Ubisoft, the renowned French gaming publisher, is reportedly diving into the battle royale scene with a new title that’s poised to compete with Apex Legends. According to insights from Insider Gaming, this project, which goes by the codename “Scout,” closely mirrors the successful elements of Respawn and EA’s popular game. In fact, early artwork for Scout was initially a placeholder thumbnail from Apex Legends, hinting at how similar these games might be. There are even whispers of characters that strongly resemble those from the Apex universe, indicating that development on Scout has been ongoing for quite a while.
It appears Ubisoft sees an opportunity to capture a segment of Apex Legends’ player base, especially as Electronic Arts has acknowledged a dip in financial performance for the game. One insider expressed, “The idea seems to be seizing the chance with Apex’s player numbers dropping. Ubisoft’s execs feel there’s potential for another hero-based battle royale to make its mark.”
This isn’t Ubisoft’s first attempt at the free-to-play battle royale genre. In 2020, they launched Hyperscape, although it was discontinued just a year and a half later. More recently, they’ve also pulled the plug on their free-to-play shooter, XDefiant, slated to end in 2024.
Meanwhile, fans of Apex Legends may have reason to be hopeful, as a revamped version, dubbed Apex Legends 2.0, is reportedly in the works with a planned release sometime after April 2026. It seems the battle royale genre is as competitive as ever, with Ubisoft aiming to carve out its own space among giants.