Ubisoft just can't catch a break with leaks ahead of its Ubisoft Forward presentation on July 12. Far Cry 6 was leaked on Friday via a Hong Kong PlayStation Store game listing. All this comes following the notable leaks of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the ambitious Watch Dogs Legion, and the battle royale game Hyper Scape.
The leaks reveal the release date and more, including a massive connection to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul thanks to one of the actors involved.
A store listing for Far Cry 6 was spotted on Hong Kong's PlayStation Store early Friday morning, just two days ahead of a likely reveal during Ubisoft Forward. This listing not only revealed a release date of February 18, 2021 and confirmed next-gen Smart Delivery support, but it also teased the story and the prominent involvement of actor Giancarlo Esposito, an actor who played Gus Fring from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, along with Moff Gideon from The Mandalorian.
"Welcome to Yara, a tropical paradise frozen in time," a translated version of the store listing explains. "As the Dictator of Yara, Anton Castillo is intent on restoring his nation back to its former glory by any means, with his son, Diego, following in his bloody footsteps." The official art for Far Cry 6 confirms that antagonist Anto Castillo is played by the Esposito, who teased that he was in a game to Collider in June.
While engaging villains like Castillo are often the main draw of Far Cry games, the store listing also confirms that we'll be playing as a local guerilla fighter named Dani Rojas. From a gameplay perspective, the listing also teased the "largest playground to date," and players can "employ makeshift weapons, vehicles, and Amigos" to take down the "tyrannical regime."
As Far Cry 6 won't be released until early 2021, it makes sense for it to be a cross-gen title. This listing confirms that the game will come to PS5, and presumably that means it will also launch on Xbox Series X. While some publishers like EA and 2K are trying to find ways around Smart Delivery, which lets players acquire upgraded versions of their current-gen games free on next-gen consoles, Ubisoft is embracing it. Digital PS4 copies of Far Cry 6 can be upgraded to a PS5 version for free; Hopefully, the same applies to the Xbox version.
The Inverse Analysis — While the Far Cry games have been knocked for their repetitiveness, I love Far Cry 3, which is one of the most influential open-world games of the last decade, so I look forward to each new entry. Giancarlo Esposito as the main villain makes this game seem even more compelling. With a fantastic performance, he could be the best Far Cry villain since Vaas (who some think may have a connection to Diego).
While Ubisoft probably isn't too pleased that one of its biggest Ubisoft Forward reveals was leaked beforehand, these games do make me more excited for the year ahead in gaming, unlike titles like Assassin's Creed Valhalla. It's probably too close to Ubisoft Forward for the company to alter the presentation after the leaks so, Far Cry 6's reveal will probably be little more than a simple teaser and include some gameplay.
Far Cry 6 will reportedly be released on February 18, 2021.
