Ubisoft says its upcoming ‘team battle arena’ game won’t have NFTs

Ubisoft announced its upcoming “team battle arena game,” with two major disclaimers: it’s not just a battle royale and there aren’t any NFTs. The game company shared the news on Twitter after leakers posted footage of the game, codenamed Project Q, online.

“This is not a Battle Royale,” Ubisoft said in a series of tweets. “The game will feature a variety of PvP modes with one single goal in mind: FUN! We don’t have plans to add NFTs to this game, you can find out more by registering and taking part in the upcoming tests!”

As noted in Ubisoft’s tweet, you can sign up for upcoming tests for the Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC on Ubisoft’s website. There’s no word on when the tests will become available, or whether the game will be free-to-play in its final form. Ubisoft did reassure players, however, that the “Q” in Project Q won’t stand for “Quartz,” the name of the company’s divisive in-game NFT initiative it slid into Ghost Recon.

Project Q footage from video game leaker Tom Henderson shows a Fortnite meets Overwatch type of aesthetic. It also appears to feature two modes as of right now: Showdown (battle royale) and Battle Zone (territory control). The game is still in early development, so all of this is subject to change. The Verge reached out to Ubisoft with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

Ubisoft launched a short-lived free-to-play battle royale, called Hyper Scape, in 2020. The futuristic shooter put a twist on the traditional battle royale, but its popularity waned quickly, leading to its ultimate shutdown on April 28th, 2022.