Since it burst onto the scene with its bold, open-world premise back in 2007, Assassin’s Creed has undeniably positioned itself as a cornerstone of the gaming industry. With thirteen different iterations to date across a multitude of individual platforms, it’s a wonder you aren’t able to play it on your refrigerator yet. In saying that, it’s a franchise that shows no signs of slowing down, after Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed to Kotaku that three games are in active development.
“We are making sure the teams who are creating the different iterations have enough time—two years, three years, so that they can take risk and they can change the concept enough so that it can be appealing and fresh.”
Given how the Assassin’s Creed IP has morphed into an annualised franchise, it would be safe to assume that Guillemot is referring to a fifth and sixth iteration following Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, which will swagger into retail stores this October for North America. However, he may be referring to a potential follow up to Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation – which shipped over 600,000 units on the struggling Playstation Vita – or, perhaps more likely, a sequel to Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. How come Ubisoft are so talented at multi-tasking, you ask? Well, with a multi-studio process at the crux of the company, the developer has the ability to juggle different projects simultaneously which, for Guillemot, is an ideology he fully supports:
“Really, what we see is that we can have the capacity to regularly come with innovation. That is, for me, the formula: if you can really change the game on a regular basis and bring in innovation your fans want a product very regularly. Our job is to make sure the teams have enough power, enough energy and enough time to take the necessary steps to create a high quality game.”
Producing an Assassin’s Creed game regularly is one thing, but getting fans of the series to invest time and money into a property which, in truth, is beginning to risk overexposure? It’s a little early to weigh up Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag in terms of critique, but, with 50 unique locations, the game represents the studio’s most ambitious title from the bloodline yet. We’ll just have to bid our time to see what platforms, and indeed timelines, these unannounced games will inhabit.
What do you make of the news? Are you beginning to experience symptoms of franchise fatigue for Assassin’s Creed or are you excited about the possible eras in which the series could explore in the future? Let us know below.
