Open-world video games are a dime a dozen these days. It's practically a requirement for anything Ubisoft publishes, and even games like Control, which don't have as huge of a world to explore, will take a "go anywhere at any time" approach. What originated as little more than an idea for a playable menu screen to fill the void between missions has been taken to massive new heights filled with side activities, responsive AI, and layered physics systems to make the openness of the world feel as realistic as possible.