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Ghost Recon Online Becomes Ghost Recon Phantoms, Launches In April

by Kyle Hilliard on Mar 17, 2014 at 03:45 PM

Citing a need for a new identity, the former Ghost Recon Online is now Ghost Recon Phantoms, and it releases on Steam April 10.

According to the game's producer Corey Facteau, the game has gone through so many changes since it began development that a name change was necessary. The game has a much different look thatn it did initially with new lighting and character models, and the game's story has also changed. Here is Facteau's reasoning behind the change:

The name change is directly linked to the new backstory and the new geopolitical context of the game. Ghost Recon, the brand, is about showcasing a realistic depiction of tomorrow’s battlefield. The very nature of conflicts is changing.

You can read more about the change with a full a Q and A with Facteau on Ubisoft's blog. At this point, the game has been in beta for nearly two years, and more than 5 million people have been able to get their hands on it.

Earlier this year, when it was still Ghost Recon Online, the game was released as part of Steam's early access program.

[Source: Ubisoft, (2)]

 

Our Take
In some cases, a name change for a game right before release could cause problems, but its original game was so generic that I think changing it to Phantoms won't cause any consumer confusion.