Ubisoft has confirmed an upcoming "Assassin's Creed" game, which the developers call "Assassin's Creed: Infinity."
Interestingly, it marks a historic entry into the online gaming space, as it will reportedly take the winning gameplay approach of the leading live service game "Fortnite," a Bloomberg report revealed.
'Assassin's Creed: Infinity' Set in Multiple Historical Locations Through Live Service
"Assassin's Creed: Infinity" is said to bring about the biggest change in the franchise that started in 2007. Ubisoft has traditionally released standalone versions every one or two years set in a single location or time period. The Bloomberg report, however, said "Assassin's Creed: Infinity" would show various connected historical settings in its gameplay that would look and play differently and would increase over time. The game is reportedly years from release.
Ubisoft said in a statement that releasing "Assassin's Creed: Infinity" would offer "an opportunity for one of Ubisoft's most beloved franchises to evolve in a more integrated and collaborative manner," The Verge noted. The new "Assassin's Creed" version would also be "less centered on studios and more focused on talent and leadership, no matter where they are."
Ubisoft added that "Assassin's Creed" has been developed "by multicultural teams with various backgrounds and perspectives," which it said had "influenced the depiction of characters, locations, and cultures." The new collaborative structure across development teams would allow Ubisoft "to ensure diversity and representation" would grow further in the organization.
Ubisoft Montreal, Quebec Studios Collaborating on 'Assassin's Creed: Infinity'
The Bloomberg report disclosed that Ubisoft's Montreal and Quebec studios are collaborating on the project instead of alternating leadership. This structural change would better represent individual talent, and not the studios, which should provide an opportunity for developers across the company to work on the new game.
"Assassin's Creed: Infinity" is designed to offer multiple settings, instead of a single historical location. This new platform will cover several different "Assassin's Creed" games, IGN reported. Ubisoft then confirmed the report, with a spokesperson saying that the company wants to "exceed the expectations of fans" who are demanding "a more cohesive approach."
'Assassin's Creed' Franchise Has Been Slowly Transitioning to a Live Service
"Assassin's Creed" has actually been slowly transitioning to being a live service, with Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla presenting tactics identifiable with online multiplayer games--including free updates and paid cosmetic downloadable content.
"Assassin's Creed: Infinity" would go a step closer to utilizing successful gameplay approaches of "Fortnite" and "Grand Theft Auto Online," both maintaining an enormous fanbases that have added and transformed their worlds through the years.
The "Assassin's Creed" franchise has ballooned in size over the years, Polygon noted. "Assassin's Creed: Valhalla" would need 100 hours to complete, so a live service version would let players dedicate a great amount of time to finish all side quests.
According to the Polygon report, the development team for "Assassin's Creed: Infinity" will be led by Marc-Alexis Cote, the "Assassin's Creed" franchise executive director. Julien Laferriere, who is part of the Montreal team, is the senior producer, while Jonathan Dumont and Clint Hocking will act as creative directors to supervise the development teams at Ubisoft's Montreal and Quebec studios.
