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The next Assassin’s Creed game reportedly delayed to spring 2023

By Cristina Alexander July 22, 2022

Ubisoft on Thursday announced that it delayed “a smaller unannounced premium game” to next year along with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. It turns out that the premium game in question is Assassin’s Creed Rift, and it has been delayed to spring 2023, Bloomberg confirmed on Friday.

An unnamed source familiar with Ubisoft’s plans told Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier that the game publisher’s office in Bordeaux, France, which is heading the project, asked for more time to develop and polish Assassin’s Creed Rift because it was falling behind in terms of the development schedule. The spring 2023 release window means that it could come out anywhere between March and June of next year. Ubisoft said in a press release that it would release the game in fiscal year 2023-24.

“While this additional development time is a reflection of the current ongoing constraints on productions across the industry, we are hard at work to design the most efficient working conditions to ensure both flexibility for our teams, as well as strong productivity. while delivering the best experiences to players,” the company said.

Assassin’s Creed Rift was originally going to be developed as an expansion of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but Ubisoft decided that it would be a standalone game to fill the void in its release schedule for the current fiscal year, which already has Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Skull and Bones coming out in October and November, respectively. And instead of setting it in Norway like the base game, Assassin’s Creed Rift will take place in the Middle East. Whether that encompasses the entire region or a particular Middle Eastern country remains to be seen.

Although Ubisoft hasn’t publicly announced Assassin’s Creed Rift, it might reveal more information about it while discussing the future of the Assassin’s Creed franchise in September. The company is also planning on releasing a massive live service title called Assassin’s Creed Infinity, which is currently in the development stages.

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Cristina Alexander

Gaming/Mobile Writer

Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…

Gaming

Ubisoft Forward 2023: How to watch and what to expect

Star Wars Outlaws key art that features Kay Vess.

Ubisoft will hold its next video game showcase later today. The latest in its Ubisoft Forward series of live streams, this will be a live event in Los Angeles that will provide updates on many of the company's upcoming titles like Assassin's Creed Mirage and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Considering much of Ubisoft's lineup has suffered some sort of delay over the past year or two, this Ubisoft Forward is the company's best chance to reaffirm confidence in its upcoming game lineup.

Fans of series like Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia, and and The Crew will want to tune in to 2023's Ubisoft Forward to see what's next for their favorite franchises. Those who want to learn more about previously teased titles like Star Wars Outlaws will also want to watch. If this is a show you're interested in, we're breaking down how you can watch the showcase and what you should expect from it.
When is Ubisoft Forward 2023
The pre-show for this year's Ubisoft Forward will begin at 9:45 a.m. PT today, June 12. That preshow will last 15 minutes, so if you only care about the biggest announcements, you don't need to worry about tuning in until 10 a.m. PT today.
How to watch Ubisoft Forward 2023
Ubisoft Forward: Official Livestream - June 2023 | #UbiForward

Gaming

2022 was the rise (and fall) of the video game leaker

Jimmy De Santa flips off his sister in Grand Theft Auto V art.

Video games industry leaks and rumors aren't a new phenomenon. Half-Life 2's source code leaked in 2003, and rumors about what gaming companies would do next have always enamored gaming fans and media. That reached a boiling point in 2022, though. Multiple notable leakers vied for influencer status in the eyes of an avid community that was chomping at the bit to learn what their favorite (or most hated) gaming company will do next.

While leakers were in the spotlight in 2022, it wasn't always for good reason. Grand Theft Auto VI footage was illegally obtained in September and leaked onto the internet, raising questions over when and how video games deserve to be revealed. Multiple notable leakers were exposed as frauds, and one with an accurate track record just outright retired. Video game industry leaks and rumors feel more relevant (and flawed) than ever, and some of 2022's biggest video game news stories will forever be associated with them.
Video game rumors in 2022
Video game leaking culture was prevalent throughout 2022, with notable figures like Jeff Grubb and Tom Henderson providing insights into what game developers were working on. Henderson even launched a website centered around reporting on rumors called Insider Gaming. Though the site has had its misses, its already broken several stories ahead of an official announcement.

Gaming

Summer Game Fest returns just before E3 2023 next June

The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

Geoff Keighley has confirmed when Summer Game Fest will return in June 2023. It will begin with a live kickoff show on June 8, 2023, placing Keighley's game announcement alternative less than a week before E3's grand (intended) 2023 return.
Unlike past years, Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff 2023 will feature a live audience, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards. It will take place in the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park, with tickets going on sale in early 2023. It will still be livestreamed across platforms like YouTube and Twitch, though. It's currently unknown who's participating, how long Summer Game Fest will run afterward, or if it will feature a Summer Game Fest Play Days-like element for fans. Still, Keighley says all of that info will be revealed ahead of the event next year, teasing what people can expect.
"In keeping with tradition, we'll have tons of exciting announcements from the developers that are pushing the games industry forward, and will once again highlight other publisher digital events, demos, and more surprises to be announced in the coming months," Keighley says in a press release.
That June 8 start date, and the other Summer Game Fest events likely to follow, put Keighley's show just ahead of E3 2023. The ESA and ReedPop plan to bring E3 back between June 13 and June 16, 2023. With five days of lead time on E3, Summer Game Fest can coexist with the long-running gaming conference and encompass the plethora of publisher showcases that tend to precede E3.
Geoff Keighley made it clear that he wants Summer Game Fest and E3 to coexist for a while. "We've had extensive conversations with ReedPop about E3," he said in an interview with Epic Games Store. "I think it'll kind of fit together and flow kind of from what we're doing into what they're doing and stuff. E3, to me, is this kind of master brand that represents gaming news in June."
With the start date of Summer Game Fest confirmed, the coexistence of these two summer gaming events is a reality. Summer Game Fest returns on June 8, 2023.