Ubisoft revealed accelerated investment in its Teammates GenAI project alongside its 2025-26 earnings report. Insider Tom Henderson says the technology has been tested in Far Cry 7 for R&D purposes, and it “looks like shit.”
Ubisoft confirmed in its full-year 2025-26 earnings report, published on May 20, 2026, that it is “accelerating investments” behind Teammates, a project the company describes as its “first playable Generative AI experience.” Within hours, well-known insider Tom Henderson posted on X that Ubisoft has been testing this technology inside Far Cry 7 for research and development, adding bluntly that “it looks like shit.” Henderson deleted the tweet shortly after, but multiple outlets including Gameranx, KitGuru, and NeoGAF documented the claim before it disappeared.
What Is Ubisoft’s Teammates Project?
Teammates is a playable research experiment Ubisoft first unveiled in November 2025, building on the Neo NPC prototype showcased at GDC 2024. The original Neo NPC demo was developed by a small R&D team at Ubisoft’s Paris studio in collaboration with Nvidia’s Audio2Face and Inworld AI’s large language model. Teammates takes that foundation into a functional first-person shooter environment where players command AI-powered squad members using natural voice input.
The experiment features three GenAI characters: Jaspar, a voice-controlled assistant that can highlight enemies, manage HUD elements, adjust accessibility settings, and discuss in-game lore; plus Pablo and Sofia, two NPC squadmates who physically inhabit the game world and respond to contextual voice commands in real time. Ubisoft shared the prototype with “a few hundred players” in a closed playtest, and GenAI Gameplay Director Xavier Manzanares noted that early tests showed players quickly forming connections with the AI-driven characters.
What Did Tom Henderson Actually Say?
Henderson linked to his article covering Ubisoft’s earnings report on X, appending the comment: “They’ve been testing this in Far Cry 7 for R&D, and it looks like shit.” He later clarified, as captured by NeoGAF users, that the Teammates project itself is not being built for Far Cry 7. Instead, Ubisoft has been running GenAI prompts inside the Far Cry development environment as part of its broader research effort. The original tweet was deleted, but the underlying distinction matters: Far Cry 7 is not expected to ship with any GenAI features.
As KitGuru reported, “this appears to be a purely experimental effort, while Teammates is an actual game built entirely around the technology.” Henderson’s harsh assessment reflects the current state of internal R&D testing, not a feature planned for the final Far Cry 7 product.
Far Cry 7 Is Already in Troubled Development
The GenAI controversy lands on top of an already difficult development cycle for Far Cry 7. Henderson described the project as “a complete mess” during a March 2026 podcast, and in April 2026 he doubled down, claiming development was “going through hell and back.” The game, internally codenamed Project Blackbird, is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal using the Snowdrop engine, a shift away from the Dunia engine used across prior Far Cry titles.
Based on extensive leaks, Far Cry 7 features a non-linear story centered on a wealthy family kidnapped by a conspiracy cult called the Sons of Truth. Players reportedly have 72 in-game hours (roughly 24 real-time hours) to rescue family members, with a ticking countdown clock similar to Dead Rising. A new interrogation system allows NPCs to lie, stay silent, or attempt escape. Family members can permanently die, altering the story and ending. The game also features overhauled movement mechanics including tactical sprinting, sliding, and vaulting.
A separate multiplayer extraction shooter, codenamed Project Maverick and reportedly set in Alaska, was originally part of Far Cry 7 before being split into its own standalone project. Both titles have faced internal delays, pushing well past their original 2025 targets.
From Neo NPCs to Teammates: Ubisoft’s AI Timeline
Ubisoft’s GenAI journey began publicly at GDC 2024 with the Neo NPC prototype. That demo allowed players to interact with AI characters using voice-to-chat, triggering unscripted dialogue and dynamic emotional reactions. A character named Bloom could respond to tone, build relationships with players, and even generate new quests on the fly. The system was built on Nvidia ACE technology and Inworld AI’s Character Engine.
By November 2025, Teammates moved the concept from static demo environments into an actual FPS gameplay loop. Game Developer’s hands-on report confirmed that NPCs could understand contextual commands like “stand on the plate on the left” followed by telling another character to “handle the other one,” with both instructions correctly interpreted. The middleware powering Teammates is compatible with both Ubisoft’s Snowdrop and Anvil engines, meaning it could theoretically be deployed across multiple future Ubisoft titles.
Ubisoft’s 2025-26 earnings report framed the investment as leveraging “decades of expertise in open worlds, systemic gameplay, and AI-driven systems, combined with years of pioneering AI and machine learning research through its La Forge R&D teams.” The company said it expects to share more about its GenAI progress before the end of 2026.
Why Are Players Skeptical?
Ubisoft has a track record of chasing emerging tech trends with mixed results. The Ghost Recon Breakpoint NFT integration in 2021 drew widespread backlash and was quietly abandoned after blockchain gaming failed to gain mainstream traction. KitGuru’s coverage of the Teammates announcement opened by directly referencing that history, noting that Ubisoft “has often jumped at the chance to embrace new technology, to varying degrees of success.”
Gameranx pointed out the irony of the industry eagerly adopting AI “when the same technology has created a consumer crisis” alongside rising game prices. The broader gaming community remains divided on whether generative AI can genuinely improve player experiences or whether it primarily serves as a cost-cutting measure that diminishes the craft of game development.
Ubisoft insists the technology is meant to augment human creativity rather than replace it. The Teammates team emphasizes that NPC personalities are authored by human writers who shape character backstory and conversational style before the AI improvises on that foundation. As one developer on the project put it: “It’s the exact opposite of removing the human from the process.”
When Will Far Cry 7 Actually Launch?
Ubisoft’s earnings report confirmed that new entries in the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Ghost Recon franchises will be available by March 2029. No specific Far Cry 7 release date has been given. Henderson and other insiders point to 2027 as the most realistic window. Recent leaks from May 2026 suggest that an official reveal could happen this year, potentially around Summer Game Fest or a similar showcase, but the game itself will not launch in 2026.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has called the two Far Cry projects “very promising” and the company’s broader strategy now emphasizes fewer, higher-quality releases. Six games were cancelled as part of this shift, including the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, which was reportedly content-complete but deemed not up to standard.
Will GenAI Actually Ship in Far Cry 7?
All available evidence suggests no. The Far Cry 7 GenAI tests are purely experimental R&D. Teammates exists as a separate, standalone project designed to explore the technology’s potential before handing it off to creative directors across Ubisoft’s studios. Henderson’s deleted tweet, while damning about the current state of the technology, specifically referred to internal testing rather than a shipping feature.
That said, Ubisoft’s stated goal is to eventually deploy GenAI-enhanced NPCs across its games. The company’s earnings report describes a pipeline ranging from “more intelligent bots supporting QC teams, to smarter NPCs and game worlds that can adapt to player behavior and react more dynamically in real time.” Whether that vision materializes in a compelling way remains an open question, and Henderson’s blunt verdict suggests the technology still has a long way to go.
Questions Players Keep Asking
Is Far Cry 7 getting AI-generated NPCs?
Far Cry 7 is not expected to ship with generative AI NPCs. Ubisoft used the Far Cry development environment to test GenAI prompts for research purposes only. The game does feature a new interrogation mechanic with dynamic NPC behavior, but that system relies on traditional game AI rather than generative models.
What engine is Far Cry 7 built on?
Far Cry 7 is being built on Massive Entertainment’s Snowdrop engine, replacing the Dunia engine used in every mainline Far Cry game since Far Cry 2. Snowdrop previously powered The Division series, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and Star Wars Outlaws.
Is the Far Cry extraction shooter a separate game?
Yes. Originally part of Far Cry 7 under a unified concept, the multiplayer extraction mode was split into a standalone project codenamed Maverick. It is reportedly set in Alaska and features mechanics typical of the extraction shooter genre including backpacks, loot, contracts, and evacuation zones.
Has Ubisoft’s Teammates AI been tested by real players?
Ubisoft confirmed that Teammates was shared with several hundred players in a closed playtest. Game Developer’s editorial team also went hands-on with the experiment in November 2025, confirming that contextual voice commands worked across combat, puzzle-solving, and casual conversation scenarios.
