Ubisoft Cancels Alterra Cozy Game in Latest Cost-Cutting Move

Alterra, a cozy game inspired by Animal Crossing and Minecraft in development at Ubisoft, has officially been cancelled, according to a recent Insider Gaming report. The news broke by way of insiders at Ubisoft, who claim that the news was broken to them on the morning of April 21, after which the team working on the game was sent home. Following the news of the cancellation, IGN published a statement by an Ubisoft representative, who said that “As part of our portfolio management approach and evolving creative house-led model, we continuously assess projects at every stage of development to ensure alignment with our strategic priorities, quality ambitions, and long-term market potential,” continuing to explain that “projects that no longer meet these expectations may be discontinued.”

It should also be noted that there have been no layoffs as a result of the cancellation of Alterra, and the team working on the cozy game will simply be made available to other development projects. The comments by the Ubisoft representative suggest that the company doesn’t think the game would have been successful in the current gaming climate, and they echo recent rumors about Ubisoft carefully assessing the value of future Assassin’s Creed game ports with the upcoming Black Flag Resynced launch. This move is only the latest in a series of decisions at Ubisoft aimed at cutting costs and making the company more efficient, and it follows a March round of layoffs that saw 105 people lose their jobs.