The near-complete source code of the original Far Cry game has been unexpectedly leaked online, creating excitement among the gaming community.
The file titled “Far Cry 1.34 Complete”, which contains only the source code and not the game’s graphics and music elements, was uploaded on the Internet Archive (Archive.org) by a user called Llaetha.ro on June 24, 2023.
It was initially discovered and shared on Twitter by a well-known gaming modder, VinÃcius Medeiros, on July 1, 2023, and has since been widely shared across Reddit and other social media platforms.
Out of nowhere, the full source code of Far Cry 1 just dropped on the Internet Archive pic.twitter.com/agRMPHLT6o
— VinÃcius Medeiros (@VinciusMedeiro6) June 30, 2023
While the file name above suggests that it contains patches, PC gamers who have downloaded the source code and tried to get the acclaimed shooter up and running say that the source code is “not complete, but close” (via Eurogamer).
“From my educated guess, this is some source tree leak for the PC version of the game to add support for the Ubisoft game launcher / DRM,” posts one gamer.
“It does contain some .exes but no Xbox code and no game assets. The code that is there doesn’t compile without 332 errors (I could have the dev env setup wrong too). So, I think you could get some debug PC version of this game running if you put in the effort and learnt the code base.”Â
However, other users have been able to compile and run the game with a little additional work by getting the assets from the original game (via Techradar).
For those unaware, Far Cry is a 2004 first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by Crytek that was published by Ubisoft. It is the first installment in the Far Cry franchise and the first to use Crytek’s own proprietary software, CryEngine.
As per Wikipedia, the game, which is set on a mysterious tropical archipelago, follows Jack Carver, a former American special operations forces operative, who must use various weapons, tools, and his surroundings to survive against hostile mercenaries that control the islands while searching for the female journalist, Valerie Constantine who was accompanying him and went missing after their boat was destroyed by mercenaries.
As Jack explores the islands, he begins to discover the horrific genetic experiments being conducted on the local wildlife and must confront the mad scientist behind them.
Far Cry, which was released exclusively on Microsoft Windows PCs in March 2004, opened to positive reviews and was praised for its visuals, gameplay process, and the level of freedom given to players. The game turned out to be a commercial success and sold over 730,000 units within four months of release and over 2.5 million units in its lifetime.
Currently, it is unclear why the source code of the original Far Cry game has surfaced online more than 19 years after its debut. Neither Crytek nor Ubisoft have yet commented on the leak.
