criticized its writing,
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
, and technical issues. A number of players also found some aspects of the gameplay, mainly those related to the game's focus on realism, overly repetitive and tedious. The game sold three million copies worldwide within four months of release. A top-down shooter version of the game for
mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...
s was developed and published by
Gameloft Gameloft SE is a French video game company based in Paris, founded in December 1999 by Ubisoft co-founder Michel Guillemot. The company operates 18 development studios worldwide, and publishes games for mobile devices, video game consoles, and ...
.


''Far Cry 3'' (2012)

''Far Cry 3'' was developed by Ubisoft Montreal using feedback from ''Far Cry 2'', and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 29, 2012, in Australia, November 30 in Europe, and December 4 in North America. It was later re-released on the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
on June 26, 2018. Ahead of release, the game was heavily promoted by Ubisoft with various companion apps, webseries and crossovers. ''Far Cry 3'' takes place on the fictional Rook Islands, a tropical archipelago. After a vacation goes awry, protagonist Jason Brody, an ordinary American tourist, must learn the ways of the jungle to survive and rescue his friends, who have been captured by the insane Vaas Montenegro and his gang of pirates to be sold into slavery. Larger in scope and ambition than its predecessors, ''Far Cry 3'' received largely positive reviews, with praise for its characters (in particular Vaas), world design, visuals, progression, and gameplay, though the multiplayer modes received some criticism. The game has sold nearly ten million copies in its lifetime, and was nominated for multiple year-end accolades in 2012, including Game of the Year and Best Shooter.


''Far Cry 4'' (2014)

''Far Cry 4'' was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on November 18, 2014, in Australia and North America, and November 20 in Europe. The game was originally conceptualized as a direct sequel to ''Far Cry 3'', before it was turned into a standalone story like the other games in the series. The game is set in the fictional country of Kyrat in the
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
region, ruled by a despotic self-appointed king named Pagan Min. The protagonist, Ajay Ghale, becomes caught in a civil war and must overthrow Min, after he is instructed by his late mother to travel again, from the U.S., to his homeland to spread her ashes there. Aspects of the game's story were inspired by the 1996–2006 Nepalese Civil War. ''Far Cry 4'' received positive reviews for its world design, visuals, soundtrack, and characters as well as new gameplay additions and the wealth of content. However, the story had a more divisive reception, and the game was criticized for its lack of innovation from ''Far Cry 3''. The game had the biggest launch in the franchise's history, selling seven million copies by the end of 2014.


''Far Cry 5'' (2018)

''Far Cry 5'' was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto. Announced in early 2017, it was released worldwide on March 27, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game is set in modern-day
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
in the fictional Hope County, which is controlled by a doomsday cult called the Project at Eden's Gate, led by "The Father" Joseph Seed and his siblings. Players assume the role of a customizable sheriff's deputy who becomes entangled in a violent conflict between the cult and the resisting residents of Hope County who have seen their friends and family taken or killed by the cult. The game was heavily inspired by several socio-political events in modern history, such as the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
and the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
. The development team sought to capture the despondent social climate after the events and re-purpose it for the game. ''Far Cry 5'' received generally positive reviews for its world design, visuals, gameplay, and soundtrack, although the narrative and some of the characters received criticism. It also became the subject of controversy after being announced alongside a period of heightened political conflicts. The game was a commercial success and became the fastest-selling title in the franchise, grossing over $310 million in its first week of sales.


''Far Cry 6'' (2021)

''Far Cry 6'' was developed by Ubisoft Toronto and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4,
PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
, Xbox One,
Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...
and Stadia on October 7, 2021. The game is set on the fictional island of Yara (loosely based on modern-day
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
), ruled by
fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
dictator Antón Castillo (portrayed by
Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He rose to prominence by portraying Gus Fring in the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011), a role he reprised in ...
) who seeks to bring his son, Diego ( Anthony Gonzalez), to be his heir amidst a revolutionary uprising by freedom fighters. Players assume the role of guerilla fighter Dani Rojas, attempting to topple Castillo and his regime. The game was inspired by several
revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
s of recent history, primarily the
Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
of 1953–1959, and features the return of several elements from earlier ''Far Cry'' titles, such as a tropical setting and a fully voiced protagonist. ''Far Cry 6'' received generally mixed reviews. Although the setting, visuals, Esposito's performance, and the minor improvements to the series' gameplay formula were praised, the lack of innovation and the aging design were criticized.


Spin-offs


''Far Cry Instincts'' (2005)

''Far Cry Instincts'' is a port of the original ''Far Cry'' for the
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
, developed and published by Ubisoft on September 27, 2005. Although it is a port, the game is less open-ended, due to the console's technical limitations, and features several new elements, including an altered storyline, new weapons, an extra multiplayer mode through the Xbox Live service, a map creator, and 'feral abilities', and is therefore considered a separate release. Ports for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
and
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
were cancelled.


''Far Cry Instincts: Evolution'' (2006)

A sequel to ''Far Cry Instincts'', released for the Xbox on March 27, 2006, ''Evolution'' features a new single-player campaign, albeit considerably shorter than that of ''Instincts'', as well as new weapons, vehicles, an expanded mapmaker and an extra multiplayer mode. Maps that are created on the Xbox version of ''Instincts'' cannot be transferred to the Xbox 360 version.


''Far Cry Instincts: Predator'' (2006)

''Far Cry Instincts: Predator'', released for the Xbox 360 on the same day as ''Far Cry Instincts: Evolution'', includes graphically enhanced versions of both ''Instincts'' and ''Evolution''.


''Far Cry Vengeance'' (2006)

''Far Cry Vengeance'' is a port of ''Far Cry Instincts: Evolution'' for the Wii, developed and published by Ubisoft on December 12, 2006, in North America, January 5, 2007, in Europe, and February 28 in Australia. The game features changed controls, new weapons and vehicles, and three additional levels.


''Paradise Lost'' (2007)

''Paradise Lost'' is a rail shooter arcade game port of ''Far Cry Instincts'' developed by Global VR and published by Ubisoft in 2007. Players use stationary turrets armed with rockets and grenades as power-ups.


''Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon'' (2013)

''Blood Dragon'' is a stand-alone "expansion pack" based on the world of ''Far Cry 3''. Although ''Blood Dragon'' does not continue the story of ''Far Cry 3'', it shares the same game engine and gameplay mechanics. News of its development was leaked by the Brazilian ratings board, which awarded an 18+ certification based on the title's references to violence, sex, and drugs. The game's retrospective story, characters and visual style are inspired by 1980s action movies, especially those starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
, such as ''
Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...
'', '' The Terminator'', and ''
Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
'', and
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...
, like ''
Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
'', '' First Blood'', and '' Rocky IV''. Other film/television references include ''
RoboCop ''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen (actress), Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Dani ...
'', ''
Escape from New York ''Escape from New York'' is a 1981 American Independent film, independent science fiction film, science fiction action film co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter, and starring Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald ...
'', '' Scarface'' and ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...
'', among others. Pre-orders of the PC version received a digital copy of the soundtrack, produced by Melbourne, Australia-based Power Glove. Due to the success of the title, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has stated that the game may also get a retail release. A crossover title with the '' Trials'' series, '' Trials of the Blood Dragon'' is based on ''Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and'' was released in June 2016. A remastered version of ''Blood Dragon'' is included in the
season pass A season ticket, or season pass, is a Ticket (admission), ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time. History The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' has illustrative quotations which show the term ''season ticket'' used in the ...
of ''Far Cry 6''.


''Far Cry Primal'' (2016)

Announced in October 2015, ''Far Cry Primal'' is a spin-off to ''Far Cry 4'', developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 23, 2016, and for Microsoft Windows on March 1, 2016. The game is set during the
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
, in the fictional Oros valley in Central and
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
, and follows the story of Takkar, who starts off as an unarmed hunter and rises to become the leader of a tribe. ''Primal'' received generally mixed reviews. While the concept, world design, and certain gameplay mechanics, such as the ability to tame animals, were praised, the story and characters were seen as inferior compared to previous ''Far Cry'' games. Most critics also felt that, because of the game's setting, there was a significant lack of weapons to utilize, leading to a repetitive gameplay design.


''Far Cry New Dawn'' (2019)

''Far Cry New Dawn'' is a spin-off and sequel to ''Far Cry 5'', developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on February 15, 2019. The game is set seventeen years after one of the possible endings of ''Far Cry 5'' and follows the survivors of a nuclear war as they attempt to rebuild their community, with players assuming the role of an unnamed and highly customizable Captain. The game takes place on a modified version of ''Far Cry 5'''s map and introduces several elements from the RPG genre, including an upgradeable home base and increased reliance on crafting from limited supplies. ''New Dawn'' received generally mixed reviews, with praise for its world design and gameplay and criticism for its narrative and similarities to ''Far Cry 5 and'' was less financially successful than both ''Far Cry 5'' and ''Far Cry Primal''.


''Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity'' (2021)

''Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity'' is a virtual reality game set in the same tropical island location as '' Far Cry 3''. Released on June 1, 2021, it features Vaas Montenegro as its central antagonist.


Other media


Live-action adaptations

*A direct-to-video-film, '' Far Cry'', released in 2008 was directed by
Uwe Boll Uwe Boll (; born 22 June 1965) is a German filmmaker. He came to prominence during the 2000s for his adaptations of video game franchises. Released theatrically, the films were critical and commercial failures; his Alone in the Dark (2005 film), ...
and stars
Til Schweiger Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor and filmmaker. He became known in the 1990s for films such as '' Manta, Manta'', '' Der bewegte Mann'' and '' Knockin' on Heaven's Door''. He went on to star in international ...
as Jack Carver. The film follows Jack Carver, an ex-special forces soldier turned boatman who is hired by a journalist to investigate a top-secret military base on a nearby island. The film received negative reviews with most critics saying it does the games no justice. *''The Far Cry Experience'' is a four-part webseries released in 2012 that serves as a prequel to the events of '' Far Cry 3''. It features Christopher Mintz-Plasse playing a fictionalized version of himself who is captured by Vaas (played by Michael Mando) and his pirates and becomes the subject of Vaas's torture show. *In 2013, it was reported that a ''Far Cry'' film was in development by Ubisoft Motion Pictures, along with a '' Watch Dogs'' and '' Raving Rabbids'' film, although there has been no news about the project since. *''Inside Eden's Gate'' is a short film released on March 5, 2018, as a tie-in prequel to '' Far Cry 5''. It follows three filmmakers investigating the rumors surrounding the Project at Eden's Gate and encountering Joseph Seed (played by Greg Bryk) and the other members of the Seed family.


Animated series

It was announced that Ubisoft are teaming with Adi Shankar to develop an animated series titled '' Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix''. It was announced to be in production for
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
during June 2021, with Bobbypills leading the animation and Balak as creative director. The series was released on October 19, 2023.


Board game

On September 20, 2021, it was announced that board game publisher Funforge would partner with Ubisoft to create a
board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...
based on the franchise titled ''Far Cry Beyond''.


Novels

*German-language novels by Michael T. Bhatty: **''Far Cry: Götterdämmerung'' (Panini, 2007, ) - an expanded novelization of the original '' Far Cry'' game. **''Far Cry 2: Blutige Diamanten'' (Panini, 2008, ) - a prequel to '' Far Cry 2''. *''Far Cry: Absolution'' (2018) by Urban Waite – a prequel to '' Far Cry 5''.


Comics

*''Far Cry: Rite of Passage'' (2021) - a comic book miniseries published by
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
as a tie-in to ''Far Cry 6''. It features the game's primary antagonist, Antón Castillo, recounting cautionary tales to his son Diego about the rise and fall of previous villains in the series (Vaas Montenegro, Pagan Min, and Joseph Seed). *'' Happy Vaas Day'', a 2021 manga one-shot by Hiromu Nagase published by '' Jump'' in collaboration with Ubisoft. The story depicts a young Vaas Montenegro. *''Inside'', a 2021 manga one-shot published by '' Jump'' in collaboration with Ubisoft. The story follows a young man as he plays ''Far Cry 4'' and begins pondering the morality of the characters. *''Far Cry: Esperanza's Tears'', published by Ablaze in October 2022 is a prequel comic to ''Far Cry 6''.


Sales

Ubisoft reports that through 2014, lifetime sales of the ''Far Cry'' franchise have exceeded 20 million units. By September 2019, the series had accumulated a combined 50 million units in sales.Ubisoft
"Far Cry 5 Breaks Franchise Sales Records."
April 4, 2018. "Far Cry 5 now represents the second biggest launch ever for a Ubisoft game, following only Tom Clancy's The Division, with $310M USD in consumer spending through the first week." $310m / ~$60 per copy = ~5.16 million copies sold in the first week.


References


External links

*
Far Cry series
at
MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...
{{Ubisoft Video games adapted into comics Science fiction video games Video games adapted into films Video games adapted into television shows Video games adapted into novels Ubisoft franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2004