Far Cry: Rise of the Revolution, a five-episode audio series that dives deep into the backstory of Far Cry 6 antagonist Antón Castillo, is available now. Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), who voices Castillo in the game, reprised his role for the series, which was written by Alexandro Aldrete, a Mexican scriptwriter and filmmaker. Ubisoft News spoke with Director of Global TV & Transmedia Business Development Julien Fabre and Senior Transmedia Content Manager Etienne Bouvier to learn more about the series, how it expands the stories of Far Cry 6 characters, and why audiences find Castillo’s story so compelling.
In a story spanning decades, Far Cry: Rise of the Revolution rotates between the perspectives of Antón Castillo, his son Diego, and leader of Libertad Clara García. You’ll get a window into Antón’s childhood as a political prisoner, where the future dictator dreams of becoming El Presidente like his father, and a leukemia diagnosis seems to be a setback – until a miracle drug, Viviro, provides a path forward. The lengths Antón will go to produce Viviro will shock Diego, who just wants to escape his lonely life and go to Máximas Matanzas shows. The show will also dive into Clara’s backstory, showing how the upper-class Yaran went from journalist to leader of a rebellion.
While Far Cry 6 has rich lore that gives players pieces of Yaran history throughout the game, Rise of the Revolution is, as Bouvier describes it, “the opportunity to dive deeper into Antón, Clara, and Diego’s internal thoughts and understand their motivations, and also rediscover Yara and its history in an entertaining and action-packed story.” The audio series was developed in-step with the game, and Navid Khavari, Narrative Director of Far Cry 6, was completely hands-on with Rise of the Revolution, providing his thorough knowledge of the characters – and Yara – to help build authentic stories for each of them.
“Far Cry: Rise of the Revolution is a prequel to Far Cry 6”, says Fabre, “and we worked with many of the same actors from the game, like Giancarlo Esposito. We’re excited returning cast members further developed and explored these characters and that new characters will be introduced to fans and newcomers alike.”
Other Far Cry 6 actors reprising their characters in Rise of the Revolution include Jess Salgueiro (The Boys), who voices Clara, and Anthony Gonzalez (Coco), who voices Diego. The grizzled guerrilla Juan Cortez will also make an appearance, voiced again by Alex Fernandez (Mayans M.C.).
In making a narrative audio series that directly expands on established lore in Far Cry 6, the team at Ubisoft hopes not only to introduce the story to a new audience, but also to continue to engage players by sharing an in-depth look at the backgrounds that shaped the characters in the game.
“It’s about discovering new stories about your favorite characters in the game,” says Fabre. “The series chronicles Antón’s quest for power following his story from a glorious childhood in the presidential palace to the darkness of his teenage years, to where he is in the game – a dictator ruling over Yara. And we discover in parallel how Clara Garcia, a rebellious spirit, was fostered by some unexpected friends, and how she started fighting Antón’s oppressive regime.”
“Rise of the Revolution is a high-level discussion on engagement and revolution, on dealing with your family, and drawing your own way,” adds Bouvier.
Far Cry: Rise of the Revolution is produced by Audible, an audiobook and podcast service from Amazon. Though it is the third fictional series to come from the collaboration, according to Fabre, Rise of the Revolution is the first time an audio series represents a prequel story that uses some of the original cast from the game, and was developed alongside Far Cry 6.
For more on the other three audio series, check out Assassin’s Creed Gold, The Division – Hearts on Fire, or Splinter Cell – Firewall, and stay tuned to Ubisoft News for more updates.