Ubisoft's Steep Is A Connected Action Sports Game In The Alps

Ubisoft Annecy, one of the publisher's three studios located in France, is getting its first opportunity to lead a project. It's doing so with a brand-new franchise focused on action-sports daredevils.

Steep, which is set in the Alps near Ubisoft Annecy, features four different sports in an open, connected world. Players will be able to ski, snowboard, paraglide, and sail on wingsuits. 

The technology behind this new franchise was created for Ghost Recon Wild Lands. Ubisoft's trio of studios in France is working on what the publisher says is its biggest open-world action-adventure game yet.

At the heart of Annecy's game is the concept of sharing. Players will be able to revisit their past adventures, edit the footage with different camera angles, and upload them. The game can be played with a variety of camera angles, also.

The trailer prominently displays GoPro cameras, and those can be chosen as one of the playable angles. Players can also ski, snowboard, and fly in third-person.

Another aspect of the sharing ethos is that players will be on the mountain together. Since everyone can cut their own trail through the powder or plot their own course in the sky, you'll be able to take inspiration from other athletes.

Steep does feature collision with other players, but only if you turn it on. If you're cutting through a treacherous, densely wooded area, you might not want to risk bumping into other skiers or snowboarders. The same thing goes for when you're trying to capture a tricky jump to share with your friends.

Ubisoft has experimented with sports-oriented open world games before, with The Crew. Steep appears to be more ambitious, but also branches into the extreme-sports genre that has been largely abandoned. Annecy has a lot to prove in its first solo outing, but our first look at Steep gives us reason to hope. It'll be out this December for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.