Things don’t seem to be slowing down at Ubisoft when it comes to canceled projects. A new report now suggests that another title has been quietly shut down, and this time it’s something quite different from their usual games. Ubisoft has reportedly canceled Alterra, an unannounced social simulation game inspired by Animal Crossing and Minecraft. According to Insider Gaming, Ubisoft Montreal had been working on the game for almost three years before ending it.
The decision was shared with the development team today, and employees were sent home for the day after the announcement. Despite the cancellation, no immediate layoffs were announced. Instead, employees who were working on the project are expected to move to other teams internally.
Alterra was never officially announced, but earlier reports described it as a social sim with a voxel-style design. The project was led by creative director Patrick Redding, known for his work on Gotham Knights, and lead producer Fabien Lhéraud. The game would have allowed players to gather resources, build freely, explore different biomes, and fight various creatures. It also featured unique NPCs called “Matterlings,” which were said to look like Funko Pop-style characters with large heads.
As with all reports of this kind, the information should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially since Alterra was never officially revealed. While Ubisoft has not provided a reason for the cancellation, the decision aligns with ongoing cost-cutting measures and internal restructuring that are placing several major projects and studio teams at risk.
In other news, Ubisoft is facing criticism after posting job listings that required experience with generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot, but later changed or removed those mentions. For more Ubisoft related coverage, keep checking GameObserver.
