Ubisoft writer confirms Far Cry 3

By Oli Welsh Published 25 November, 2009

It's the naughty corner for this man.

An Ubisoft scriptwriter has confirmed to the UK's Official PlayStation magazine that Far Cry 3 is in development.

Kevin Shortt, speaking at an Avatar press event, was asked by the mag if he was working on a sequel to last year's sandbox shooter, (as reported by CVG).

"No I'm not," he said. "But I know the team are and what I've seen looks pretty exciting."

It's hardly surprising, but pre-empts an official announcement of the game from Ubisoft. Shortt probably has some explaining to do right now.

Far Cry 2 was made by Ubsioft Montreal after the French publisher took the series over from original developer Crytek. It moved the game from lush tropical islands to an African setting, and earned a respectable 8/10 from us.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • bad09 #1 2 years ago

    I'm up for a 3rd offering!

    Didn't really like FC1 but I'm really enjoying FC2 at the mo. It's one of those games where I can see the glaring problems many hate (respawning guard posts, weapons jamming, vehicle fixing, super accurate enemies from miles away, etc.) but the whole makes up for these failings. Wandering/driving around the beautiful environment, really fun gunplay, picking and choosing what you do and makes a really fun game.

  • YourMessageHere #2 2 years ago

    This, as the saying goes, is relevant to my interests. Make something that works broadly like Far Cry 2, but fix the respawning guard posts, fix the broken stealth, model the weapons properly and add some more variety to enemy equipment and I'll be almost completely happy.

  • wizlon #3 2 years ago

    FC2 was flawed, but with a few fixes it could have been amazing. I still didn't mind the jamming weapons, it added an extra level of something to the game. Anyway, it was always funny to fire an RPG at something just for the rocket to fall out of the chamber and spin round on the ground before exploding and taking off your face. Also, I really liked the health system in FC2, levels of regeneration but also health packs.

  • Miths #4 2 years ago

    FC2 definitely had some flaws, but I loved the game world - and hell, I even loved all the excessive driving (and sailing) just to take in all the beautiful sights.
    I have yet to play that PS3 Afrika game, but I still dare say that FC2 made for a vastly better African safari game. And with assault rifles and explosives :).

  • flaming.carrot #5 2 years ago

    I really should go back and finish FC2, does it evolve at all once you get to the second territory or is just more of the same?

  • systems #6 2 years ago

    Please don't make it the same get mission, drive to target, get attacked at checkpoint, do mission, drive back bollocks all over again.

    Other than that I really liked FC2. Quite a few nice realistic touches. I liked the weapon trader and the upgrades and the map and compass and all that. Just not the bloody checkpoints. And add some wildlife would you? I want to do some big game hunting.

  • mkreku #7 2 years ago

    It's more of exactly the same.

    I loved the first few hours of Far Cry 2, but the respawns totally killed it for me. That and the way everyone in the entire continent seemed to want to kill you. I rushed through to the end after letting the game rest a month or so after I bought it. The most frustrating thing was to see how close they were to making it a great game! A few game-breaking flaws that could have been so easily removed (timers on respawns, friendly civilians, better missions planning) and it would have been almost a masterpiece.

  • Eraysor #8 2 years ago

    I would have enjoyed FC2 were it not for those respawning checkpoints, which completely ruined the entire game.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 09:33

  • ignatiusjreilly #9 2 years ago

    Isn't it weird how every single person who has ever played the game can see exactly what the major glaring fault was, but they still made it in the first place? They must have known, so I can only guess that they whole game fell apart somehow when they didn't include the respawning checkpoints and "everybody hates me" atmosphere.

    I wonder how much they'll change those things for FC3...

  • RedSparrows #10 2 years ago

    The checkpoints system was annoying, but come on, ruins the entire game? You can dodge most of them entirely. I found the mobile patrols more annoying, even if they weren't broken.

  • FogHeart #11 2 years ago

    What I really want from this version is an SDK. The landscape is as compelling as Oblivion or Fallout 3, and with mods the complaints could be adressed. There could even be total conversions to make it a safari sim or a humanitarian mission. Although would the average gamer pick delivering medical supplies through a gauntlet of bandits over blowing stuff up? Maybe an FO3 style system of Karma would be good...

  • jambo74 #12 2 years ago

    Yep, it be a game but no Fallout 2, English.

  • davisorle #13 2 years ago

    Why is everyone complaining about the respawning guards? it was meant to be that way and it didnt ruinb the game, it added a bit more playtime. if all those posts were cleared once you make a full run of the map then you go clearing all the objectives and missions you get so easily.. I do hope they dont listen to any of you and they keep the respawning guards cause if not.. it meansthe game would be even easier, even shorter, thus not as appealing to me. Jamming weapons were awesome cause it was done properly.. I really dont know what you complain about. The game wasnt perfect and yeah, stealth was messy but other than that your points are invalid :/

  • sneetch #14 2 years ago

    @davisorle
    thus not as appealing to me.

    I've quoted the key part of your post.

    You liked them, we didn't and for some it did ruin the game. I would have no problems if they took a while to respawn, or if there was only a chance they would respawn, but as it was they kept popping back up like vampires or cryptosporidiosis.

  • samk #15 2 years ago

    Yes, the respawning camps did ruin the game for some of us, and no they couldn't be avoided unless you wanted to do a lot more mindless walking.

    I'm usually a sucker for FPS games but didn't play FC2 for long before I'd already had enough. It simply quickly dawned on me that I'd be spending most of my time traipsing backwards and forwards across an enormous map taking out the same enemies for the umpteenth time, for no reason other than for the devs to pad out the game with filler.

  • local_celebrity #16 2 years ago

    Far Cry II was insanely boring, but strangely compelling at the same time. Once you let the atmosphere soak in, the game really became rather enjoyable.

    The lack of a meaningful payoff at the end was shocking though. All those days of trudging around and squirrelling away game saves, and all you had to was kill off a few more enemies.

    I wasn't playing this game. The game was playing me!

    Like a bitch.

  • AphoticCosmos #17 2 years ago

    If Ubi can pull an ACII and make FC3 like FC2 but better, then I'm all for it. It deserves a sequel, IMHO.

  • SYS64738 #18 2 years ago

    I made the worst mistake one can make and played FC1 before FC2. The game survived for about 2 weeks on my HDD before being uninstalled. Too many flaws and unkept promises, given the pre release marketing campaign bragged about 'unrivalled realism'.
    - corridor shooting but on a bigger scale admittedly (unclimbable hill ranges)
    - AI - what everyone else said, super aggro, respawning, take millions of bullets to take down, stealth almost impossible due to super hearing/vision even at night
    - supposedly fully breakable environment is limited to a few trees and grass burning, and the odd specific breakable shack
    - start & goal points are as far away from each other as possible, forcing you to spend ages to commute, while driving isn't fun at all due to check points (drive/stop/shoot/drive/stop/shoot etc.)
    - the setting is supposed to be in a civil war zone if i'm not mistaken. The only parties fighting each other is the world against YOU.

    I paid full price for this, and wish I hadn't bothered. Biggest disappointment of the year.
    Edited by 1 at 25/11/09 @ 13:26

  • Paulie_P #19 2 years ago

    I wanted to love this game, the game world was beautiful but I couldn't get into it.

    On several occasions, I got stuck on a rock or tree and had to reload the game so I just give up.

  • jools #20 2 years ago

    What bugs me is apparently the missions where you have to ambush a truck, the truck just drives a circular route until you can be bothered to kill it.

    Why does everything have to be spoon fed. Tell you what time the truck will be at a location and then leave the player to be there at the right time. Have the players ingame watch warn them 10 minutes before it is due or something but in the time between let the player get on with other things.

    Go for immersion not spoon feeding to attract me to FC3.

  • The_Inquisitor #21 2 years ago

    I didn't mind the respawning camps that much because I rarely back tracked if I could help it and tried to take a different route when I did (if only to uphold the games illusion). My mounting arsenal by the end of the game made the respawning camps a blessing though, as there were just too many fun ways of destroying them while remaining out of harms way. The Motar being an example.

  • FTM #22 2 years ago

    I am like most people on here..the environment and setting were fine, but the missions were tedious and the respawning enemies killed the atmosphere and the game for me

    if they can get a better game to go with the lovely game engine I will be happy

  • TRUTH #23 2 years ago

    Far Cry was a good game with good, had good moody atmosphere but also let itself down due to repetitive gameplay . I actually liked the guns jamming - this gave the game a sense of urgency . Do remember the guns only jammed if you picked up mainly used guns left by guerrilla enemies. Used guns could be improved by upgrading them. New guns bought, jamming, did not happen... I liked the idea of vehicles being unusable due to damage with the thought of dying due to your medicine running low...this gave the game a feeling of desperation and urgency in the game world - just need some areas improved upon.

    The problem with the game was it did get a bit repetitive with enemy respawn, the enemy mainly stayed the same, the vehicles should have been more varied and important both for enemies and youself esp to travel...if they add more of variety in enemies & AI and more options to fight the way you like (the stealth was a bit of downer in FC2) and fix the repetitive nature of the missions with more deeper variety and scope...FC3 could be brilliant game.

    Just don't make this into MW liner shooter - depth, weapon strategy, suspense, survival rpg-adventure and tactics openness is what FC 3 should do - properly this time (FC2 did some of this - but not to full effect!). The openness and freedom is what FC is about!


    Edited by 2 at 25/11/09 @ 22:45

  • Iain815 #24 2 years ago

    Far Cry 2 was one of the most disappointing games I've ever bought.

    The really long drives packed it in for me.

  • jambo74 #25 2 years ago

    UBI heard my far cry as I played I'm sure.

  • darkphoenix #26 2 years ago

    I loved every bit of FC2.
    Best FPS of this generation so far.

    The respawning of enemies and checkpoints was spot on: you can't defeat an entire population, you can't win in a civil war.

    Whiners just refused to commit, as they always do.
    It's always the game's fault, not theirs...

  • Markusdragon #27 2 years ago

    FC2 was quite good. A little less repetition and tedium, and a little more chaotic fun in exotic foriegn wildernesses and a FC3 would be thoroughly enjoyable.

  • peppergomez #28 2 years ago

    note to the developers: when you make an incredibly detailed game world, don't forget to put people (NPCs) in it. if FC2 had had civilians to interact with, it would have been more interesting. as it is, the game feels like it was gutted of content. it's a shame, b/c it did a lot of things right.

  • themorganator #29 2 years ago

    loved FC2. Will get FC3

  • TheGuvernor #30 2 years ago

    FC2 was one of my all time favourite single player experiences.
    Respawning guard posts gave me more shit to blow up - or avoid.
    People saying the stealth didn't work were just bad at it....! LOL.
    We need more massive open world games like this - that are stable, work & truely emergent.
    Not more linear scripted bollox.
    Yeah, it wasn't perfect but it was an amzing departure from the norm that I put over 60 hours into.

    Bring on FC3
    Edited by 1 at 26/11/09 @ 21:20

  • jambo74 #31 2 years ago

    WHAT was that??????
    Drum beat starts......