Ubisoft visited a war-torn Nepal to create Far Cry 4, here’s what they saw

Far Cry 4’s setting, the fictional country of Kyrat, wasn’t pulled out of history books and documentaries of Nepal, Ubisoft recently clarified at Comic-Con. A few of the project’s lead devs toured the volatile country themselves to fully understand what it is they wanted to make.

“We did a lot of research,” creative director Alex Hutchinson told Ubiblog. “We went to Nepal, the guys went to Kathmandu, took a lot of photos. Saw a lot of awkward things involving goats, a bit of goat sacrifice.” Despite the presence of religious rituals involving goat sacrifice, Hutchinson added, players won’t be seeing it in Far Cry 4. They will, however, be seeing “an eagle throwing a goat off a cliff,” which Ubisoft took time to prove true during its Comic-Con panel.

Krishna Andavolu of Vice Media served as guide for narrative director Mark Thompson and production manager Philippe Fournier’s trip to Nepal. “Soon enough, we were riding on top of vans on dirt mountain roads and meeting guerrilla fighters,” he said. “I think it really sort of opened their eyes about what it’s like out there and how to incorporate that into their game.”

It would seem it did, as Hutchinson says Mark, in particular, returned from the trip adamant that their game convey “the collision between ancient cultures and modern culture,” to ensure that the conflict of the still-troubled country is tangible to players.

Far Cry 4 will release worldwide for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC November 18.

[Ubiblog via DualShockers]