Ubisoft recently unveiled Steep, an action sports game that lets adrenaline junkies enjoy the magnificent open world of the Alps by engaging in four extreme sports.
Regardless if you're into snowboarding, skiing, paragliding or wingsuit acrobatics, you will be able to tap into the fast-paced winter fun on multiple platforms.
Ubisoft plans to roll out Steep on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, with a release date estimated in December.
According to Igor Manceau, the creative director at Ubisoft's office in Annecy, the game is in development for about 30 months. It initially began as an internal project, lacking an agenda for release. However, as the development grew more serious, Ubisoft saw the title's potential. Steep's developers worked closely with the team that built the open world landscapes in Ghost Recon: Wildlands, another title that was announced at the E3 2016.
Coincidence or not, only 30 kilometers separate Annecy from Mont Blanc, virtually making the city a Mecca for winter action sports fans.
Steep took heavy inspiration from the snow-based pastime in the area, and lets players race down the mountain in a myriad of ways. At the E3, Ubisoft demonstrated a skydiving race followed by a snowboarding competition. Keep in mind that the gameplay is online-based, making it easy for you to compete with friends or strangers.
You can choose to race towards the base of the mountain in third person or, if you're the immersive driven type, in first person. The open world is filled to the brim with various challenges, such as races or tricks.
Keep in mind that each course you take down the mountain leaves a "Trail" behind, meaning that you can get back and revise how you handled those turns. Additionally, you are able to share your best Trails on social media and motivate or challenge your friends to beat your records.
"There is nothing like having awesome and crazy moments that you can share on YouTube." Manceau notes.
The open world game is set on top of a mountain that borders four alpine countries. For symmetry, or because each of the variants is too cool to ditch, there are four winter sports players can try out: paragliding, wingsuit flying, snowboarding and skiing.
"You can ... test your skills, compete with the community, and share your experiences with friends," Manceau affirms.
Ubisoft promised that open-world slopes emulating the mountains of Alaska will land as a post-launch update that will come for no cost whatsoever.
Meanwhile, check out the video below to get a taste of Steep's gameplay.
