‘Far Cry 5’ boosts Ubisoft’s yearly sales above the $2 billion mark

By Mark Austin Published May 19, 2018

It’s been a pretty good year for Ubisoft, after a pretty good week for Far Cry 5. In its annual sales report released last week, the company announced that the open-world shooter hauled in $310 million during its release week, boosting Ubisoft’s annual sales above the $2 billion mark.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the game more than doubled the sales of its predecessor, Far Cry 4, over the same period. It’s still not the publisher’s biggest launch in history, however — that title belongs to Tom Clancy’s The Division, which raked in $330 million in its first week in 2016.

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The game was released just before the annual earnings deadline, so the first week of sales contributed to Ubisoft’s total, which were also buoyed by strong fourth-quarter performances from Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Rainbow Six Siege, and Ghost Recon Wildlands.

The game racked up more than 117 million views on YouTube and Twitch for streaming gameplay. The PlayStation 4 version did especially well, with more than twice the sales of the Xbox One version. Nearly half of the games sold (47 percent) were in North America.

The French company touted the achievement on its website, noting that the first week saw more than five million fish caught, 8,651 players ambushed by skunks, and a total “shovel throw” distance exceeding 24,000 miles.

“I’m proud that the culmination of years of passionate work from the team is paying off, and that Far Cry 5‘s experience resonates with so many people,” said Executive Producer Dan Hay. “We are humbled by players’ reception of Far Cry 5 and fired up to keep growing and supporting the Far Cry community in the months and years to come.”

In our journey into the wilds of Montana, we found the wild open world fun and full of things to do, but with a clunky narrative that never quite lives up to its promise. Before you head off into the woods and get eaten by a grizzly bear named Cheeseburger, we’d recommend you check out our beginner’s guide to the game.

The Division 2 has already been announced, but an inadvertent Amazon leak suggests that a new Splinter Cell may be in the works from Ubisoft as well. With E3 right around the corner, we’ll keep an ear to the ground for all the latest news leading up to the big expo.

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Mark’s first encounter with high-tech was a TRS-80. He spent 20 years working for Nintendo and Xbox as a writer and…

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The best weapons in Far Cry 6 and how to get them

far cry 6 ubisoft forward season pass

The revolution Yara so desperately needs in Far Cry 6 cannot be accomplished without violence. The dictator Anton Castillo is determined to use his new cancer treatment to bolster his own power, despite promising to use it to rebuild the unstable country. Now that he's treating his people more as slaves than citizens, it is up to you and the guerilla fighters to take down Castillo's government and free the people of Yara. It is a big island, however, with many obstacles in your path to Castillo, including soldiers as well as natural predators. It's a good thing your character Dani is more than skilled with various tools of destruction.

You'll be exposed to a lot of weapons during your time in Far Cry 6. The island is littered with them, though you won't find the best of the best just lying around. There are many categories of weapons, such as rifles, SMGs, LMGs, snipers, shotguns, bows, and more. Plus, there are unique weapons in each category that have special buffs but are not able to be modded. Between the sheer number of guns, plus all the ways you can alter them with mods, and trying to figure out how to get what you want, this already packed game can be overwhelming. Here are the best weapons in Far Cry 6 and how you can get them.

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Far Cry 6: Where to find all USB Song Sticks

Far Cry 6 Political.

If there's one thing you can count on an open-world Ubisoft game to have, it's tons of collectibles. Ever since the early Assassin's Creed days, they've leaned more and more on filling their maps with knickknacks, trinkets, and sparkly objects to divert your attention from the main story. Far Cry 3 was the first in the series to really embrace that open-world design, and since then, they've only piled on more and more things to grab as their worlds continue to get larger. Far Cry 6 certainly follows that same formula, but one type of collectible, in particular, adds a bit of an extra incentive to finding them all aside from just checking it off a list of things to do.

USB Song Sticks are a new collectible in the Far Cry games. Unlike other collectibles, even ones in the same game, these actually have a use outside of just filling up your completion meter. The USB Song Sticks, of which there are a total of 15 laying around the region of Yara, all each hold a specific song that you can listen to once found. Once you've collected one, that song can be played whenever you want while driving or flying across the majestic landscape. If you want to load up the best tunes for your trip through Far Cry 6, check out where to find all the USB Song Sticks.

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Far Cry 6 beginner’s guide: Tips and tricks for overthrowing the government of Yara

Danni standing with a rifle over her shoulder.

Overthrowing the government of the fictional island nation known as Yara in Far Cry 6 will be no simple task. Under the oppressive rule of the dictator Anton Castillo, who is already in the process of educating his son Diego to follow in his brutal footsteps, the people need a hero to free them from his grasp. Dani Rojas, who can be either male or female depending on your choice, decides to lend their skills to the rebels in an attempt to free the people of Yara and overthrow the government that treats them so poorly.

You will be given free rein of the entire world of Yara, after a short introduction, which can quickly be overwhelming. Like with previous Far Cry games and other traditional Ubisoft titles, Far Cry 6's world is jam-packed with missions, side quests, activities, bases, animals, random encounters, and more to pull your attention. While it doesn't do much to change the core gameplay the series has been known for since Far Cry 3, there are a few key new systems that you will need to learn in order to be an effective rebel soldier. To help you become the hero the people of Yara so desperately need, check out the tips and tricks in this beginner's guide to Far Cry 6.