Ubisoft's LEAKED 'Project Scout' EXPOSED as Apex Legends Ripoff

Ubisoft Proves Once Again That They Have ZERO Originality Left...

Ubisoft just loves blowing money chasing other's successful trends, don't they? In a move that’s now already raising eyebrows across the entire industry, Insider Gaming has exclusively revealed that Ubisoft is developing a brand-new Battle Royale game—this time one that’s heavily inspired by Apex Legends.

Internally codenamed Project “Scout”, the game's so closely modeled after Respawn Entertainment’s hit title that... get this... they allegedly used Apex Legends art as the project’s own thumbnail during development. Lmfao... I swear, Ubisoft is the comedian that keeps cracking me up.

According to Insider Gaming, the project has been in the works for a couple of years at this point and features characters “very similar” to Apex’s lineup—as in... think spins on Pathfinder, Wraith, and Lifeline. Ubisoft appears to be eyeing the recent decline in Apex's player base as an opportunity to swoop in with a familiar hero-based Battle Royale of its own. Instead of, you know... being original and coming up with a unique concept, they instead default back to copying someone else's homework.

One source put it bluntly:

“I think the goal is to capitalize on the player count of Apex dropping and them [Ubisoft higher-ups] thinking there’s room in the market for another hero Battle Royale.”

This strategy happening here is particularly ironic and pointed out by Insider Gaming as well, given Ubisoft’s own internal research teams had recently asked the pretty direct question of: “What’s next after Battle Royale?” Citing market fatigue and dwindling interest in the genre—including Apex Legends—Ubisoft’s OWN research suggested that chasing Battle Royale trends was a thing of the past. Yet now... here we are, with Ubisoft higher-ups appearing at least on the surface to be ignoring that very advice in favor of chasing a once-golden-goose formula.

Even EA has admitted Apex Legends isn’t hitting financial expectations anymore, with CEO Andrew Wilson teasing a possible “Apex Legends 2.0” in the future. I know a lot of folks took a giant step back from Apex legends once the game started overly monetizing the experience beyond the point of even being fun anymore. Whether EA can breathe new life into the franchise remains to be seen, but now we have Ubisoft seeming to believe there’s still blood in the water—and they’re circling. Though in this case, many, including myself could argue all they are circling is the proverbial drain.

This isn’t Ubisoft’s first dance with the genre either. Back in 2020, they released Hyperscape, a flashy, fast-paced BR that fizzled out just under 18 months later after launching. Since then, Ubisoft's reportedly cancelled a dozen other Battle Royale projects at various stages of development. Now, Scout joins that long list—except this one looks like it somehow might actually make it out the door. To say I'm a bit skeptical would be an understatement at this point.

As Ubisoft pushes forward with new projects, the company’s internal and financial stability remains critical, and even saying that is somehow putting it nicely. Earlier this month, Ubisoft’s stock hit a 12-year low, dropping more severely than many of its competitors during the broader market dip. That's not how investing in a company is supposed to work. It's been going the wrong way for a sustained period of time, and I could only imagine the frustration some investors have over the decline. Meanwhile, its newly-formed partnership with Tencent has only added fuel to the fire of employee and investor uncertainty. Neither of which are particluarly thrilled about the potential outcomes from that life raft floating away from Ubisoft proper.

Whether Scout can succeed where Hyperscape and so many other had failed remains to be seen... But if this project is banking on recycled Apex Legends ideas in a genre Ubisoft’s own researchers are warning against, it already feels like it is doomed before it even launches. But hey, it's Ubisoft. Lack of originality is part of the modern audience DNA. Is anyone all that surprised?

~Smash

Credit to Insider Gaming for the exclusive scoop. Read their full report here if you’d like more details.