What just happened? Ubisoft just hosted what I’m retrospectively calling Assassin’s Creed day. It laid out the plans for the next few years of Assassin’s Creed titles, which will straddle the action and RPG genres and the console, PC, and mobile markets.
But before you can load up a new title, you’ll have to bid farewell to the content treadmill that was Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The now two-year-old title will receive its send-off in one final free DLC called The Last Chapter. Ubisoft was light on details, which might be for the best, but the trailer shows a pensive, story-driven epilogue to the saga instead of a combat-focused one.
If combat is your thing, then you’ll like the next major installment in the franchise: Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Set two decades before Valhalla, Mirage lets you wield the swords of a novice assassin named Basim in 9th-century Baghdad. Ubisoft pitches it as a return to the franchise’s roots; an adventure full of classic combat and lore and less of the RPG elements found in the recent Assassin’s Creed titles. It’s slated for next year and can be pre-ordered already.
Ubisoft also announced that two other multi-platform Assassin’s Creed games are in the development pipeline. Project Red is the long-awaited open-world RPG set in feudal Japan. It will have ninjas and more ninjas. Ubisoft Quebec, who last made Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, is leading its development.
The last major title is called Project Hexe. It has a witchy theme and an occult setting during the witch-hunting era of what seems like eastern Europe. Ubisoft Montreal is handling development.
Ubisoft also has big plans for mobile. In conjunction with Tencent, a major shareholder, the publisher is developing an “AAA” title set in ancient China called Project Jade (trailer). Players will be able to customize their characters and explore the Great Wall. Ubisoft says that the game is “coming soon.”
The developer has also partnered with Netflix to make an unnamed game for Netflix’s subscription service. Its launch will likely coincide with the release of Netflix’s television adaption of the franchise. We’re still waiting on a trailer for that one.
If five new games have overwhelmed you, don’t fret; Ubisoft has a solution called Assassin’s Creed Infinity, a launcher that will engage with the lore of the series. Its primary purpose is to be a hub that unifies the confusing mix of titles and eras that are part of the franchise.
There were also several other, more minor announcements, including an 11-minute documentary on the making of the Assassin’s Creed games posted to YouTube and a heap of new merch. Watch Ubisoft’s full video for the finer details.