Ubisoft is best known for its work on theAssassin’s Creedfranchise, and the French publisher has recently announced that it would be working on a live-service title calledAssassin’s Creed Infinity. As is the case with most thingsAssassin’s Creed, there’s a lot of contention surrounding the announcement While some fans seem extremely excited at the prospect, others have made it clear that this is not what they wanted from the series.
Assassin’s Creed Infinityis being touted as a platform for the franchise moving forward, as the service will house different experiences as it continues to grow over its lifetime. While the announcement might have come as a shock for some, it isn’t entirely surprising given Ubisoft’s recent work with the series.
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Assassin’s Creed Was Already Building Towards Infinity
Ever since Ubisoft took a year-long gap afterthe release ofAssassin’s Creed Syndicateto ensure enough development time for 2017’sAssassin’s Creed Origins, it started to become increasingly obvious what the company was aiming for via its RPG revolution. With the shift towards an RPG structure,Assassin’s Creedlittered its huge worlds that once felt barren with a multitude of marginally better yet repetitive side-quests. A plethora of loot comprising of armor sets and weapons kept the grind for higher numbers engaging enough for some fans, and this framework also allowed Ubisoft to delve deeper into the microtransactions model for XP and gear. A plethora of post-launch content spanning entire campaigns comprised of mythical deities and figures has also been released.
WithAssassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft upped the ante in a number of ways, as its rendition of ancient Greece depended on solely arbitrary number crunching, courtesy of the expanded-upon RPG systems. The game also received loads of post-launch expansions, includingLegacy of the First BladeandThe Fate of Atlantisamong many others. 2020’sAssassin’s Creed Valhalladialed back some of the grinding associated with leveling inAC Odyssey, but it doubled down on the paid post-launch support withWrath of the Druidsand the upcomingSiege of Parisalongside a bunch of other DLCs and seasonal content.
Assassin’s Creedwas consistently building towards a live-service modelfor the franchise moving forward, as evident by these entries. Ubisoft also acknowledged this in a recent financial report as well, as high-ranking officials stated that the company would be focusing more on free-to-play experiences moving forward. It’s yet to be ascertained whetherAssassin’s Creed Infinityturns out free-to-play, but most speculation points to this being the case. While the recent negativity surrounding the announcement is not defining the game’s quality, there is a plausible doubt as to what this means for the franchise moving forward.
Ubisoft states in its official announcement about not passing “the baton from game to game”, which suggests thatAssassin’s Creed Infinitymight become the only focus for the franchise once it releases. If true, this could be a shocking revelation for series fans that don’t resonate with live-service titles. As demonstrated byActivision’s reliance on pumping out a newCall of Dutyevery year, along with its live-service battle royale gameCall of Duty: Warzone, something similar could happen with Ubisoft’s subsidiaries. Under-performing studios could be put into support roles for feeding more content into the next expansion, something that would surely frustrate some fans.
Still, with the project itself nowhere near completion, many of these concerns are still just far-sighted speculation at this point. After all, if Ubisoft is able to realizeAssassin’s Creed Infinity’spotential, the game could cater to every type of fan.
