Source code for the original Far Cry has been uploaded to the internet. Kotaku spotted that a dataminer put the instructions for the Ubisoft title onto the Internet Archive in late June.
Though assets weren’t included in the upload, having access to the source code allows developers to study the game. At the time, Far Cry was noted for its player freedom and mechanics, so its bones have something to offer for those who want to make (or have an interest in) open-world games.
At time of writing, it appears Ubisoft has yet to issue a DMCA takedown of the material. Similarly, the developer appears to have not commented on the leak in any capacity, at least on social media.
A prominent dataminer told Kotaku that the Far Cry’s upload appears to be for the PC version “to add support for the Ubisoft game launcher/DRM. […] I think you could get some debug PC version of this game running if you put in the effort and learned the code base.”
The original Far Cry was developed by Crytek and released in 2004 for PC, then ported to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 by Ubisoft a decade later. Crytek revealed in 2010 that the PC version (which is available on Steam) sold 2.5 million copies on its own.
Beginning with 2005’s Xbox remake Far Cry Instincts, Ubisoft took control of the Far Cry franchise. In 2019, following the release of Far Cry: New Dawn, Ubisoft revealed the franchise sold 50 million units altogether.
Leaks of video game source code continue to be a frequent event for the industry. Earlier this year, WB Games filed a DMCA when code for Mortal Kombat 2 hit the internet. Weeks later, Riot Games confirmed both League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics had their respective source codes leak.
This isn’t even Ubisoft’s first time around the block, as Watch Dogs: Legion had its source code leak days after its late October 2020 release.