Ubisoft Working On A PvP Battle Arena Game With Battle Royale Elements - Report

Ubisoft is working on a new PvP battle arena game that could have a battle royale element, according to a new report. Eight sources confirmed this to Exputer, claiming the game is in the works at Ubisoft Bordeaux.

Ubisoft is reportedly sending out playtest emails about this title, describing it as an "innovative and modern PvP battle arena game." The game is apparently codenamed Project Q, and its existence first came to light in 2021 through the infamous Nvidia GeForce Now leak (which has accurately revealed many projects so far).

Playtests for this title are already underway, the report said. It's described as having two modes, the first of which is said to be called "Showdown," a twist on battle royale with four teams of two players. The other mode is reportedly called "Battle Zone," featuring two teams of four battling to score 100 points to win. Players must control parts of the map for long enough to score, similar to Hardpoint in Call of Duty and Land Grab in Halo Infinite.

The game lets you choose from a roster of heroes that each have their own weapons, abilities, and skills, as as well as "Wonders" that can be mixed and matched from a pool of three at a time. Weapons in Project Q are said to be anything but traditional, with guns taking the form of a deck of cards, fireworks, or sticks.

Exputer has reportedly seen footage of Project Q and described its art style as being similar to Knockout City or Overwatch, meaning a more stylized approach.

Ubisoft Bordeaux's own website confirms that the team is making a "F2P PVP" game that hasn't been announced yet, and this could be Project Q. Exputer also reminds us that Ubisoft is reportedly developing multiple games in the battle royale space currently, including another one called "Pathfinder." The company's first proper stab at the genre was the game Hyper Scape, but it failed to find an audience and will close down on April 28.

Fans should also remember that just because a developer has begun work on a title and is playtesting it, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be seen through to release. This is common across the industry, with gaming giant Blizzard acknowledging that it cancels about 50% of the games it develops before launch.

A spokesperson for Ubisoft told GameSpot, "Ubisoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."

In other battle royale news, Call of Duty: Warzone is adding King Kong and Godzilla in May.