The Far Cry universe is becoming increasingly complicated, as the series' world is now packed full of megalomaniacs and fictional nations. In recent years, it has even gone through a nuclear apocalypse and come out the other side. To make matters more confusing, there's evidence that Far Cry 6 may be establishing a separate continuity from the rest of the series' timeline.

Far Cry may be known for its central villainous performances, but there's one character who plays a hugely underappreciated role. Hurk Drubman, Jr. may be a hired gun, a slob, a moron, and an opportunist, but he could also be the key to unlocking the Far Cry continuity. If Ubisoft leaves him out of Far Cry 6, the studio will be making a huge mistake.

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More than any other character, Hurk creates continuity between the Far Cry games. Hurk first appeared in Far Cry 3's Monkey Business DLC, and he immediately answered a question Far Cry fans of the franchise had been asking for years. As tongue-in-cheek as all of Hurk's appearances are, his dialogue in Monkey Business confirmed the existence of a single continuous Far Cry world.

In Far Cry 3, Hurk mentions Bowa-Seko as a source of blood diamonds. Although Far Cry 2's African nation remains unnamed, Bowa-Seko is the southern region of the game's map. Not only does Hurk then go on to appear in Far Cry 4, but in the same game, Longinus hints that he is from the setting of Far Cry 2 when he mentions being baptized in Goka Falls. This establishes that Far Cry 2, 3, and 4 all take place in the same world.

Hurk's ancient ancestor Urki even appeared in Far Cry Primal, though Hurk himself would return for both Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawn. Having moved back to Hope County, Montana after years of mercenary work, he survives the nuclear apocalypse living in a bunker with his cousin Sharky. He can be found with boxes of belongings from Far Cry 3's Rook Islands and Far Cry 4's Kyrat, again reinforcing a single timeline which flows from at least Far Cry 2 to Far Cry New Dawn.

Hurk Drubman, Jr's actor Dylan Taylor recently suggested that the character would not be appearing in Far Cry 6, responding to a question on Twitter.

Considering what has been shown of Far Cry 6 so far, this would make sense. The resist ending of Far Cry 5 and the plot of Far Cry New Dawn established a timeline where civilization collapsed on a world-wide scale. This hardly appears to be the case in Far Cry 6's Yara, and even if the game was set before the bombs dropped, the player's knowledge of an impending nuclear war would risk undermining their investment in the leadership of a nation that would likely be destroyed.

It seems likely that Far Cry 6 will take place in a timeline where Joseph Seed's predictions of the apocalypse never came true. However, this raises some other big questions. Does Yara exist in the same continuity as the other Far Cry games? Do locations like Bowa-Seko, the Rook Islands, and Kyrat exist in the same world as Far Cry 6? Hurk makes references in Far Cry New Dawn that raise even more questions.

In New Dawn, players discover that after three years living in a bunker with Hurk and Sharky, Hurk's mom and her boyfriend eventually leave for Cuba. Just as the Rook Islands are based on Indonesia and Kyrat is based on Nepal, Far Cry 6's Yara is heavily based on Cuba. For now, it remains unclear whether or not both Cuba and Yara exist in the Far Cry universe.

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This might sound like a good reason to leave Hurk behind and start fresh with Far Cry 6. However, Hurk's presence in Far Cry 6 could be key to helping players understand the new continuity in which Far Cry 6 is set. If Hurk appears in Far Cry 6, for example, and mentions having recently moved to Yara after a stint back home in Hope County, it will be clear that Far Cry 6 takes place in a continuity which follows from the events of Far Cry 5, but where the apocalypse did not take place.

His presence would also help confirm whether Yara is within the continuous world of Far Cry established so far. Many fans have been scrambling to figure out when Far Cry 6 might be set and if it's connected to the other games, with even Vaas' voice actor Michael Mando commenting on the theory that his iconic villain might reappear in the upcoming game.

Fans of the franchise who aren't interested in the continuity between the games still have reason to hope for Hurk's return. Long-time Far Cry fans have now helped Hurk strap bombs to monkeys in the Rook Islands, redeem himself for his monkey-exploding past in Far Cry 4's Hurk's Redemption, and in the spin-off adventure FC5: Lost on Mars, they even saw Hurk turned into a party robot.

Every Far Cry game since Far Cry 3 has been centered on its charismatic villain. Since then, Hurk has represented the polar opposite - a hapless side-character who somehow finds his way into every story, even when that story is set thousands of years in the past or on a distant planet. He's been a mainstay of the franchise for years now, a familiar face in a series which is constantly shifting location, antagonist, and player character. With Hurk, Ubisoft would have the chance to clarify its new and complicated continuity. Without Hurk, Far Cry fans will likely find Yara feeling a little less friendly and familiar. While that could be to the new game's advantage, it could also leave players less invested in the world.

Far Cry 6 is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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