Assassin's Creed may never return to annual schedule

By Mike Epstein February 19, 2016

assassins creed no longer annual ubisoft tease assassin s syndicate — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It seems that Assassin’s Creed will not return to its old annual release cycle after the next game in the series is released, based on recent comments from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. Speaking at the publisher’s Investor Day, Guillemot said the series would not “automatically” go back to publishing Assassin’s Creed games every year.

“The goal is not to automatically come back to an annual cycle, but to come back on a regular basis,” Guillemot said. “We can’t say every year.”

The statement confirms yet another piece of a January report from Kotaku, which revealed Ubisoft would break the series’ yearly publishing streak to re-examine the franchise. Ubisoft confirmed there would be no new Assassin’s Creed in 2016 in a statement on their blog in February. Meanwhile, Ubisoft confirmed that another high-profile sequel, Watch Dogs 2, would fill in for the franchise this holiday season, during a quarterly earning call. The report also said that the next Assassin’s Creed, codenamed “Empire,” would come out in 2017. “Empire” will reportedly take place in ancient Egypt, and kick off a new trilogy within the franchise.

Guillemot told investors he planned to increase revenue 60 percent in the next three years by moving the company away from rapidly releasing sequels, in favor of “multiplayer-centric games” that, when successful, can generate revenue year-round. He specifically cited The Division, Rainbow Six: Siege, and upcoming action game For Honor as current and upcoming examples of that strategy in action. Guillemot also said the publisher would release a as-yet unannounced IP with a multiplayer focus by the end of its next financial year, which ends March 31, 2017.

At the same time, Guillemot said the company would seek to grow its audience by bringing its franchises, including Assassin’s Creed, to new mediums. In addition to the Assassin’s Creed movie, which opens in December, 2016, the publisher has signed a deal with book publisher Scholastic to produce a series of young adult novels inspired by the franchise called The Last Descendants. The first book will hit shelves this September, followed by a sequel coming in January, 2017.

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Michael is a New York-based tech and culture reporter, and a graduate of Northwestwern University’s Medill School of…

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

Assassin's Creed Mirage Basim

It's time to ready your hidden blades once again, assassins, because a brand new entry in the Assassin's Creed series is upon us. All the leaks and rumors have turned out to be true, and the next installment in the franchise has been officially revealed as Assassin's Creed Mirage. This franchise has undergone some major changes in recent entries, and the next game seems poised to shake things up yet again.

First officially revealed during a Ubisoft Forward in September 2022, Assassin's Creed Mirage will be the next mainline game in the series after 2020's Assassin's Creed Valhalla. While each game typically only has smaller, less prominent ties to one another (at least after the series moved on from the Desmond arc), this game bucks the trend in that regard. From plot to gameplay changes and more, here's everything we know about Assassin's Creed Mirage, an upcoming PlayStation 5 game we have our eye on.
Release date

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is coming out earlier than expected

Basim leaps at an enemy in Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Ubisoft revealed that Assassin's Creed Mirage will now release on October 5, a week earlier than originally intended.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is supposed to be a back-to-basics entry for Ubisoft's long-running action-adventure series. It was announced in 2022 and got an October 12 release date during the PlayStation Showcase in May. Now, just two months before the game was set to release, Ubisoft announced that it has moved the release of Assassin's Creed Mirage up by one week to October 5. This coincides with a tweet announcing that the game had "gone gold," which essentially means that development of the game is complete and Ubisoft's focus can turn to post-launch support.
https://twitter.com/Ubisoft/status/1691121970098700288
Delays are very common in this industry, and Ubisoft especially is no stranger to them; Skull & Bones is a prime example. That's why Assassin's Creed Mirage joins a rare group of games that actually come out earlier than originally expected. In 2022, we saw Xenoblade Chronicles 3 moved from September to July, while this year, Baldur's Gate 3's PC launch moved up from August 31 to August 3, which ended up being a much better release window for the game.
Although Ubisoft did not specifically state the reason for moving Assassin's Creed Mirage up, it wouldn't be surprising if the company wanted to give the game more space and attention ahead of other games coming out this October, like Forza Motorsport, Alan Wake 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Regardless, it's going to kick off one of the busiest months for game releases in 2023.
Assassin's Creed Mirage will launch for PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 5.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Mirage gameplay trailer shows a return to franchise roots

Assassin's Creed Mirage picture

Ubisoft showed off three new Assassin’s Creed games -- Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, Assassin’s Creed: Codename Jade, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage -- at the June 2023 Ubisoft Forward event.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR will release on Meta Quest 2, and players can play as three characters: Ezio, Cassandra, and Connor. Players can block, parry, counterattack, and duel with enemies in VR. There are also a variety of different weapons to choose from, such as hidden blades, swords, tomahawks, bows, crossbows, and throwing knives. The game will also feature comfort settings, like peripheral vision blocking and teleportation to mitigate nausea, vertigo, and fear of heights. It will release sometime during holiday 2023.