Despite a few bits of lackluster news for Ubisoft today, there have been a few good things for Assassin’s Creed fans. It seems multiple games are in development, perhaps more so than previously reported on, and one of those is Assassin’s Creed Red with an Asian setting. This project is said to be part of the Infinity project, and while nothing is confirmed, it could be specifically set in Japan.
These recent reports seemingly indicate that Ubisoft has a lot of expectations for Assassin’s Creed in the future, but perhaps one of its most exciting projects is Assassin’s Creed Rift. First reported by Bloomberg, it is said to have previously been an Assassin’s Creed Valhalla expansion that Ubisoft is turning into a full-blown title. It is said to have a smaller scale, focus on Stealth, feature Basim, and be set in Baghdad—likely meaning it is exploring Basim's origins before Loki’s consciousness took over.
However, potentially to some fans’ dismay, it doesn’t seem everything is going swimmingly for Assassin's Creed Rift. Ubisoft reportedly decided to make the title its own game instead of an expansion to fill holes in Ubisoft’s release schedule, which makes sense given its smaller scale, but for whatever reason, sources have told Kotaku that “the game was facing new challenges despite the rush to finish it.”
Alongside the quicker turnaround time for the game, which is a questionable decision at best, it seems there are some issues cropping up. Kotaku, or more specifically its sources, didn’t add anything more than this, but it’s not the most hopeful news. Whatever it is, hopefully the development cycle can get on track and better prepare for its release.
Basim is one of the most popular characters in the Assassin’s Creed franchise as of late, thanks to his heartbreaking and intriguing storyline in Valhalla. It’s clear he’s going to have a big future, perhaps in Assasin’s Creed Infinity, but exploring the character pre-Valhalla is an enticing hook. Many fans of the classic games and even Valhalla could flock to Rift at launch, so it is perhaps even more important right now than Infinity.
It remains to be seen what comes of Rift, but perhaps fans will learn more sooner rather than later. Ubisoft has a “future of Assassin’s Creed” event planned for September, although it could be part of the Ubisoft Forward planned for then too, but either way, Infinity and/or Rift seem likely to be there.
Assassin’s Creed Rift is reportedly in development.
Source: Kotaku