How Ubisoft Scalar aims to push the boundaries of game development

As part of their Game Developers Conference (GDC), Ubisoft announced a new technology titled Ubisoft Scalar. Scalar aims to harness cloud computing and give different components of a video game access to virtually limitless computing power and shed any processing limitations.

Ubisoft is known for its pioneering technologies to build the future of gaming. From the video game engines like Anvil and Snowdrop to being one of the most active publishers bringing their titles to cloud streaming services, Ubisoft has been at the forefront of gaming technological development, and it is no exception with Scalar.

With Scalar, Ubisoft aims to break the limits and build a new direction for the future of game development

Scalar is being developed by Ubisoft Stockholm as part of the newly created Production Technologies department.

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What is Ubisoft Scalar?

Before understanding what Ubisoft Scalar is, let’s discuss what it isn’t. While Scalar does utilize cloud computing, it is not a cloud streaming service like Google Stadia or Amazon Luna, nor is it a game engine like Anvil or Snowdrop.

Scalar takes the components and systems of traditional game engines and transforms them into microservices in the cloud, moving from the closed, single-processor systems of today to a distributed model across a potentially unlimited number of machines.

In practice, Scalar would let developers add in more components or change them without affecting the other related elements. But how does it translate to video games?

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How Ubisoft Scalar would translate to video games?

In recent years, with the growing accessibility to the internet, there has been a massive development in the gaming sector in the form of live-service games. Titles like Fortnite create an evolving component of the title, such as the map that the developers are changing accordingly.

With Ubisoft Scalar, the developers will be able to add or change different aspects of the game in real-time without any server downtime or effect on other components.

Ubisoft Stockholm, the developer behind Scalar, is already creating an unannounced action-oriented combat game utilizing Scalar. Aside from Stockholm, other Ubisoft Studios, namely Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Redlynx, Ubisoft Kyiv and Ubisoft Bucharest are actively utilizing Scalar.

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