Ubisoft Reportedly Making a Minecraft Meets Animal Crossing Social Sim

A publisher as big as Ubisoft always has a lot on the go at once, much of which is known, so it's always interesting to hear about something we weren't expecting. In a new report from Insider Gaming, it seems the company is hard at work on a game called Alterra.

Citing anonymous sources, the site claims the game shares much in common with Nintendo's Animal Crossing — each player has a home island inhabited by critters called Matterlings. You'll be able to visit other islands; each will be in a different biome and feature different Matterlings, resources, enemies, and so on.

In a Minecraft-like twist, you'll also be able to mould your island to your liking using the materials you gather from various islands. "For example, if a player would like to create something out of snow and ice, they’d have to travel (by means unknown) to an ice world inhabited by snow-ice Matterlings," the report states.

The Matterlings are described as similarly proportioned to Funko figures, and take the form of various real and mythical animals.

Sources also tell that the game has been in production for about 18 months, led by creative director Patrick Redding at Ubisoft Montreal.

By the sound of it, and if we presume this is all accurate, Alterra could still be several years away, depending on the scope of the game. In principle, though, it seems like a neat idea, but obviously much will depend on how it plays and how it looks.

Are you interested in this project from Ubisoft? Hammer out your thoughts in the comments section below.