Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon will not be an open world game, according to game director Masaru Yamamura. The Armored Core mech combat series predates FromSoftware's Dark Souls franchise by over a decade, and now the acclaimed studio is finally producing a new entry.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon was officially announced at The Game Awards 2022 with an action-packed cinematic trailer that established the general feel and direction of the game. While the trailer helped establish a baseline for what FromSoftware fans could expect from Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon's tone and general direction, it also left fans with a lot of questions. Namely, many were questioning if Armored Core 6 would be an open world game after seeing the trailer.
This question was addressed in a recent interview that IGN conducted with FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki and Masaru Yamamura. In the interview, Yamamura stressed that Armored Core 6 is not going to be an open world game, and it will instead be mission-based, not unlike previous games in the Armored Core series. Yamamura explained that the shots in the trailer that made some think Armored Core 6 is going to be open world were just to showcase the kind of world that the game takes place in, establishing the setting as opposed to hinting at gameplay features.
Some may be surprised that FromSoftware isn't making Armored Core 6 an open world game, especially after the massive success the studio has had with Elden Ring. Elden Ring broke sales records for the studio and won the coveted Game of the Year award at the very event that Armored Core 6 was announced. However, it's worth pointing out that Armored Core 6 has been in development long before Elden Ring was released.
In fact, the first time Armored Core 6 was mentioned was way back in 2016, suggesting that the game has been in development in some capacity for at least six years. Combining this with the fact that previous Armored Core games have not been open world, and it's not surprising that Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is apparently not going to be an open world experience either. However, that doesn't mean FromSoftware is done making open world games.
There's always the possibility that FromSoftware will make a sequel to Elden Ring or will pursue a new IP that embraces an open world framework. Fans may also be able to look forward to more new content in Elden Ring itself, as Miyazaki hinted as much during his acceptance speech at The Game Awards.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon will launch in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: IGN