Summary
Ubisoft is having a bit of an identity crisis right now. After a number of delays and cancelations earlier this year, Ubisoft decided to get ahead of speculation and announced that it would be rethinking its release strategy. Soon after, Ubisoft confirmed that this new approach would be the company shifting the vast majority of its assets to well-establishedvideo game franchises, andAssassin’s Creedwould reportedly get the lion’s share.
Back in May, Ubisoft released its 2023 financial year earnings report, and in it, the company stated that it would be refocusing its resources on its “big brands,” withAssassin’s Creedbeing the primary franchise mentioned. In the same report, Ubisoft said that it would beincreasing itsAssassin’s Creeddevelopment team by around 40%over the next few years. It seems as though Ubisoft is really going all-in onAssassin’s Creed, and that’s a pretty precarious double-edged sword to lean on.
RELATED:The Assassin’s Creed Franchise Feels a Lot Like the MCU
The Upsides of Ubisoft Going All-In On Assassin’s Creed
The biggest upside to Ubisoft going all-in onAssassin’s Creedis also the most obvious one: fans will get to play moreAssassin’s Creedgames.Assassin’s Creedis one of the most popular, most beloved franchises in gaming history, and for long-time fans who eagerly anticipate every new entry, the notion of moreAssassin’s Creedis certainly exciting. This also means that there’ll be a greater chance that fans will be able to find anAssassin’s Creedgame that really appeals to them, with presumably each new game coming with its own unique setting and cast of characters, each of which is sure to hook a different section of the fan-base.
On a similar note, an increased number ofAssassin’s Creedgames could also mean a greater variety ofAssassin’s Creedexperiences. WhileAssassin’s Creed’s recent RPGs have all been good games, their gameplay style just doesn’t appeal to many fans, but with a greater number of games on the horizon, there’ll hopefully be a greater variation of gameplay styles. Fans are already seeing this, withAssassin’s Creed Miragebeing a smaller-scale throwback to the series' roots,Assassin’s Creed Redbeing another sprawling multi-hour RPG,Assassin’s Creed Jadebeing a mobile-exclusive title, andAssassin’s Creed Nexusbeing made specifically for VR.
The Downsides of Ubisoft Going All-In On Assassin’s Creed
But where there are more games, there’s also a greater risk of franchise fatigue, and that’s somethingtheAssassin’s Creedserieshas already had to struggle with. Back in the early 2010s,Assassin’s Creedgames were releasing annually, and with a similar gameplay formula used for each one, fans were starting to get a little tired of the series. This lead toAssassin’s Creed Origins' big formula switch-up, and thankfully the notion of franchise fatigue has gradually died down over the last few years. But with Ubisoft wanting to increase theAssassin’s Creeddevelopment team by 40%, it would suggest that it plans on releasingAssassin’s Creedgames much more regularly, and there’s a very real possibility of that burnout returning in full force, even more so than ever before.
Another big downside of Ubisoft focusing onAssassin’s Creedis that the publisher is much less likely to be creating any exciting new IPs anytime soon. Admittedly, Ubisoft hasn’t really released a new IP in quite some time, and the upcomingSkull and Bonesis trapped in an infinite state of limbo, but its recent track record shouldn’t limit the potential for any new Ubisoft IPs in the near future.
