Ubisoft’s leaked Assassin’s Creed plan is bad news for fans
Ubisoft seems to be putting all of its eggs in one basket - but in its defence, it's proven to be a damn sturdy basket. It's clear now that Ubisoft knows where its strengths lie, not in its first-party IPs, but in the recognisability and exploratory wonders that lie across history in the Assassin's Creed series.
Assassin's Creed is a popular franchise for a reason, and it makes perfect sense (though not an entirely recommended business strategy) to trust it to carry Ubisoft to future success. We're a long way out from highs like Black Flag, and Valhalla felt far too familiar.
We know there's plenty to come, with lots of codenamed games in the works - but according to one insider, there's even more that we never knew about galloping over the horizon.
There are an absurd amount of Assassin's Creed games coming
Click to enlargeAccording to leaker Tom Henderson, there are a wealth of new Assassin's Creed games on the way, far beyond what we had previously expected.
Henderson's reports have a habit of falling through, so take this with a pinch of salt. Still, Henderson is claiming that at this very moment, Ubisoft has 11 games in the Assassin's Creed series in the oven. All are of differing levels of completion in development.
As reported by Henderson via Insider Gaming, the following are games in the works at Ubisoft:
- Assassin's Creed Mirage [Single-player] (production) – October 12, 2023
- Assassin's Creed Nexus [VR] (production) – 2023
- Assassin's Creed Codename Jade [Mobile] (production) – Expected 2023
- Assassin's Creed Codename Red [Single-player] (production) – Sources Suggest 2024
- Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe [Single-player] (pre-production) – Expected 2025/2026
- Assassin's Creed Codename Invictus [Multiplayer] (pre-production) – Expected 2025/2026
- Assassin's Creed Codename Nebula [Single-player] (concept/prototype) – Unknown
- Assassin's Creed Codename Raid [Multiplayer] (concept/prototype) – Unknown
- Assassin's Creed Codename Echoes [Multiplayer] (concept/prototype) – Unknown
- Assassin's Creed Nexus 2 [VR] (being discussed internally) – Unknown
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remake [Single-player] (just greenlit) – Unknown
There's a lot going on here, with many games that we recognise taking up slots, but there are also long-rumoured remakes, VR titles, multiplayer concepts and more.
Why are fans angry with Ubisoft?
It looks as though fans aren't entirely convinced that this move is a particularly good thing, with many suggesting that the series will equally become "the Assassin's Creed developer," and spread itself too thin.
One grumbled, "The cow has been milked ☠️," while another added, "And none of them will be good." A third complained, "They cancelled 11 Battle Royale games to start 11 AC games..."
There have been recent complaints about Ubisoft's cancelling spree, with The Division 3 seemingly kicking the bucket and Ubisoft stocks plummeting amidst another Skull & Bones delay. Assassin's Creed might seem like a safe bet, but come on, 11 titles is pushing it.
There's clearly much to look forward to when it comes to the long-running stealth series - let's just hope we don't get sick of it a few games in, otherwise, Ubisoft is going to have a massive bill to foot.
