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Snowdrop (game engine)

Snowdrop
Developer(s)
Written inC++
Platform
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.massive.se/project/snowdrop-engine/

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]

History

The 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

Features 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

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

References

  1. ^ "The Division: Ubisoft discusses next-gen Snowdrop engine & more". VG247. 12 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Ubisoft Talks The Division: Snowdrop Engine, Next-Gen and More". Gameranx. 12 July 2013.
  3. ^ "'The Division' Trailer Highlights Snowdrop Engine". Game Rant. 7 December 2013.
  4. ^ "The Division's VGX trailer shows off Snowdrop engine". Polygon. 8 December 2013.
  5. ^ "Why Ubisoft Ditched Unreal in Favor of Its Own Proprietary Tech". IGN. 16 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Ubisoft's Open-World Star Wars: Snowdrop Engine Details and Past Games". Game Rant. 8 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b "The Division's Snowdrop Engine has been in development for 5 years". VideoGamer. 1 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Ubisoft: Snowdrop engine allows us to work better, not bigger". MCV/Develop. 19 March 2014.
  9. ^ "The Division: Snowdrop engine designed "to do things better, not bigger," Ubisoft details tech in new blog". VG247. 24 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Here's The Division's amazing game engine in action". Polygon. 19 March 2014.
  11. ^ "The Division's Snowdrop Engine "Capable of Creating Large Range of Varied Universes"". GamingBolt. 24 March 2014.
  12. ^ "The Division video shows procedural destruction and lighting in the Snowdrop Engine". PCGamesN. 8 December 2013.
  13. ^ "The Division's Snowdrop engine allows for "smarter", "bigger" development, says devs". VG247. 9 December 2013.
  14. ^ "Ubisoft shows off Snowdrop engine with help from Tom Clancy's 'The Division'". Engadget. 9 December 2013.
  15. ^ "Tech Analysis: Tom Clancy's The Division". Eurogamer. 29 June 2013.
  16. ^ "The Division Graphics Tech Detailed: PBR, Dynamic GI With Real-Time Bounce Lighting". GamingBolt. 13 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Star Wars Outlaws' Snowdrop Engine Explained". Game Rant. 14 September 2023.
  18. ^ "The Division's Snowdrop engine makes game development fun". Polygon. 9 December 2013.
  19. ^ "The Division's Snowdrop Engine Allows for Dynamic Destruction, Designed for Next-Gen". GamingBolt. 9 December 2013.
  20. ^ "The Division 2 announced, will be powered by Snowdrop Engine and will be present at E3 2018". DSOGaming. 8 March 2018.
  21. ^ a b "The Division 2 is currently in the works at Massive Entertainment, more to come at E3 2018". VG247. 8 March 2018.
  22. ^ "The Division's Snowdrop engine could be used in other Ubisoft games like Assassin's Creed". PCGamesN. 20 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Massive Entertainment's Snowdrop Engine May Be Used In Other Ubisoft Games". DSOGaming. 20 February 2016.
  24. ^ "Ubisoft's next-gen Snowdrop engine powers The Division, and now more". TweakTown. 21 February 2016.
  25. ^ "The Division's Snowdrop engine and Dark Zone design could be used in other Ubi games". VG247. 22 February 2016.
  26. ^ a b "Art Design Deep Dive: Getting official South Park art into The Fractured But Whole". Game Developer. 14 December 2017.
  27. ^ a b "Mario + Rabbids is Switch's unlikeliest tech showcase". Eurogamer. 11 September 2017.
  28. ^ a b "New Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora trailer details upgrades to Snowdrop engine". Digital Trends. 24 June 2021.
  29. ^ "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora tech showcase details improvements made to Snowdrop engine". VG247. 25 June 2021.
  30. ^ "Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Looks Beautifully Alien In New Snowdrop Engine Tech Showcase". GameSpot. 24 June 2021.
  31. ^ "Ubisoft showcases improvements made to The Division's engine for its next-gen Avatar game". Video Games Chronicle. 25 June 2021.
  32. ^ "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is one of the most technologically impressive games of the year". Eurogamer. 8 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - the big developer tech interview". Eurogamer. 17 December 2023.
  34. ^ a b "Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws Open-World Game Debuts At Xbox Showcase". GameSpot. 12 June 2023.
  35. ^ "First 'Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay trailer offers 10 minutes of scoundrel wish fulfillment". Engadget. 13 June 2023.
  36. ^ "Star Wars Outlaws pushes the latest PC technologies hard - and the results are stunning". Eurogamer. 31 August 2024.
  37. ^ "Star Wars Outlaws Cinematic Mode Makes It Look Like The Original Trilogy". GameSpot. 26 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Star Wars Outlaws is beautifully realised on PS5 and Series X/S, bar a few rogue issues". Eurogamer. 27 August 2024.
  39. ^ a b "A Splinter Cell remake is in development at Ubisoft Toronto". Polygon. 15 December 2021.
  40. ^ "Ubisoft announces Splinter Cell remake". Eurogamer. 15 December 2021.
  41. ^ "Splinter Cell Remake Announced by Ubisoft". Game Rant. 15 December 2021.
  42. ^ "Ubisoft scaling Anvil, Snowdrop engines to flex next-gen consoles". TweakTown. 31 March 2021.
  43. ^ "Snowdrop Game Engine: What You Need To Know About Ubisoft's Secret Weapon". gamedesigning.org. 4 July 2023.
  44. ^ "《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.
  45. ^ "Snowdrop — Rocksmith+". Ubisoft. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  46. ^ Behan, Daire (June 12, 2021). "Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Revealed for 2022 Release". Game Rant. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  47. ^ Skrebels, Joe (August 21, 2018). "Ubisoft Announces New Settlers Game". IGN. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  48. ^ 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.
  49. ^ McWhertor, Michael (May 15, 2024). "Ubisoft cancels The Division Heartland, the latest AAA free-to-play game casualty". Polygon. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  50. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (May 15, 2024). "Ubisoft Cancels The Division Heartland". IGN. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
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