Minecraft and Animal Crossing-inspired game is reportedly under development at Ubisoft Montreal, titled "Alterra." Read on to learn more about this new voxel-based game!

Minecraft and Animal Crossing-Inspired Voxel Game In DevelopmentFeaturing Building and Social Sim Mechanics

Ubisoft Montreal, developer of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6, is developing a new voxel game codenamed "Alterra," according to Insider Gaming’s November 26 article. The game reportedly emerged from a previously canceled voxel game, which was in development for four years.

Following the report, sources stated this new project’s gameplay loop will resemble Animal Crossing. Instead of friendly anthropomorphic NPCs, the game features "Matterlings," with whom players interact on a home island. Though details are scarce, Animal Crossing is known for its relaxing atmosphere, where players design homes, collect bugs and wildlife, and socialize with villagers.

Players can leave their home island to explore other biomes, gathering materials and interacting with diverse Matterlings. However, enemies pose a threat. Minecraft-like mechanics are also present, with biomes offering specific building materials. For example, forested biomes provide ample wood for structures.

The report also includes the appearance of Matterlings as "somewhat resembling Funko Pop figures in their design with large heads." Moreover, they are inspired by fantastical creatures like dragons and animals such as cats and dogs. Each species type also has variations, depending on their attire.

"Alterra" has been in development for over 18 months with Fabien Lhéraud, who’s been with Ubisoft for 24 years, as its lead producer. His LinkedIn page states that he is working on a "Next-Gen Unannounced Project," and the development commenced in December 2020 and continues to the present. Patrick Redding is also reportedly working on this game as creative director. He previously worked on titles like Gotham Knights, Splinter Cell Blacklist, and Far Cry 2.

Despite this exciting news, treat this information with caution as "Alterra" is still under development and is subject to change.

What are Voxel Games?

Voxel games employ a distinctive method for modeling and rendering in-game objects. These games utilize minuscule cubes or pixels, aggregating them to render 3D visuals. Simply put, they resemble LEGO bricks, assembled to create novel and intricate objects.

A currently popular voxel game is Teardown, where players execute elaborate heists via meticulous environmental interaction, demolishing walls and other objects pixel by pixel. Intriguingly, Minecraft is not a voxel game. It merely utilizes a voxel-like aesthetic, but each large cube or "block" is rendered using conventional polygon models.

In contrast, games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 or Metaphor: ReFantazio render visuals using polygons, which comprise millions of minuscule triangles forming surfaces. This explains why, when players unintentionally penetrate objects such as walls or NPCs, they usually find a void. In voxel games, this doesn't occur, since each block or pixel is stacked to create objects, providing them with volume.

Most developers favor polygon-based rendering for its efficiency, as it only necessitates creating surfaces to render in-game objects. Despite this prevailing approach, Ubisoft's project "Alterra" appears promising with its voxel-based graphics.