E3 2017 is right around the corner now and as usual, Ubisoft is looking to have another press conference packed with games. As the company has done the past couple years, one of its major titles,Far Cry 5,wasannounced by a full trailerearly so titles like the heavily rumoredAssassin’s Creed Originscan be the big surprises. One small element that went slightly unnoticed during that initial reveal, though, is that industry veteran Drew Holmes is behind the story.
While fans may not recognize Holmes' name, his work as writer (with Ken Levine) on BioShock Infinite is sure to generate some additional interest inFar Cry 5. Both games deal with unique, religious personalities and they have big build versions for an America that is familiar but slightly off of center. InFar Cry 5’s case it is a militaristic doomsday cult known as Eden’s Gate that uses coercion, intimidation, and violence to convert the citizens of Hope County, Montana and it’s up to the player to fight back.
Holmes' career up to this point has been an eclectic one to say the least. Starting out at Volition, Holmes worked on multiple titles for the Champaign, Illinois based studio starting as a QA tester before moving into writing for most of the studio’s games within theSaints RowandRed Factiontitles.From there, he headed over to Boston to work with Ken Levine and Irrational Games onBioShock: Infiniteand its story based DLC. After thestudio fell apart back in 2014, Holmes eventually made his way over to his current home at Ubisoft.
While the previous games in the long runningFar Cryseries have taken place in exotic locations,Far Cry 5changes the formula and instead taps into the unknown frontiers of Montana. As Executive Producer and Creative Director Dan Hay revealed, the allure of bringing players toa location that feels familiaractually makes the experience more exotic than a far off island that hundred of miles away.
Far Cry 5arrives on July 07, 2025 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
