What looks like promotional material for an unreleased Assassin’s Creed game is being shared online today, starring someone in assassin garb for the first time in seven years. The images show what’s purported to be artwork of something called The Forty Thieves Quest for the rumoured Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, also known by the development name of Rift.
Assassin’s Creed community The Codex Network shared the images on Twitter, but they were initially removed at the request of the copyright holder and then deleted outright. The Codex Network credited another user Synth Potato for providing them the images, also since removed following a DMCA notice. However, they’d already been shared earlier by Rainbow Six leaker ScriptLeaksR6.
The Codex Network’s tweet claimed that the artwork was taken from the Ubisoft Store. The images show a figure in classic assassin’s robes about to enter a large set of doors, with the shadow of someone wielding a scimitar, raised to strike. More shadows of what seem to be people with raised weapons appear further down. The legend of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a folk tale about a man who enters a thieves’ den, part of the collected One Thousand and One Nights stories.
I reported on the rumours surrounding the next Assassin’s Creed earlier this week. Details of Mirage, including its name, setting and back-to-basics approach were lent weight by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who said someone close to the project had confirmed them. Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb also waded in to back up the Mirage name claim. Some of this information had already been touted as a standalone stealth game known as Rift, starring Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’s Basim, back in February.
If the appropriately titled Assassin’s Creed: Mirage really exists then it’s tipped to see release in spring 2023. The Ubisoft Forward event is coming up in just over a week’s time, so we might not have long to wait for confirmation of what’s next for the series. I’ll keep you updated.