What is Project Q, Ubisoft’s new battle arena?

The battle royale boom shows little signs of slowing down any time soon, with titles like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends enjoying massive popularity. It’s that type of popularity that Ubisoft is trying to cash in on with Project Q, a new game from the studio that’s reportedly begun playtesting.

Ubisoft’s previous venture into the battle royale space, Hyper Scape, did not achieve the traction the company was hoping for, and its servers will be shuttered at the end of April. Still, the company has not given up on the genre and seemingly hopes to introduce a different spin on the battle royale formula with Project Q.

But what exactly is Project Q, and what can players expect from the new game in development? Here’s everything we know about Project Q so far.

What is Project Q?

So far, Project Q can best be described as a PvP hero shooter. As Tom Henderson reports for eXputer, however, the term “shooter” doesn’t necessarily mean the characters involved will all have guns. Instead, weapons like paint guns, fireworks, and even a deck of cards are used to deal damage to enemies. 

The art style of the game will be “similar to EA’s Knockout City or Activision’s Overwatch,” according to Henderson, which fits the style of the game arming characters with a deck of cards. Unlike Overwatch, however, it seems players will be able to customize the characters they choose further. They will be able to select different abilities and skills for their characters in the form of “Wonders,” which can be equipped in different combinations.

As Project Q is still very early in development, much of the game and what is known about it is still subject to change.

Does Project Q have different modes?

At the moment, Project Q reportedly has two different game modes: Showdown and Battle Zone.

Showdown is Project Q’s take on battle royale, although it is a battle royale on a much smaller scale. The mode will feature four teams of two players each, letting the teams of two battle it out. A far cry from the dozens of players most battle royales drop into one map, Showdown seems to be targeting a different game experience with its twist on the mode. 

Battle Zone, on the other hand, will pit just two teams against each other, with four players to each team. Battle Zone requires teams to control an area of a map for a certain amount of time to score points, with the team that reaches 100 points first winning the game. This would make the mode somewhat similar to Overwatch’s Control mode or Hardpoint in Call of Duty.

Will Project Q be free to play?

It is not yet confirmed whether Project Q will be a free-to-play game or a title players must pay for. A listing of a free-to-play PvP game that has not yet been announced on Ubisoft’s website is believed to be Project Q.

When is Project Q’s release date?

Project Q still has not been officially announced by Ubisoft. As such, it has no release date yet.

What else do we know about Project Q?

Project Q’s existence was first leaked in 2021, when it was included in a leaked list of games from NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW database. Now entering the playtesting phase of development, Project Q is being developed by Ubisoft’s Bordeaux studio, which has previously worked on titles like Rainbow 6 and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.