Ubisoft Developing Minecraft-Style Social Sim, "Alterra"

Minecraft and Animal Crossing-inspired game is reportedly under development at Ubisoft Montreal, titled "Alterra." Read on to learn more about this new voxel-based game!

Minecraft and Animal Crossing-Inspired Voxel Game Under DevelopmentFeaturing Building and Social Sim Mechanics

Ubisoft Montreal, developer of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6, is developing a new voxel game codenamed "Alterra," according to Insider Gaming’s November 26 article. The game reportedly emerged from a previously canceled voxel game, which was in development for four years.

Following the report, sources stated this new project’s gameplay loop will resemble Animal Crossing. Instead of friendly anthropomorphic NPCs, the game features "Matterlings," with whom players interact on a home island. While details are scarce, Animal Crossing is renowned for its relaxed atmosphere, where players design homes, collect bugs and wildlife, and socialize with villagers.

Players can leave their home island to explore other biomes, gathering diverse materials and interacting with various Matterlings. However, enemies pose a threat. Minecraft-like mechanics are also present, with biomes offering specific building materials. For example, forested biomes provide ample wood for structures.

The report also includes the appearance of Matterlings as "somewhat resembling Funko Pop figures in their design with large heads." Moreover, they are inspired by fantastical creatures like dragons and animals such as cats and dogs. Each species type also exhibits variations, depending on their attire.

"Alterra" has been under development for over 18 months with Fabien Lhéraud, a 24-year Ubisoft veteran, serving as its lead producer. His LinkedIn page indicates that he is working on a "Next Gen Unannounced Project," a development endeavor initiated in December 2020 and ongoing. Patrick Redding is also reportedly contributing to this game as creative director. He previously contributed to titles such as Gotham Knights, Splinter Cell Blacklist, and Far Cry 2.

Despite this exciting news, approach this information cautiously as "Alterra" is still under development and is subject to alteration.

What are Voxel Games?

Voxel games employ a distinctive method for modeling and rendering in-game objects. These games utilize minuscule cubes or pixels, aggregating them to render 3D visuals. Simply put, they resemble LEGO bricks, assembled to construct novel and intricate objects.

A currently popular voxel game is Teardown, where players execute elaborate heists by meticulously manipulating the environment, demolishing walls or other objects pixel by pixel. Interestingly, Minecraft is not a voxel game. It merely adopts a voxel-like aesthetic for its world, but each large cube or "block" is rendered using conventional polygon models.

In contrast, games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 or Metaphor: ReFantazio render visuals using polygons, which comprise millions of minuscule triangles forming surfaces. This explains why, when players inadvertently clip into objects such as walls or NPCs, they usually encounter a void. In voxel games, this doesn't occur, since each block or pixel is stacked to create objects, providing them with volume.

Most developers utilize polygon-based rendering for its efficiency, as it only necessitates creating surfaces to render in-game objects. Despite this prevalent approach, Ubisoft's project "Alterra" appears promising with its voxel-based graphics.