Ubisoft's rumored Minecraft and Animal Crossing hybrid explained

A rumor recently surfaced about a potential Ubisoft game that draws clear and intentional inspiration from both Minecraft AND Animal crossing. Such a prospect is sure to make many gamers scratch their heads, so it's worth delving into everything that's currently known about this supposedly cozy game from Ubisoft, however scant the information about it may be.

News about it Animal crossing-The inspired title was first fixed by Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming. According to Henderson, he was in contact with anonymous contacts at Ubisoft who provided him with anecdotal information about the title, which is currently called Alterra. This contact is explicitly described Alterra as similar to both Animal crossing AND Minecraftdetailing some of its structural and gameplay components. At the time of writing Ubisoft has not released any official comment on the matter Alterrabut if the project is indeed in development, it's probably only a matter of time before more news comes to light.

Ubisoft is supposedly making Alterra, a mix between Minecraft and Animal Crossing

Alterra will reportedly have social sim and crafting gameplay

According to Henderson's report, Alterra is expected to feature a series of friendly anthropomorphic NPCs, known as Matterlings, who represent various natural elements. The way players interact with these Matterlings appears to be similar to the dynamic between the player character and the villagers in Animal crossingand it's likely where Alterrathe supposed social simulation mechanics will come into play.

Matterlings have been described as similar to Funko Pops in appearance.

Social simulation gameplay will be matched Minecraft-such as resource gathering and crafting mechanics, as players will be tasked with gathering item-specific materials with the aim of building new structures, etc. Apparently, players can interact with each other in these external biomes, which seems similar to how multiplayer works Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There will also be “enemies” in these areas, suggesting that the game will have some sort of combat system. Alterra will be voxel-based, meaning that its images will be composed of cube-shaped elements arranged on a grid, contributing to the Minecraft similarities.

The Insider Gaming report states that there will be “several [Matterlings] added throughout the game's lifecycle”, indicating some degree of live service elements in
Alterra
.

Development circumstances reported by Alterra

Insider Gaming's report also sheds some light on the surrounding factors Alterradevelopment. On the one hand it would be directed by Patrick Redding, who was previously in charge The Knights of Gothamand coming from Ubisoft Montreal, the studio behind Ubisoft's biggest franchises, including Assassin's Creed AND Far cry. The report noted this Alterra has been in development for around 18 months, which indicates that it could be relatively early in its development, depending on its scope and potential obstacles faced by the studio.

Insider Gaming also supports this Alterra was born from a previous voxel-based game that Ubisoft canceled after four years of development. How long that game's content is reused Alterra it is not clear at the moment. Alterra it's reportedly “probably still a few years away,” so it may be a while before more information is revealed.

Meanwhile, Alterra It's definitely an interesting project to speculate on. Cozy and Ubisoft games aren't exactly the most natural fit, but there's always a chance the company could do something special with a project that emphasizes social simulation and relies on open-world exploration, action and on other classic well-worn AAA points. It's also worth noting that Ubisoft rarely releases its games for a single platform, meaning Alterraif successful, it could serve as Animal crossing competitor on non-Nintendo hardware.