Ubisoft Working on New Battle Royale Game Inspired by Apex Legends

Image via Ubisoft

Ubisoft is developing a new battle royale game heavily inspired by Apex Legends, according to reports. The project, codenamed 'Scout', has been in development for approximately two years and appears to be the company's latest attempt to enter the competitive live-service game market.

According to Insider Gaming, Ubisoft's approach to this new battle royale title closely follows the Apex Legends formula. The game reportedly includes characters that are very similar to Apex Legends heroes such as Pathfinder, Wraith, and Lifeline. Reports also claim that Apex Legends was so influential in Scout's design that it was even used as the thumbnail for the project internally.

Ubisoft executives apparently see an opportunity in the declining player numbers for Apex Legends. They believe there's room in the market for another hero-based battle royale game, despite their own internal research team investigating "what's next after battle royale" as player engagement in the genre continues to decline across the board.

This isn't Ubisoft's first attempt at breaking into the battle royale market. The company previously launched Hyperscape in 2020, but shut it down roughly 18 months after release. Reports suggest that Ubisoft has canceled approximately a dozen battle royale projects in various stages of development since then.

The French game publisher has struggled with live-service games in recent years. Both XDefiant and Hyperscape were shut down after failing to maintain healthy player counts. Outside of established franchises like Rainbow Six Siege and The Division, Ubisoft has found limited success in the live-service space.

EA, the publisher of Apex Legends, has acknowledged that the game isn't performing as well financially as they'd like. CEO Andrew Wilson has mentioned plans for a "major update" referred to as "Apex Legends 2.0" in the future, though details remain scarce.

Ubisoft's financial situation has also raised concerns among investors. Earlier this month, the company's stock reportedly fell to a 12-year low amid uncertainty about its future. The announcement of a new subsidiary with Tencent has further confused players, developers, and investors about the company's direction.

Currently, Ubisoft is being supported primarily by the success of Assassin's Creed Shadows. There are also reports that Ubisoft is working on a tactics game set in the Rainbow Six universe.

Whether Scout will ever see the light of day remains uncertain. Given Ubisoft's track record with live-service games and the declining interest in battle royale titles, the project faces significant challenges if it does eventually launch.