Ubisoft's decision to focus more on their live service games now encroaches on fans' beloved Assassin's Creed franchise.
Both fans and critics agree that Assassin's Creed‘s gameplay is very repetitive. Fans love the gameplay loop enough to overlook this flaw that, frankly, exists in most Ubisoft titles. But it seems like Ubisoft is doubling down on its reputation for repetitive gameplay.
An official announcement by Ubisoft itself back in July 2021, penned by Quebec Managing Director Nathalie Bouchard and Montreal Managing Director Christophe Derennes, confirms the existence of a new live service title codenamed Assassin's Creed Infinite. This followed a Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier, which described the details of the currently-shrouded project.
“Whereas previous Assassin’s Creed games each unfolded in specific historical settings such as ancient Greece or Ptolemaic Egypt, Infinity will contain multiple settings with room to expand to others in the months and years following its debut, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a project under development,” reports Schreier. “Individual games on the platform might look and feel different, but they will all be connected.”
Ubisoft's own statement confirms the project's existence and shares that it's going to be a cross-studio effort, helmed by the Quebec and Montreal studios. The statement also outlined who exactly will be heading the creative and production of the project.
“This change means we’re also evolving along with the video game industry,” claims Ubisoft. While it's true that games-as-a-live-service is becoming more prevalent in the video game industry, it's often due to its profitability, not for its novelty and fun factor for its fans. Whether or not fans will let this pass will have to be decided by the power of the purse.
Meanwhile, new rumors have arisen that points to another stand-alone title in the works. Codenamed “Rift”, the game was developed originally as DLC content for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but various factors have led to it now being slated for an independent release as a stand-alone title. If the rumors are true and “Rift” gets released, it might end up being the last game in the Assassin's Creed franchise to receive the stand-alone release treatment. Then, it'll be all live service.
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