Ubisoft is reportedly working on a new PvPvE shooter that looks a lot like Hyper Scape

Hyper Scape Ubisoft Battle Royale Crown Rush — (Image credit: Ubisoft)

A report on Exputer says that Ubisoft is working on a new third-person shooter called Pathfinder that bears a similar visual style to Hyper Scape, the forgotten battle royale that's set to shut down on April 28.

Pathfinder—it's not clear at this point whether that's the official title or a codename—sounds like something of an objective-based variation on the usual battle royale formula. After dropping onto the map at the start of the match, teams of four players will need to fight through two walls, each with multiple gates, to reach the center of the map, where they'll fight an AI-controlled boss.

Of course, it's not just a matter of ringing a bell at each gate and asking to be let through. A randomized selection of gates are breachable while the rest are locked, so teams will need to figure out a different path to the center for each match. There will also be AI enemies to fight along the way, which will grow tougher as they get closer to the center of the map, and teams will presumably also be expected to fight each other if they should happen to cross paths on their way to clobber the boss.

Player characters will be called Heroes and will have unique abilities, although specifics on that haven't been nailed down yet. There will also be a central hub where players can hang out, visit a firing range, go racing with vehicles—apparently there will be vehicles—access the in-game store, and take part in other activities.

It sounds like Pathfinder could be an interesting twist on the battle royale genre—perhaps a bit like a near-future sci-fi take on Hunt: Showdown. There's obviously not enough information at this point to make a judgment about its potential for success one way or another, but I do think it will need to completely separate and distinguish itself from Hyper Scape if it wants to last—I'm pretty confident that Hyper Scape 2.0 isn't something that anyone is interested in.

The report, which claims to have seen (but did not share) images and videos from the new game, says the Pathfinder project was confirmed by three sources. A source familiar with Ubisoft's unannounced projects has also told PC Gamer that a project called Pathfinder is in development. I've reached out to Ubisoft for comment and will update if I receive a reply.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.