No, Ubisoft has not shut down Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Despite worries that Ubisoft was quietly winding down support for the hit 2017 tactical shooter, Ghost Recon: Wildlands‘ servers remain online and the game is still entirely playable as of February 2023.
While it‘s true that Ubisoft announced plans to stop updating Wildlands and its ill-fated successor Breakpoint back in April 2022, this merely meant the games would receive no further content refreshes or live service features. The ability to squad up with friends or engage in covert special ops roleplaying adventures in Wildlands‘ vast open world was left intact.
As an avid Ghost myself with over 200 hours sunk into Wildlands, I couldn‘t be happier that Ubisoft hasn‘t pulled the plug on this superb co-op sandbox. Let‘s delve deeper into why this squad-based shooter continues to thrive in 2024 despite being neglected by its developer.
Wildlands Remains Popular with a Dedicated Following
According to the latest Steam charts, Wildlands currently attracts an average of 8,926 concurrent players daily. While these aren‘t record figures, they demonstrate an enduring playerbase over 5 years since launch. In fact, Wildlands still has about double the players of its successor Breakpoint.
Ubisoft no longer provides official statistics, but given console popularity, it‘s plausible the true daily Wildlands population including Playstation and Xbox could exceed 15,000 players. These veterans remain enamored with the game‘s impressive map and mission diversity, refined gunplay, and ability to approach objectives with tactical flexibility.
Features Players Still Enjoy
- Massive open world spanning dozens of regions in Bolivia
- Co-op campaigns supporting solo play or 2-4 player squads
- Challenging stealth/action hybrid missions
- "Ghost War" 12v12 competitive multiplayer mode
The scope and quality of these features explain why the Wildlands community remains so stubbornly loyal half a decade later!
Breakpoint‘s Failure Highlights Wildlands‘ Strengths
While the two Ghost Recon games share certain similarities in their open-ended tactical shooting cores, the contrasts between them help illustrate why Wildlands succeeds where its successor floundered.
Critical Reception and Review Scores
| Game | Metacritic Score |
| Wildlands | 75% |
| Breakpoint | 59% |
As the above critic averages indicate, Breakpoint received a significantly poorer reception due to factors like its dull setting, mundane mission structure, technical shortcomings, and misguided incorporation of looter shooter elements.
Conversely, reviewers praised Wildlands for its dynamic world brimming with activity, compelling cartel takedown campaign, and emphasis on coordinated tactical manoeuvres. These strengths sustain a dedicated fanbase to this day.
The Videos Speak for Themselves
To let the games speak for themselves, check out the gameplay comparison below:
It‘s night and day watching these side by side – Wildlands boasts a livelier world, superior gun handling and movement, and most importantly, higher replay value from its wealth of creatively designed missions. Breakpoint feels stale and hollow by comparison.
What Does the Future Hold for Ghost Recon?
While fans await news of the next era for the Ghost Recon franchise following the cancellation of free-to-play title Frontline, Wildlands provides an outstanding template for the tactical shooter‘s futureevolution.
As Ubisoft‘s most commercially successful Ghost Recon release selling over 10 million copies, Wildlands demonstrates the audience appeal of an open-ended military playground centered around taking down hostile factions.
Hopefully lessons have been learned from Breakpoint‘s failure and the next GR installment will course-correct towards Wildlands‘ formula of rich freedom and sandbox systems interwoven with a compelling campaign. Though the wait continues…
The Community Speaks Out
To close this piece, let me share some perspectives from dedicated Wildlands players on reddit regarding hopes for Ghost Recon‘s future:
"I really wish Ubisoft would take note that despite all of Breakpoint‘s next gen graphical upgrades, people still prefer Wildlands. A direct sequel retaining Wildlands‘ core formula is desperately needed!" – Reddit user Recon5tation
"Agreed! Give me a next gen Wildlands sequel with a map/biome as good as Bolivia with new missions, improved stealth/audio, weather systems – profit!" – Reddit user OGEnigma
As a passionate Ghost myself, I strongly echo these sentiments. And if you haven‘t already, I highly recommend revisiting Wildlands big expansive and gorgeously perilous world while we await news on franchise‘s future. Stay frosty Ghosts!
