Ubisoft has delayed the release of the next Assassin's Creed game, Bloomberg reports. The title, internally known as Assassin's Creed Rift, was apparently going to launch in February 2023 — but now it's been moved to May-June 2023. In other words, it's missing out on this fiscal year.
It's a yet another story that suggests there's some kind of production problem going on behind the scenes at Ubisoft. Indeed, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was only just delayed, and then the publisher revealed that it had cancelled four other titles, including Ghost Recon Frontline.
Assassin's Creed, meanwhile, is obviously one of Ubisoft's hottest properties. The latest entry in the series, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, has made the company an absolute fortune, and is still receiving updates well into its second year on the market (with a couple of really big ones set to launch this year).
The aforementioned Assassin's Creed Rift started life as a Valhalla expansion, but was transformed into a standalone project. According to Bloomberg, Rift is "far behind schedule", which doesn't paint a great picture given that Valhalla was a bit of a mess when it first launched in 2020.
Okay, so what is Rift? Well, we've known for a while that it'll supposedly be set in the Middle East, and might star Basim, who just so happens to be a character from Valhalla. In any case, we'll no doubt hear more about the game in September, when Ubisoft will be hosting its own showcase.
What are your hopes and dreams for the next Assassin's Creed? Are you getting bad vibes from this delay, or will it turn out good in the end? Sheathe your hidden blade in the comments section below.
[source bloomberg.com]
Comments 63
Hey remember that time Ubi said, "Let's take some time off to work on the next entry," and we got Origins?? Valhalla is obscenely large. They can take all the time they need to work on the next entry.
While it’s not exactly that simple, it’s hard not to think that it would be ready if they hadn’t spent several years releasing DLC for Valhalla.
Wow! If this is true.... This truely marks the down fall of Ubisoft. They definitely won't be the same studio I grew up with by the end of the generation.
I'd rather they take as much time as possible and at least try and make the game playable day 1..i was very late to the valhalla party but i'm glad i held off because i got it stupidly cheap (ps5) and it was in a much,much better condition than launch day..also i'm nowhere near finishing it mainly because i started origins again and now i have black flag and rogue to contend with...
If they little settle down and consider that massive but barren world is nonsense, they could focus on story and make AC series great again (sorry Pushsquare, but Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla is total crap, no matter how much you praise this gaming tragedy).
But, as always, they should announce product right before it is ready to go.
I hope we go back to big city games again and turn it into a parkour playground again. Have the option of having multiple ways of doing stealth kills and scounting for the perfect plan. If they want to go into a big open world then that's fine going from city to city but I'd like to see the cities to be like the older games.
I'm not getting bad vibes from the delay, just think that covid might have affected the developments going forward. Just hope it didn't go back to the drawing board or I'd be concerned then. They can take as much time as they need as I'm still playing Valhalla. Haven't finished the story yet. Been on and off it since 2020. And then I'll have the expansions to do also. So I don't want to see a new game too soon or I'd be burned out
Yikes this has been a rough week for gaming news hasn't it? Ubi canceling games. Atlus being Atlus. Naughty Dog trying to be like Atlus. Now AC Rift is delayed and possibly in bad shape? Here's hoping we have better news next week!
Good. Valhalla was a chore. Lifeless environments and one-note combat. A step backwards from Odyssey. Come up with something new.
Wasn't the next game supposed to be some big ongoing service platform them with essentially content packs? Maybe they ran into technical issues with that plan, or for business reasons (and the success of Valhalla) decided that's not the approach they want to take anymore and have to retool some things.
It looks bad for Ubi's stability right now with this and the cancellations, but at the same time, rarely were players ever disappointed by the result of a studio saying they're delaying things a lot because they need a lot more time to make it good. Well, except Skull and Bones..... But financially an AC delay has got to hurt badly.
@Teddie-bear They had such a good concept with the high-profile/low-profile mechanic in the original game, and they never really made further use of that. I'd really love to see that mechanic meaningfully brought back to the franchise. It never got fully used for what it could be used for.
@djlard Why are those three total crap? They're competently made with some nice looking areas. They're not my favorite and I don't think they're above criticism but they're far from total crap the way something like Balan Wonderworld is. They're perfectly fine games, even above average in a couple aspects.
AC Rift was a Valhalla expansion? Well that gives me more of a reason to not be buying AC games and especially this one.
@djlard Yep, I'm back to playing AC Unity :/
Ubisoft games can take all the delays they can get, a lot of people haven't played half the billion games they release in a year. I'm looking to get around to buying Origins, Valhalla etc, not even done with my Odyssey 2nd run let alone a renegade 3rd run...so like...slow down!
Maybe they went back to the drawing board after Ghost of Tsushima ate their lunch. I’ve loved the last 3 AC games, but I’d really like to see a lot more stealth options. I think a shorter, linear game with a deep story and stealth focus would be awesome
Lmao Ubisoft's NPC politically correct butt trying to make a game in the middle east? Should be hilariously interesting
@AverageGamer
By the end of the gen...?
They haven't been the company you grew up with for a looong time.
@BoldAndBrash I grew up with Assassin's Creed Era Ubisoft basically Ubisoft from Assassin's Creed 3 to now. I unfortunately never got to experience the golden Era Ubi.
@NEStalgia Me too! Loved that! Used to see it as the stealthy Prince of Persia back then. Loved blending into crowds with the slow movement. Needs to make a comeback
AC2 Bortherhood also had a great idea with the assassin's recruits so I'd like to see that again too and maybe add actual training to it. Take some notes from Watch Dogs and let us go out and find suitable assassin's with different skills to recruit
I know that these games sometimes get a bad rep, but I really enjoyed Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla, and went through the DLC (I do not go through every question mark in the map, tough). I did play Valhalla at launch on my Series X (there wasn't much else there) and didn't have much issues, other than the annoying screen tearing.
Hope Rift or whatever the next game is called turn out to be a good game.
I love ubisoft games but maybe they have learned that they cannot launch multiple open world games so close to each other. Remember we had valhala, fenyx and wd legion nearly all at the same time, and fenyx was then overlooked and is probably the best of the three. Plus because all their games are open world including the crew so you find yourselves skimming through or skipping games.
@Teddie-bear AC1 actually began life intended as a Prince of Persia game, so the design similarity isn't coincidental But yeah, that whole gameplay design/loop of the first one of blending in, the whole city district being designed around the infiltration/hit, the high/low profile actions, was such a rich gameplay design. As much as I loved II, I always felt like so much opportunity was missed from the omission of a lot of systems and design ideas from 1. Especially at the time "stealth doesn't sell, action does" was prominent industry thinking, so I'm sure that played a big role in the changes, although 2 remained reasonably stealthy, and Syndicate brought back stealth as a focus after 3 forgot it entirely.
The recruits system in Watch Dogs definitely has potential, you're right. As implemented it's pretty dire in W_D3, but they could definitely use that and expand on it for sure!
When has that ever stopped ubisoft putting a game out….a million patches later it’s half playable.
is "far behind schedule"
If it is that far behind, I doubt 3 months is going to complete it.
Origins got me interested in the series again, I had little interest in Odyssey and have stopped playing it for the far better collectathon that is Lego Skywalker Saga.
I've had no interest in touching Valhalla and this doesn't sound promising either.
Assassin's creed is not assassin's creed anymore it has turned into a standard open world hack and slash. If they can bring back what made the series so impressive I will be amazed.
the golden age is from ac1- ac rogue. The series was one of the best gaming franchises but since then it has lost its soul for me and the only ac I actually beat on ps4 was ac origins.
I have had a love/hate relationship with Assassins Creed. I liked AC1, in spite of its limitations. AC 2, Brotherhood and Revelations, though superior to AC1 on a technical level, just didn’t appeal to me as much. I lost interest in the series during AC3. I didn’t play Black Flag until some time after its release, but it quickly became my favourite. I didn’t like Rogue at the time, but in the years since, I have grown to appreciate it. By the time that I got around to Unity, it was in a playable condition. Syndicate, like Black Flag, quickly became one of my favourite AC games. Origins, I never finished. I didn’t like the forced gear score, and I guess I lost interest. I haven’t played Odyssey or Valhalla.
@nessisonett Several years? It hasn't even been out 2 years.
It truly doesn't surprise me with all the content and bug fixes that Valhalla has received.....It truly was the most bugged game I have ever played. I Could not get the platinum until a quest bug was fixed....Infuriating!
Since the next game will be always online, I very seriously doubt I will get it.
That's why I don't get hyped or excited for ANY project until at least it's certain to release at the time they say. Until then, there is too much that can go wrong and delay workforces all around the globe right now
So I am only looking forward to things I 'expect' to release in the next 6 months or so. Games beyond that - whether its from Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Bethesda, Ninja Theory, Ubisoft, EA, WB etc, I'll play the games I want, when I'm ready and they are available. Until then, they are just 'projects of interest' at most, not yet a Game because that is the 'released' state!! Proof that your efforts on the 'Project' were worth it or what needs improving!
I'm sure that the time frame they were hoping to release will definitely still have games releasing to play. Every month new games release, so if I'm not able to play AC:Rift when they initially thought I could, I won't be short of alternatives to play that month!!!
Games will come when they do - I'd rather they released as a 'Game' and not a 'work in project' but that depends on the Publisher and 'pressure' to get releases out to make shareholders happy or not as a good Publisher will release a 'game' as it benefits them and their reputation too...
Yeah... they can take all the time they need. I'm still somewhere in the middle of Valhalla on my second break from it.
It could have been released by now if they didn’t insist on making the new AC games ridiculously huge, 500-hour, soulless, snoozefests.
I can wait. Unlike many (it seems), I really enjoyed Valhalla and thought it was a return to form of sorts for the series. Granted, I only sank 60 hours into it rather than the 500 many people have, but I was pretty happy with it, and I’m contently looking forward to what the next one will be. I hope it’s a return to AC2 style, but I’m at least interested, which isn’t something I would’ve said about Valhalla… if it wasn’t one of the few games available at launch for PS5.
It will be meh and MTX filled so I don't mind
Just kill the series. Horrible game
@phillyjeff alright shut it down phillyjeff doesn't like it so i guess we gotta listen to him and only make games 1 guy likes
Funny how many people here pay and play games they hate.
Do you do the same with food and other stuff? Weird..
Is this the one that's supposed to be more akin to the older games ? Maybe it takes longer because it won't be a copy paste open world
@bozz If you are making sandbox, you should put bag of sand into box, not just a few grains...
I'd rather they take their sweet time, a rushed game will never be as great as a polished game.
I guess Ukrainian branch was heavily involved in development.
And you all know the situation in Ukraine.
@djlard finally someone who agrees, those games garbage and also way too bloated
@Arisen Unity was the last real one. Ac1 - rogue + Unity
@theMEGAniggle Nope, Syndicate was last AC. Yes, "present story" was almost totally cut off, but the style and mechanics were pure Assassin.
@djlard no as in Unity was the last good one, syndicate really sucked.
Hate most things about it, especially how it bloated the experience badly with the gang regions and clearing them.
@theMEGAniggle It was the same as "tower defense" in ?Revelations?
Syndicate was quite fun with those Investigation missions. And that style reminded me good old II or Brotherhood...
Only that "present story" that makes AC series what it is, is buried to the ground... shame.
how can something not announced yet be delayed when there was no announcement for the game with no release date?
@djlard true, maybe I need to replay it but I hated it so much.
Yeah but also for me it kind of continued and accelerated the trend of stripping AC of what makes it AC
@theMEGAniggle For me worst from classic ACs was III and Unity. III because of first glimpse of annoyingly looooong traveling, and Unity because of huge amount of fightings (but that is personal)
@djlard you don’t like the combat in Unity 😂? To be fair it was quite repetitive and simplified.
I played Liberation on my Vita before I played III so I think it made me appreciate III a lot more. But without a doubt the worst AC’s for me are each of the entries in the new trilogy
@theMEGAniggle Of course Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla is another level of boredom, that is why I wrote "classic AC" because these new games have from Assassin's Creed only title.
Yes, Unity had a lot of repetitive combats, a lots, A LOTS... and personally I don't like french revolution era.
@djlard whats your issue with that era? And do you think they'll ever revert back to what an AC game used to be? I feel like now its their cash cow they'll be safe with it and remain using it as a showcase for their clunky ass movement and combat paired with barren but beautiful world building. Look how Far Cry has been almost the same since 2013 (FC3, FC4, FC Primal, FC5, FC ND, FC 6), that's 6 titles that were the same.
@theMEGAniggle I don't know, maybe those clown costumes they wear... I simply don't like french revolition era at all...
I think AC will ever get back on track, because they just don't care. Valhalla was last I bought if this non-assassin trend persist.
And if you say beautiful world, if you look closer, it is still copy-paste "dead" world as in any other game as virtual world will always be.
@djlard thats funny as hell 😂😂
You can't tell me the worlds of Egypt and Greece weren't beautiful, though yes very useless, empty, dead and barren. Oh well. I want to see what Sucker Punch do next with their Open World games.
@theMEGAniggle Egypt... Ancient Egypt with pyramids already aged (weathered and broken stones...) and everything half buried in sand... c'mon they cannot be serious... And Greece reminded me AC IV - neverending sailing... yes both have been pretty, thats all.
I've made it to the point, where I'm not interested in Open Worlds anymore. I want my story to be like book. Read it page by page from beginning to end, not jumping between chapters like crazy to have one big mess in the end. ... that's why it sucks Blizzard announced Diablo 4 as open world... They really don't know how to screw it more and more...
@djlard I'm with you there, we need more linear games. It was cool when we hadn't seen big worlds but now we've seen enormous worlds and time and time again its boring and empty.
I think the genre has peaked, until the next GTA I suppose.
@theMEGAniggle I... really don't like that companies are moving "same wave".
There is successful Hades - c'mon let all hack and slash games be rouge-lite!
There is successful Witcher - c'mon let all RPGs be open world !
There is successful Fortnite - c'mon let all MPs be battle royale !
no holding on great roots, no respect towards series, no invention. Just copy/paste, just go with the flow (even if destroying what was good)
@djlard perfectly said.
Think this era of constant feed of information is causing this. No one is keeping their laurels, it’s just chop and change and trend here trend there because everyone is so vocal, easily bored and all have low attention spans.
@theMEGAniggle That is why is era of remasters now. Milk the old cow again, because they are just lazy or untalented to bring solid sequel or something new. By half it is because of it's harder and harder to miss someone's intelectual property and the other half is they are so addicted to numbers so they fear to the bottom of heart that it won't sell as expected... For example, I didn't play solid original space action singleplayer game till Unreal 2 (ok put aside Mass Effect, because it is more adventure than action). Everything must be Star Wars or multiplayer...
One must swim in a river of copypastes and lurk for something good...
That's why people cry for backwards compatibility, because there is no another Castlevania, Prince of Persia or Silent Hill.
@djlard They are very talented. I think exec pressure is too much these days. Also, consumer choices are just plain stupid. You have the dad that knows nothing about gaming and spends £100 on Fifa Points for their child. You have the person trying to unlock cool outfits and spending £50 on Ubisoft Helix points. These companies see it as a positive reaction to designing their games that way. Trends don't lie, boom you have 25 games that are being developed to basically take advantage of these trends.
This industry is really like a mirror. When something successful releases, you'll have 10 clones of it. Its happened in the past and it will definitely happen now. Just got to hope those bold and different games don't die out.
@theMEGAniggle Yes, stupid parents who let themselves get robbed by paying thousands for digital trash, grinds my wheels... and because of stupid people "supporting" these thieverives we are where we are. No wander we get crappy games, there is always someone who buys it and than whine it is crap.
@djlard exactly. However, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we are the very loud minority. Most people just don't care about these things. They have money and are going to spend it. As a result, the passionate fans are largely looked over and that's just how it is. Thats why we praise CDPR, MS, SP, Insomniac when they do things largely against the norm. And Sony just act like they turn their nose up in the air at gamers when they're doing well. Which is why the vocal minority are rightly shi**ing on them right now
@theMEGAniggle It is Quiotte's war against Windmills. People must find it out themselves that they are robbed... Or we need another Atari's E.T. Extraterrestrial. 🤣
@djlard real talk!
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