Ubisoft has plans to bring theACfranchise back to the basics withAssassin’s Creed Mirage, and some of the fanbase is pretty excited about it. The franchise has come a long way from its early days, but many players have become burnt out by the RPG formula. Some feel like the franchise has lost its way, andAssassin’s Creed Mirageis Ubisoft’s chance to right the ship.
WhileAssassin’s Creed Miragewill bring the series back to its roots, Ubisoft is alsodeveloping anotherAssassin’s CreedRPGunder the codename Red. It will allegedly follow theAssassin’s Creed Originsmodel and will be expanded upon for years to come. That is a big departure from the series' roots, and the project after may take the series even further, especially with others likeHexein the works too. It almost feels like fans will be getting genre whiplash with the next fewAssassin’s Creedtitles, and that will make for a very confusing future.
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TheAssassin’s Creedseries made waves when it first launched in 2007. Players were enthralled with Altair’s story, loved the stealth gameplay, and were excited to see where Ubisoft would take this brand-new open-world franchise. They werefurther sucked in once Ezio’s trilogy beganand would be brought on an exhilarating journey through history for years after. A year did not go by without a newAssassin’s Creedgame, and some years even saw multiple entries. It was an exciting time to be a fan, but the games were slowly growing stale.
Ubisoft chose to reinvent theAssassin’s Creedfranchise after thebroken launchof Assassin’s Creed Unityand the mediocre response toAssassin’s Creed Syndicate. In 2017, a fantastic reimagining of the series launched, and Ubisoft would not look back.Assassin’s Creed Originsripped out much of the classic action-adventure formula for a brand-new expansive RPG, and many fans loved it. Unfortunately, it also showed the cracks in fans who love RPGs and fans who love what originally made the series great.
Ubisoft would continue down this path withAssassin’s Creed OdysseyandAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, but they would take the wrong lessons fromOrigins.These games further stripped out what madeAssassin’s Creediconic in the first place and replaced it with a giant open world filled with things to do. They both ended up feeling like a bit of a slog, and fans yearned for the days ofclassicAssassin’s Creedgamesagain.
Assassin’s Creed Miragewill allegedly be that classicAssassin’s Creedtitle that fans have been yearning for, and the marketing thus far seems to confirm that. It looks like amodern version of the firstAssassin’s Creedwith a brand-new protagonist and may be exactly what this series needs right now. While fans will just have to wait and see, it will hopefully bring the franchise back to its roots when it launches later this year.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis exciting, but Ubisoft is not done with the RPGs either.Assassin’s Creed Codename Redwill be another expansive RPG, whileAssassin’s Creed Codename Hexewill not be (at least seemingly so far). Meanwhile,Assassin’s Creed Jadewill be the first full-fledged mobile game, andNexusis a VR take on the franchise. There seem to be a lot ofAssassin’s Creedgames in the pipeline, but their variety may hinder more than help.
All of these different experiences will likely split the fanbase apart. Players that have been yearning for classicAssassin’s Creedwill get to have that withMirage, but RPG fans will have towait untilAssassin’s CreedRed. Some players may end up skipping mainline franchise titles simply because of the genre Ubisoft picked, and the constant shifting of genres may make the franchise lose its identity. While the studio wants to appease everyAssassin’s Creedfan, this may not be the way to do it, but of course, it ultimately remains to be seen.
Assassin’s Creed Miragewill be available on October 12 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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