Latest news with #FarCry
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Best Games Aren't New, Which Is Great News for Your Wallet
With game prices now standardized at $70 and hardware requirements higher than ever, getting into gaming has never been more expensive. But if you rewind the clock by just a few years, it's surprisingly easy to find incredible games at low prices. 'Old' Games Aren't Actually Old What's the first thing you think of when you hear an "old game?" Chances are, it's low-poly graphics, outdated mechanics, simpler dialogue and storylines, and lackluster map design. But it's 2025 now, and games have been pretty great for a while. So, when I say "older games," I'm not necessarily referring to retro titles you'd run on an emulator (though those count too, I suppose)—I'm actually mostly talking about somewhat modern games from the early-to-mid 2010s. Think BioShock Infiniteor The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, rather than Grand Theft Auto III and Max Payne. Even games like God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2are older titles now, as they were released back in 2018. The important factor here is that these games don't feel old. Heck, I'd go so far as to say that Red Dead Redemption 2 looks and plays better than half the AAA titles coming out today. The graphics, storytelling, world and map design, and gameplay mechanics have all held up by modern standards. Compare a game from 2005 to one from 2015, and the leap in quality is apparent. But if you compare a 2015 release to a 2025 one, the difference isn't nearly as dramatic, even though the timespan is the same. If you want a concrete example, just look at gameplay footage from Battlefield 2 (2005), Battlefield 1 (2016), and Battlefield 2042 (2021). Sure, the time gaps between the three releases aren't evenly spaced, but still, the difference in graphics and gameplay between BF2 and BF1 is far bigger than between BF1 and BF2042. It makes sense, though—games experienced a massive boom in the 2000s and 2010s. Many games that followed were all sequels or built directly on those foundations. Air strikes from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and newer CoD titles have remained largely the same. So have outpost captures in Far Cry games and leaps of faith in Assassin's Creed. Most of gaming's biggest franchises had major entries in the 2010s that still hold up today—the aforementioned Far Cry and Assassin's Creed, but also Dark Souls, Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid, Fallout, Watch Dogs, Borderlands, Dishonored, Portal, TES V: Skyrim, and many, many others. The point is, these games are relatively old, even if we don't perceive them as such, both emotionally and on a technical level. Case in point: did 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn really need a 2024 remaster, considering how well the original has aged? Sure, the remaster looks better, and I'm glad it exists—but I'd rather get the regular edition on sale for $10 than spend $50 on a version with marginally better visuals. And that's the heart of it. It's easy to overlook aging games simply because something newer and flashier is available. But is the experience really that much better in Assassin's Creed Shadows compared to Assassin's Creed Origins if you haven't even played Origins yet? I'd wager no. Buying New Games at Launch No Longer Makes Sense AAA game prices have steadily climbed over the past few years. For a long time, $60 was the standard. Around 2022, that crept up to $70, and now, with Nintendo (surprisingly) leading the charge with Mario Kart World priced at $80, the reality of $100 games feels closer than ever. The good news is that we don't have to buy $100 games if we don't want to or, more realistically, if we don't have the disposable income to justify it. There's a near-endless source of cheap, older games that used to cost $60 that you can now buy for just a few bucks on Steam, GOG, Epic Games, and Humble Bundle. Steam sales are frequent, so create a wishlist of older titles that seem interesting, and wait until you can get them for $5–$10. I guarantee you'll have a blast playing through them if you just ignore the release date. As long as it looks decent enough (which many of them do) and you like the gameplay and find the story engaging, you won't feel like you're missing out. By the way, if you strongly prefer to play newer games, you can often save $10–$20 by simply waiting for a sale. For example, Assassin's Creed Shadows launched in March and is already 25% off at the time of writing. One-year-old games sometimes hit 50% or more during major sales events, meaning you could easily save hundreds of dollars by simply playing games one year late. That said, if you're like most gamers, you probably already have an enormous backlog filled with gems that you've been ignoring because they're slightly older titles now. I still haven't played Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which I got for free in a giveaway a couple of years ago. Speaking of giveaways, Epic Games gives out new games every week, and many of them are older AAA titles. Other online storefronts and publishers occasionally give away older titles, too, so it's worth keeping an eye on their official channels. Older Games Run Great on Cheap Hardware Modern PC hardware is prohibitively expensive these days—on top of high MSRPs, graphics cards in particular are always sold out and cost way more due to high demand. Fortunately, those cheap games can run on cheap hardware. I have a new PC, so I'll use my Dell Latitude 5420 laptop as an example instead, which I got for around $280 used. It's powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 with Iris Xe graphics, so it's not all that powerful. Still, it can run games like Need for Speed Most Wanted (2012), Far Cry 3, Dishonored, and even newer indie titles like Hades at playable frame rates. And this is a business laptop; you'd get far more mileage out of an older desktop gaming PC with a dedicated graphics card. If you can find a used RX 580 or GTX 1060 for around $50–$70 and pair it with an older Ryzen or 6th-gen (or newer) Intel CPU on a DDR4 system, you'd have a phenomenal gaming rig for under $300. If you're into handhelds and own a Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go, you already have a perfectly capable gaming device. While these devices struggle with demanding titles like Black Myth: Wukong (especially without upscaling and frame generation), they can easily handle nearly any five-year-old game at 60+ FPS. You Can Mod Older Games to Extend Your Playtime You've probably seen those clips of fully remastered GTA IV that make the game look better than those GTA VI trailers. That's all thanks to mods, which goes to show how good older games can look with a bit of effort. Truth be told, these mods aren't always playable on less powerful hardware since they're often unoptimized, but there are many lighter mods that add content or refresh an older game's look and feel. The best part is that modding PC games is easy. If you've never given mods a shot, you definitely should, as you can easily get dozens of hours of enjoyment from older games with the right mods. Skyrim is famous for its modding community and even has an amazing conversion mod that feels like a whole other game. There's an endless source of critically acclaimed older games out there that you haven't played yet, so what are you waiting for? You can often find them on sale for just a few bucks, and they'll run smoothly on an aging PC. Don't feel like you're missing out whenever a new game comes out—those adventures will be waiting for you, just a few years down the road.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Ubisoft names co-CEOs for new subsidiary to lead Assassin's Creed, Far Cry franchises
Ubisoft has appointed Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot as co-CEOs of its new subsidiary, marking a significant step in the company's strategy to transform three of its most valuable franchises into billion-euro properties. The subsidiary, first announced in March, will focus exclusively on developing Assassin's Creed , Rainbow Six , and Far Cry into "evergreen, multi-platform game ecosystems" with backing from strategic partner Tencent . The Chinese tech giant's investment is expected to complete by the end of 2025, pending regulatory approval. Derennes brings 35 years of Ubisoft experience, having co-founded the Montreal studio in 1997 and most recently serving as Managing Director for North America . His operational expertise spans major game launches and production strategy across the company's portfolio. Guillemot represents a new generation of gaming leadership, combining entrepreneurial experience with deep industry knowledge. After starting at Owlient, a studio later acquired by Ubisoft, he co-founded Web3 gaming studio Unagi in 2021 before returning to Ubisoft in 2025. His approach emphasizes gameplay-first design and player-centric decision-making. The new subsidiary structure aims to give development teams greater autonomy and agility in creating next-generation player experiences. This organizational shift reflects Ubisoft's broader strategy to build sustainable, long-term franchise ecosystems rather than traditional single-game releases. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Ubisoft Stock (UBSFY) Slips on New Leadership Changes
Ubisoft (UBSFY) stock was down on Thursday after the video game company appointed leaders for its new spin-off. Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot are the new co-CEOs of the company's spin-off with Tencent (TCEHY). Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. Derennes is joining the Ubisoft and Tencent spin-off, leaving his role as the managing director for Ubisoft's North America business. Guillemot is the son of Ubisoft co-founder Yves Guillemot. Guillemot addressed claims of nepotism, saying, 'Yes, I'm Yves' son. That's not something I hide from. But my appointment isn't only about family ties; it's about what Ubisoft needs at this moment.' Ubisoft and Tencent have created the new spin-off to change the game developer's operating model. This spin-off now holds the rights to the Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six brands. These are some of Ubisoft's biggest series, and this change will allow a better focus on them. Ubisoft Stock Movement Today Ubisoft stock was down 0.7% on Thursday, signaling possible displeasure from investors over its picks to lead its new spin-off with Tencent. The shares have also fallen 22.46% year-to-date and were down 56.41% over the past 12 months. The poor performance of Ubisoft's stock over the last year was the result of ongoing struggles at the video game developer. There was speculation earlier this year that it was about to file for bankruptcy. However, that appears to have been avoided thanks to Tencent's $1.25 billion investment in the company. Is Ubisoft Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Ubisoft (UBI) is Hold, based on two Buy, six Hold, and three Sell ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average UBI stock price target of €11.31, representing a potential 20.01% upside for the shares.
The Verge
7 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Ubisoft announces the co-CEOs of the new subsidiary focused on its biggest games.
Ubisoft announces the co-CEOs of the new subsidiary focused on its biggest games. Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot will lead the group, which is 'dedicated to bringing the Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six franchises to their full potential,' Ubisoft says. Tencent will have a 25 percent stake in the entity, and the creation of the subsidiary is 'progressing well.'
Wall Street Journal
7 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Ubisoft Names Co-CEOs of Tencent-Backed Subsidiary
Ubisoft UBI 0.81%increase; green up pointing triangle Entertainment appointed two co-chief executives to lead a new subsidiary that the Assassin's Creed maker is creating with financial support from Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings 700 -0.19%decrease; red down pointing triangle. The French videogame group said Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot would take the helm of the new business that is set to include the teams behind the Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six franchises. The unit will also house any new games under development or to be developed.
