Giancarlo Esposito's Anton has a "very big role" in Far Cry 6 compared to previous series villains
If there's one thing recent Far Cry villains are known for - other than their pomp, it's that they disappear for most of the game.
Ubisoft decided to reveal Far Cry 6 to the world in a similar way to how the series' recent games have debuted: with a short cinematic that introduces the game's main villain and establishes his character. This time, the character of Anton Castillo is played by none other than Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito.
Fans of the series, however, have come to expect the big villains to not stick around for the whole game. Far Cry 4's Pagan Min, and Far Cry 5's Joseph Seed both kick off their respective games strongly, only to disappear for the vast majority of it and ultimately return near the end.
With Far Cry 6, Ubisoft seemingly wants to challenge this expectation. According to narrative director Navid Khavari, there's a dynamic between the three major characters of the game in protagonist Danny, dictator Anton and his son Diego that forms the centre of the narrative.
"I think what was important to us from a narrative perspective - and we’re going to go much deeper into the specifics of the narrative later on - but what I can say is, Anton, Danny, and Diego are sort of this triumvirate that the story and the main game story sort of hang on," Khavari told Press Start.
"So it was not only important for us that you’d get a good amount of face time with Anton just to see that window into his worldview, but also to create this almost dynamic between the three of you that carries through all the way to the end of the game."
Asked directly to describe how big Esposito's role as a villain is going to be compared to past entries, Khavari said it's going to be "a very big role," adding that Diego also plays a big role in the game's story.
"I think you’re going to be seeing a lot of Anton, you’re seeing a lot of Diego and I think where it becomes really interesting is throwing Danny’s perspective into the mix," he concluded.
Far Cry 6 is out February 18 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Stadia.