Last month, reports emerged that Ubisoft had quietly canceled a sequel to Immortals Fenyx Rising, its colorful open world action-adventure game that many reviewers compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Now new details have emerged suggesting that Ubisoft’s canceled game would have taken inspiration from not just Zelda, but Elden Ring as well.
According to new report on Axios, Immortals 2 — codenamed Oxygen within Ubisoft — would have shifted its setting to Polynesia, giving it an island vibe that would have been reminiscent of Wind Waker. What’s more, it would have apparently borrowed heavily from Elden Ring, eschewing map points in favor of dropping players in a hostile world.
The story would have had an environmental theme, with player actions impacting the land around them. It would have featured elemental powered and shape-shifting, with players earning new tattoos based on their actions. The art style would have eschewed the cartoonier look of the original game, featuring instead characters who were more realistic. On top of all of that, Immortals 2 would have reportedly dropped the original’s narrator and focused away from puzzles.
In short, it would have been a very different game — different enough that Ubisoft apparently considered rebranding it as a different game entirely.
Developer Ubisoft Quebec was reportedly taking its time with the project, but by spring the studio had apparently produced an internal demo featuring several playable hours. Ultimately, though, Ubisoft opted to cancel it to focus on established franchises like Assassin’s Creed.
Ubisoft tries to right the ship
Oxygen’s sudden cancellation is emblematic of Ubisoft’s recent pivot toward its best-known properties as it grapples with the effects of a bare release schedule and other issues. The original game was a modest success, but seemingly not enough to warrant a sequel. Nevertheless, its cancellation was reportedly a “surprise” to the development team at Ubisoft Quebex.
In the meantime, Ubisoft is all in on Assassin’s Creed. Assassin’s Creed Mirage, billed as a return to the franchise’s root, is set to release later this year, with Assassin’s Creed Red and Assassin’s Creed Jade also in development. Numerous other Assassin’s Creed projects are also in development as Ubisoft seeks to regain its footing in what has been a rough couple years for the publisher.
As for Immortals: Fenyx Rising, it seems destined to fade into history as Ubisoft moves on to other projects. Happily, it’s still relatively easy to find the original game, which is available on all major consoles on PC.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.