Assassin’s Creed Infinity has drawn a lot of attention to itself, as it has the potential to revolutionize how Ubisoft releases future Assassin’s Creed titles, turning the series into a live service. This could be quite successful, as it offers an opportunity for Ubisoft to unify the Assassin’s Creed universe. However, live service games come with their own set of problems that Ubisoft will have to carefully navigate.
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Assassin’s Creed Infinity Explained
Ubisoft announced Assassin’s Creed Infinity in 2021, revealing that it plans to do away with the usual strategy of passing “the baton from game to game.” It represents a radical change for Ubisoft in many ways, and to deal with the new project, it has formed a collaborative cross-studio structure to draw from all the talent within Ubisoft. Jason Schreier, writing for Bloomberg, reported that the game will be a massive online platform.
In later reports, Schreier has revealed that Infinity will feature many “worlds,” and that it will launch after Assassin’s Creed Rift. It is meant to compete with titles like Fortnite and GTA: Online, which have been financially lucrative over the long term. Ubisoft has not revealed too much about the project, although it has confirmed that it will not be free-to-play. The game is still in early development, according to Ubisoft, and Schreier claims that it will release in 2024 earliest.
Ubisoft Must Balance Launch Content and Continuous Support
With live services, attractive launch content is necessary to draw the maximum amount of players from day one. Promises of future content are nice, but without sufficient launch content, a game could be dead on arrival. Fortunately, it appears as though Assassin’s Creed Infinity will be starting on a good note. When addressing a rumor that the next Assassin’s Creed game will be set in the Aztecs, Schreier revealed that he had seen two of the Infinity’s “worlds” and that none of them were set in the Aztecs. It could be that one of these worlds will be Assassin’s Creed Red, which is rumored to be set in Japan. If this is the case, it could be a big boost for Infinity, especially if it is available at launch, as an Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan has been long requested by fans.
Assassin’s Creed Red will not be enough to sustain Infinity indefinitely, and new content will have to be continuously fed to keep the platform alive. The live service structure may work to Ubisoft’s advantage for Assassin’s Creed’s future, however. Rather than release new Assassin’s Creed titles on a nearly annual basis, Ubisoft could instead release new Assassin’s Creed entries infrequently on Infinity but spend more resources supporting each entry for longer periods, resulting in a better quality experience for players in the long term.
Speed of Support Is Going to Be Important for Assassin’s Creed Infinity
Assassin’s Creed is a massive franchise. Since launching in 2007, it has managed to sell over 155 million copies and has launched on multiple platforms. Though the series has had its highs and lows, its reputation as a cornerstone of open-world gaming endures, and Ezio remains one of the most iconic characters in gaming. Ubisoft recognizes the value of the franchise, as a recent report from Kotaku claimed that there are multiple Assassin’s Creed projects in development. In addition to Assassin’s Creed Infinity and Assassin’s Creed Red, there have also been reports of Assassin’s Creed Nexus, which is a VR game, and Assassin’s Creed Rift, which will be based on Basim from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
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Ubisoft is a large company with global studios, and it has confirmed that the game will be a cross-studio project. Hopefully, with a large team working on the game, Ubisoft will be able to address any technical issues and bugs that may pop up. With Infinity’s launch still years away, there is plenty of time for the developers to polish it to ensure that players have the best experience at launch.
Ubisoft has a lot on its plate, including an upcoming Avatar game, but it has not abandoned Assassin’s Creed. It appears to be treading new ground with Assassin’s Creed Infinity, and it remains to be seen whether the ambitious idea will succeed. For the project to be a hit, it needs to hit the ground running with a perfect launch, which may be difficult, though it is doable. By ensuring the game has speedy support at launch, and that there is a good balance of launch content and long-term support, Ubisoft could start a successful new chapter in Assassin’s Creed story.
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