At this year’s GDC (Game Developers Conference), Ubisoft unveiled a new developer tool.

Ubisoft’s Stockholm studio and the French publisher’s technology division are behind Ubisoft Scalar. It promises to allow developers to design for an unlimited number of players to create significantly larger, better-simulated worlds with the tool. Of course, Scalar can do what it does, thanks to cloud computing. It is not a game engine but an option to add cloud tuning to existing technology (e.g. the Unreal Engine). While it may remove the barrier of limited hardware, it will present a different challenge for developers, who will not know what to do with their power.

We’ve heard such PR hype before, with Google Stadia offering a similar approach for games running only in the cloud… and then, Google got rid of its internal development studios (and because of that, Jade Raymond went from Ubisoft via Electronic Arts and Stadia Games & Entertainment to the Sony-backed Haven Studios). Now Alphabet, Google’s parent company, openly says they are happy to license their cloud technology. (We wonder when Google Stadia will turn in the keys?)

The first appearance of Ubisoft Scalar will be in a new IP in development at Ubisoft Stockholm. Still, Scalar technology is also available to other studios within the French publisher, including the Kyiv, Malmö and Bucharest teams. According to Patrick Bach, Managing Director of Ubisoft Stockholm, we’ll have to wait a little longer for the first Scalar game to be presented to us. Since the studio was founded nearly five years ago, we might have to wait a little longer for the French to show it…

Here’s a quick overview: “Games using Ubisoft Scalar can use a virtually unlimited amount of computing power, thus running anything from virtual worlds of unprecedented scale and depth to vastly detailed simulations that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. By placing microservices independently in the cloud, Ubisoft Scalar enables developers to update and improve one service without impacting others or adding new features or components to a game without interrupting play sessions. Ubisoft Scalar aims to remove technical constraints for game developers, enabling them to focus on creativity and design for never-before-seen player experiences.”

Source: WCCFTech