Far Cry 6 launch date announced, coming to Stadia too

With people having more time indoors on their hands, many have resorted to dusting off their gaming collection or even expanding it with new purchases. Recent events have been a boon to the gaming industry but they have also put some companies and individuals under a microscope. It is against that backdrop that Ubisoft is announcing its latest flagship title's launch date, whose theme and context could spark some debate among gamers and Far Cry fans.

Almost like the Final Fantasy series, Far Cry titles have little to do with each other except in basic genre and themes. The first person shooters have always been set in lawless frontiers, putting players in the shoes of some rebel or revolutionary fighting some despotic leader. Far Cry 6 is no different but the timing could make the game a bit more poignant than its predecessors.

The announcement trailer, which is more cinematic than representative of in-game graphics, shows Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito in the role of dictator Anton Castillo talking to his son, Diego, and putting a grenade in the young boy's hand. He then takes the boy to the roof, overlooking the violent and bloody revolution taking place below. Castillo educates the boy that people will call him a monster someday when he takes over as "president", asking him whether he is indeed a monster and leaving the child with the heavy decision to drop the armed grenade or not.

In addition to the current global situation that has sparked civil unrest in some countries, Far Cry 6 will also be launching from a company that is itself undergoing an internal revolution. Ubisoft has been practically been called a monster for at the very least turning a blind eye to sexual harassment and discrimination. The company has vowed to clean up its act and several executives have already tendered their resignations.

Far Cry 6 is scheduled to launch on February 18, 2021, and it will be available from the Ubisoft Store as well as Epic Games Store for PCs. In addition to Xbox and PlayStation consoles, the game will also be streaming on Google Stadia right on launch day itself.