Snowdrop (also known as Ubisoft Snowdrop) is a proprietary game engine created by Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft for use on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, and Luna. It was revealed at E3 2013 with Tom Clancy's The Division, the first game using the engine.[1][2][3][4] Snowdrop is one of the primary game engines used by Ubisoft along with Disrupt, Dunia, and Ubisoft Anvil.[5]
 | |
| Developer(s) | |
|---|---|
| Written in | C++ |
| Platform | |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
History
editThe engine is coded mainly in C++.[6] Rodrigo Cortes, former brand art director at Massive Entertainment, said that development on the Snowdrop engine started in 2009.[7] Initially it was an engine built for PC and next-gen development to "do things better not bigger".[8][9] The core of the game engine is powered by a "node-based system" and the engine is a dynamic, interconnected and flexible system where developers can create their assets quickly and interact with them in ways that have never been done before.[10][11] Massive created a lighting and destruction system inspired by film production techniques.[12][13][14] Features of Snowdrop include advanced physically based rendering (PBR), procedural destruction, and a dynamic global illumination system.[15][16][17]
According to the developers, the engine was designed with three pillars: Empowerment, which allows animators, artists and designers to get their work done quicker, Real Time, which allows developers to implement and iterate quickly and Fun, a concept that applies not only to the final product, but to using the engine during development.[18][19] An improved version of the engine was used for Tom Clancy's The Division 2.[20][21]
In February 2016, Massive confirmed that the engine can be used for other Ubisoft games.[22][23] According to Martin Hultberg, head of IP at Ubisoft Massive, Snowdrop became available to all Ubisoft studios and not just those working on the Tom Clancy's IP.[24][25] These games include South Park: The Fractured but Whole,[26] Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle,[27] and Starlink: Battle for Atlas.[28]
In June 2021, Ubisoft confirmed that the engine will be upgraded for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.[29][30] According to senior technical artist Kunal Luthra, thousands of assets can be propagated inside of each frame to create more highly detailed environments.[31][32] The engine would also support real-time ray tracing, unified volumetric rendering, as well as improved AI behavior for NPCs.[33][34]
Snowdrop was used for Star Wars Outlaws[35][36] which features RTX Direct Illumination and DLSS Ray Reconstruction.[37] Massive developed its own digital "camera lens" in Snowdrop, which was used to give the game a more cinematic presentation as an option.[38][39]
The remake of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell will also use Snowdrop.[40][41][42] Ubisoft announced they will continue to upscale and develop the engine.[43]
Features
editFeatures of Snowdrop include:[44]
- Node-based scripting system
- Realistic day and night change
- Global volumetric lighting
- Procedural destruction
- 'Advanced' particle system and visual effects
- Dynamic material shader
- Live stat tracking
Games using Snowdrop
edit| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Developer(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Tom Clancy's The Division | PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | Massive Entertainment | [7] |
| 2017 | Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle | Nintendo Switch | Ubisoft Milan | [27] |
| South Park: The Fractured but Whole | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | Ubisoft San Francisco | [26] | |
| 2018 | Starlink: Battle for Atlas | Ubisoft Toronto | [28] | |
| 2019 | Tom Clancy's The Division 2 | PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One | Massive Entertainment | [21] |
| 2022 | Rabbids: Party of Legends | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One | Ubisoft Chengdu | [45] |
| Rocksmith+ | Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows | Ubisoft San Francisco | [46] | |
| Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope | Nintendo Switch | Ubisoft Milan | [47] | |
| 2023 | The Settlers: New Allies | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Ubisoft Düsseldorf | [48] |
| Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora | PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S | Massive Entertainment | [29] | |
| 2024 | XDefiant | Ubisoft San Francisco | [49] | |
| Star Wars Outlaws | Massive Entertainment | [35] | ||
| — | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | — | Ubisoft Toronto | [40] |
Cancelled
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Division: Ubisoft discusses next-gen Snowdrop engine & more". VG247. 12 July 2013.
- ^ "Ubisoft Talks The Division: Snowdrop Engine, Next-Gen and More". Gameranx. 12 July 2013.
- ^ "'The Division' Trailer Highlights Snowdrop Engine". Game Rant. 7 December 2013.
- ^ "The Division's VGX trailer shows off Snowdrop engine". Polygon. 8 December 2013.
- ^ "Why Ubisoft Ditched Unreal in Favor of Its Own Proprietary Tech". IGN. 16 September 2017.
- ^ "Ubisoft's Open-World Star Wars: Snowdrop Engine Details and Past Games". Game Rant. 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b "The Division's Snowdrop Engine has been in development for 5 years". VideoGamer. 1 April 2014.
- ^ "Ubisoft: Snowdrop engine allows us to work better, not bigger". MCV/Develop. 19 March 2014.
- ^ "The Division: Snowdrop engine designed "to do things better, not bigger," Ubisoft details tech in new blog". VG247. 24 March 2014.
- ^ "Here's The Division's amazing game engine in action". Polygon. 19 March 2014.
- ^ "The Division's Snowdrop Engine "Capable of Creating Large Range of Varied Universes"". GamingBolt. 24 March 2014.
- ^ "The Division video shows procedural destruction and lighting in the Snowdrop Engine". PCGamesN. 8 December 2013.
- ^ "The Division's Snowdrop engine allows for "smarter", "bigger" development, says devs". VG247. 9 December 2013.
- ^ "Ubisoft shows off Snowdrop engine with help from Tom Clancy's 'The Division'". Engadget. 9 December 2013.
- ^ "Tech Analysis: Tom Clancy's The Division". Eurogamer. 29 June 2013.
- ^ "The Division Graphics Tech Detailed: PBR, Dynamic GI With Real-Time Bounce Lighting". GamingBolt. 13 January 2016.
- ^ "Star Wars Outlaws' Snowdrop Engine Explained". Game Rant. 14 September 2023.
- ^ "The Division's Snowdrop engine makes game development fun". Polygon. 9 December 2013.
- ^ "The Division's Snowdrop Engine Allows for Dynamic Destruction, Designed for Next-Gen". GamingBolt. 9 December 2013.
- ^ "The Division 2 announced, will be powered by Snowdrop Engine and will be present at E3 2018". DSOGaming. 8 March 2018.
- ^ a b "The Division 2 is currently in the works at Massive Entertainment, more to come at E3 2018". VG247. 8 March 2018.
- ^ "The Division's Snowdrop engine could be used in other Ubisoft games like Assassin's Creed". PCGamesN. 20 February 2016.
- ^ "Massive Entertainment's Snowdrop Engine May Be Used In Other Ubisoft Games". DSOGaming. 20 February 2016.
- ^ "Ubisoft's next-gen Snowdrop engine powers The Division, and now more". TweakTown. 21 February 2016.
- ^ "The Division's Snowdrop engine and Dark Zone design could be used in other Ubi games". VG247. 22 February 2016.
- ^ a b "Art Design Deep Dive: Getting official South Park art into The Fractured But Whole". Game Developer. 14 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Mario + Rabbids is Switch's unlikeliest tech showcase". Eurogamer. 11 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Starlink: Battle for Atlas Gets New Screenshots, Artwork and Details". DualShockers. 12 June 2017.
- ^ a b "New Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora trailer details upgrades to Snowdrop engine". Digital Trends. 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora tech showcase details improvements made to Snowdrop engine". VG247. 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Looks Beautifully Alien In New Snowdrop Engine Tech Showcase". GameSpot. 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Ubisoft showcases improvements made to The Division's engine for its next-gen Avatar game". Video Games Chronicle. 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is one of the most technologically impressive games of the year". Eurogamer. 8 December 2023.
- ^ "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - the big developer tech interview". Eurogamer. 17 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws Open-World Game Debuts At Xbox Showcase". GameSpot. 12 June 2023.
- ^ "First 'Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay trailer offers 10 minutes of scoundrel wish fulfillment". Engadget. 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Star Wars Outlaws pushes the latest PC technologies hard - and the results are stunning". Eurogamer. 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Star Wars Outlaws Cinematic Mode Makes It Look Like The Original Trilogy". GameSpot. 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Star Wars Outlaws is beautifully realised on PS5 and Series X/S, bar a few rogue issues". Eurogamer. 27 August 2024.
- ^ a b "A Splinter Cell remake is in development at Ubisoft Toronto". Polygon. 15 December 2021.
- ^ "Ubisoft announces Splinter Cell remake". Eurogamer. 15 December 2021.
- ^ "Splinter Cell Remake Announced by Ubisoft". Game Rant. 15 December 2021.
- ^ "Ubisoft scaling Anvil, Snowdrop engines to flex next-gen consoles". TweakTown. 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Snowdrop Game Engine: What You Need To Know About Ubisoft's Secret Weapon". gamedesigning.org. 4 July 2023.
- ^ "《疯狂兔子：奇遇派对》新宣传片 游戏玩法及特色介绍". Sohu (in Chinese). August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- ^ "Snowdrop — Rocksmith+". Ubisoft. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- ^ Behan, Daire (June 12, 2021). "Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Revealed for 2022 Release". Game Rant. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (August 21, 2018). "Ubisoft Announces New Settlers Game". IGN. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- ^ Goroff, Michael (July 19, 2021). "Tom Clancy's XDefiant is new free-to-play, class-based shooter from Ubisoft". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (May 15, 2024). "Ubisoft cancels The Division Heartland, the latest AAA free-to-play game casualty". Polygon. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah (May 15, 2024). "Ubisoft Cancels The Division Heartland". IGN. Retrieved May 15, 2024.