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 relaxing atmosphere, where players design homes, collect insects 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, a forest biome provides 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 fantasy creatures like dragons and animals such as felines and canines. Each species type also has variations, depending on their attire.

"Alterra" has been in development for over 18 months with Fabien Lhéraud, who’s been with Ubisoft for 24 years, as its lead producer. His LinkedIn page states that he is working on a "Next Gen Unannounced Project," and the development commenced in December 2020 continuing to the present. Patrick Redding is also reportedly working on this game as creative director. He previously worked on titles like Gotham Knights, Splinter Cell Blacklist, and Far Cry 2.

Despite this exciting news, treat this information with caution as "Alterra" is still under development and is subject to change.

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 representations. Simply put, they resemble LEGO bricks, assembled to construct intricate objects.

A currently popular voxel game is Teardown, in which players execute elaborate heists by meticulously manipulating the environment, demolishing walls and other objects pixel by pixel. Interestingly, Minecraft is not a voxel game. It merely adopts a voxel-like visual style; however, 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, comprising millions of minuscule triangles forming surfaces. This explains why players sometimes clip through objects like walls or NPCs, encountering mostly empty space. Voxel games avoid this; each block or pixel is stacked to create objects, providing inherent volume.

Most developers favor polygon-based rendering for its efficiency, requiring only surface creation to render game objects. Despite this preference, Ubisoft's project "Alterra" shows promise with its voxel-based graphics.