Ubisoft have reportedly cancelled Alterra, a life sim blending Animal Crossing with Minecraft, after almost three years of dev work

All the Publishers person said is that immoderate projects which don't conscionable their interior expectations "may beryllium discontinued"

Image credit: Ubisoft

Ubisoft person reportedly cancelled an unannounced beingness simulation crippled dubbed Alterra, which devs had spent astir 3 years weaving into thing that combines aspects of Animal Crossing with Minecraft's voxel building. The cancellation reportedly hasn't resulted successful immoderate contiguous layoffs.

According to Insider Gaming, devs moving connected Alterra were informed of its canning connected Tuesday, April 21st. They've since been made disposable to beryllium transferred implicit to enactment connected different games Ubisoft person successful the works, with Insider Gaming noting that it's unclear however unnamed enactment studios which had been moving connected Alterra mightiness beryllium affected.

Asked astir the study by IGN, a Ubisoft spokesperson didn't code Alterra directly, but did accidental the following:

As portion of our portfolio absorption attack and evolving originative house-led model, we continuously measure projects astatine each signifier of improvement to guarantee alignment with our strategical priorities, prime ambitions, and semipermanent marketplace potential. Projects that nary longer conscionable these expectations whitethorn beryllium discontinued.

According to Insider Gaming's report, Alterra was being headed up astatine Ubisoft Montreal by Patrick Redding and pb shaper Fabien Lhéraud. The erstwhile was Gotham Knights' originative director, having antecedently helmed the run of 2013's Splinter Cell: Blacklist and been communicative decorator connected Far Cry 2.

Alterra's reported cancellation follows a bevy of cuts and shutterings astatine Ubisoft successful the aboriginal months of this year. Last month, long-time Tom Clancy workplace Red Storm were told they'd nary longer beryllium making games, with 105 unit laid disconnected arsenic a result.

Prior to that, the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake and 5 different games were cancelled by Ubisoft successful January, with that and occupation cuts successful the aforesaid period triggering strikes.