According to a report from Kotaku,Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flagis set to receive a remake. It is in very early in development and is likely years away, but combined with an earlier report from Insider Gaming, this would mean that 11Assassin’s Creedgames are currently in various stages of planning and production.
Also read:Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag: Is a Remake of the Massive Acclaimed Entry on the Way?
October will see the release ofAssassin’s Creed: Mirageset in 9th Century Baghdad, allowing players to live out the early years of Basim, who we first met as the Viking Eivor during the events ofAC: Valhalla.
Five other titles have also been officially announced as well as Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed Infinity” platform, a hub that will connect all mainline series entries going forward afterMirage. The first of these fiveAssassin’s Creedgames is “Nexus“, a VR experience for the Oculus Quest set across three previously visited historical periods.
Next, we haveCodename Jade, a mobile exclusive entry set in China. Both of these titles are expected in 2023. Following that there isCodename Red, Codename Hexe, andCodename Invictus.
Redis an open-world RPG set in feudal Japan.Hexeis said to be a brand new type of experience for fans of the franchise but Ubisoft hasn’t elaborated any further, though the imagery hints at the setting being the European Witch trials.Invictusis an online PVP title that is presumably a revival of the fan-favorite mode last seen inBlack Flag.
These entries are expected between 2024 and 2026.
Beyond that, Insider Gaming mentions a further five games in the conceptual/prototyping stage, all with codenames:
Also read:Ubisoft Forward: ‘Assassin’s Creed: Mirage’ Gets Extended Gameplay Trailer – Back to Assassinating Basics
The Future of Assassin’s Creed Games Looks Busy
SoAssassin’s Creedfans have a lot to look forward to over the coming months and years. But it does beg the question, at what point does quantity sacrifice quality? We’ve seen the effects of yearly releases on many franchises, sometimes to the point that developers and publishers rethink their strategy and take a break. This has even previously happened with theAssassin’s Creedgames themselves.
The series saw a release of at least one game every year from 2009 to 2015. Many fans began to feel what can only be described as franchise fatigue. Is Ubisoft risking that happening again? It’s certainly a possibility but it is worth noting that the upcoming games are much more varied than their predecessors.
WhileAssassin’s Creed IIthrough to Syndicate followed much the same formula bar new locations and protagonists, the list above mentions a broad mixture of genres: RPG, multiplayer PVP and coop, VR, and possibly even horror, if speculation aroundHexeis to be believed. Could this stop the series from getting stale? Or should Ubisoft adopt a less is more approach and focus on depth rather than breadth?
Also read:“It took itself too seriously”: Michael Fassbender Knows He Made a Huge Blunder in ‘Assassin’s Creed’ That Failed Badly
PlayStation exclusiveGhost of Tsushimafrom Sucker Punch Productions is often compared to theAssassin’s Creedfranchise in terms of its overall structure and gameplay, but as though it’sAssassin’s Creedwith near-Rockstar levels of polish and detail. Rockstar, famous for theRed Dead RedemptionandGTAseries, notably tends to release franchise entries many years apart. It has been almost 10 years since the original release ofGTA V, though Rockstar has supported it with many online content updates and multiple generational upgrades since then.
Rockstar’s games are almost universally praised as the most detailed and expansive games on the market. Contrast that with any of the recentAssassin’s Creedgames, which are usually dragged down by unnecessary bloat, being large in terms of the actual map size but feeling empty or repetitive. What would you prefer? Many potentially shallower experiences? Or is it worth the extra wait for something special?
