Following a recent big shake-up in the leadership of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Ubisoft has now laid out its plans for the series, including teases of future games, an update on the Netflix show, and the first reveal of the previously reported Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag remake.
On March 4, Ubisoft posted a new blog all about the future of Assassin’s Creed. The big reveal in the blog, buried deep in text, is Ubisoft finally confirming what Kotaku had previously reported: The Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag remake is real. Ubisoft simply shared a piece of concept art (see above) with a new logo in the corner and the remake’s title: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. (That name slipped out last year via a ratings leak.)
“Speculation around Assassin’s Creed is not new, but it’s worth repeating: ‘Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.‘ Well, except in this case, some whispers have a little more wind in their sails. Keep your spyglass on the horizon,” posted the brand’s head of content, Jean Guesdon, above the new concept art. Based on past reports, this new remake will likely make some big changes, which might not be what fans want. We’ll have to wait to learn more, but it’s nice that Ubisoft has finally confirmed it is real, more or less.
Ubisoft reveals more about next Assassin’s Creed game, Codename Hexe
Elsewhere in the new blog, Ubisoft talked about two other previously announced Assassin’s Creed games that we’ve not heard much about in a while. First up, the Rainbow Six publisher shared more details about Codename Hexe, thought to be the next main entry in the series. Reportedly, it is set during the witch trials that happened in the Holy Roman Empire.
According to Guesdon, the game is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the studio that helped create the franchise and has developed some of its best entries. He also addressed the news that he is taking over the project as creative director, but didn’t share any other details about longtime Ubisoft developer Clint Hocking leaving Codename Hexe last month. In fact, the blog doesn’t even thank Hocking for his work on Hexe and other Ubisoft titles.
We work in the dark…
That's all we can say for now about Assassin’s Creed Codename HEXE.#AssassinsCreed pic.twitter.com/01YM9uXtr8
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) September 10, 2022
“We are taking the time to deliver on its ambitious vision, which means we’ll be quiet for a little longer,” said Guesdon. “But we love seeing all the enthusiasm happening on our channels and can’t wait to unveil more when the time is right.” Hexe was one of several projects announced in 2022 by Ubisoft.
The Assassin’s Creed boss also shared some new details about Codename Invictus, the upcoming PVP multiplayer Assassin’s Creed spin-off first reported back in 2022 by Axios. He confirmed the game is being developed by a “dedicated team of For Honor veterans at Ubisoft Montreal” and explained that the game is taking a “new approach” to Assassin’s Creed multiplayer. So don’t expect something that plays like Brotherhood’s online mode.
“We understand there’s a lot of curiosity around this project: yes, it’s a new approach to multiplayer in the franchise, but it isn’t quite what the rumors have suggested,” said Guesdon. “With player feedback at the heart of our approach, we’re exploring ways to bring the community in earlier so we can shape the experience together. The team is incredibly passionate about what they’re building, and their work reflects our broader goal of offering a wider variety of experiences within the Assassin’s Creed universe.”
Project Jade update and the future of Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Project Jade, another previously announced Assassin’s Creed game from 2022 that we’ve not heard much about, got a small update in the Wednesday blog. A very small update. Basically, Ubisoft wants everyone to know that the mobile-only spin-off is still in development. The game, which is set in the third century in China, was planned to launch in 2023. That didn’t happen.
More interesting is the Assassin’s Creed boss talking about co-op returning to the franchise.
“We’re also looking into bringing co‑op back to Assassin’s Creed — a detail we know didn’t go unnoticed,” said Guesdon. “And while we recently chose to pivot away from an early project, the lessons from that work are already helping shape our approach going forward.”
This seems to be Ubisoft acknowledging previous reports that an Assassin’s Creed Shadows co-op mode was apparently scrapped last month as part of the company’s larger reset that happened in the wake of its massive Tencent bailout. This lines up with another part of the blog that confirms support for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which was released to rave reviews last year, is winding down.
Assassin’s Creed on Netflix and a 60FPS patch for Unity
Ubisoft teased that fans waiting for the long-in-development live-action Assassin’s Creed series planned for Netflix won’t have to wait much longer to see more.
“Yes, it’s been long in the making, but Assassin’s Creed is taking the leap to a live-action series! You may have seen news about the cast lately, and we can’t wait for you to discover more. Something tells us you won’t have to wait very long,” said the franchise’s boss in the blog.
Lastly, Ubisoft confirmed that a 60FPS patch for Assassin’s Creed Unity is coming to Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. The update will go live tomorrow and is part of Ubisoft’s ongoing commitment to update and maintain its older titles. And to its credit, Ubisoft has done a great job, maybe better than any other modern game maker, in updating older games to take advantage of newer hardware. More of that, please!
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