No, seriously, it is. When the Far Cry team went to make their next installment, they wanted to do something very different from before. So, instead of going to another island setting, or a secluded mountain area, they went to the United States, and specifically, Montana for the setting of Far Cry 5. And not only did they model their fictional Hope County off of real-life Montana, they went to the state multiple times to ensure they got the feeling and atmosphere right.
And now, the state of Montana is using Far Cry 5 to promote their state…for real!
“Welcome to Hope County,” reads Visit Hope County. “‘Hope County’” may be fictitious, but the mountains, rivers and wildlife that inspired Far Cry 5 are very real and based on the landscape of Southwest Montana. Dig deeper into the visually stunning scenery that backdrops the game, and plan your own Montana adventure in the “Last Best Place.” Open trails and big skies await you in this magnificent region of the western United States. Welcome to Hope County!”
And to be clear, Ubisoft is fully on board with this, they actually helped make the site to promote “Hope County”, and gave a little bit of background into the development of the game:
“The Far Cry franchise is about frontiers, and for Far Cry 5 the team wanted a place that was beautiful but also that felt remote. After making a short list of potential locations, the team got on a plane and headed to Montana. Once they started to meet the people, to hear its history and to go fishing and hunting, the team realized they got it right on the first shot. Far Cry was going to Montana.”
So go and head to Montana, and if you find a cult there…well…let’s just hope that you don’t…
