Assassins Creed Infinity and You: A Brave Step Forward

After what feels like months upon months of theory-crafting and skeevy discussions via Internet chatrooms, we finally have a good sense of the Assassin's Creed Infinity development, and of what the game truly is. And, in hindsight, it makes perfect sense for a franchise as wide and sprawling as this one. Short of Call of Duty, few others ever reached such heights as AC has, and it was only a matter of time until Ubisoft came up with an upcoming Assassin's Creed hub of some sort to hold together all the Assassin's Creed games.

While we do know a huge amount more following this year's Ubisoft Forward than we did before, there's lots of confusion about it. What is the Assassin's Creed game Infinity, exactly? What are HEXE, RED, and JADE? Where does Assasin's Creed Mirage come into the picture? Which of these games should you actually give a hoot about? Lots of questions!

If you're even remotely interested in the Assassin's Creed franchise, there are big changes afoot. And, having seen what Ubisoft has in store for us, this could very well end up being phenomenal in the long run when we consider future Assassin's Creed games. But, let us explain!

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What Does Assassins Creed Infinity Mean for the IP?

Infinity is something truly new for the Assassin's Creed franchise. It's only natural for such a long-lasting franchise to become eclectic as time goes on, but it goes without saying that there needs to be a unifying element of some sort present, too. Infinity is supposed to exactly just that - the connective tissue that brings all of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed games together. At least, in theory.

"Infinity is not a game, per-se," said Marc-Alexis Côté, the vice president executive producer of Assassin's Creed in his recent interview with IGN. "It’s going to be the single entry point for our fans into the Assassin’s Creed franchise into the future."

Côté's claims are, basically, what one would use to describe a dedicated game launcher. Could it be that Ubisoft is preparing a special UPlay/Ubisoft Connect client for Assassin's Creed only?  It's certainly not impossible, though it is kind of unprecedented. We do know for a fact that the Assassin's Creed game Infinity is a kinda-sorta AC hub - one that will seemingly house the series' modern-day stories.

Côté explained that Infinity is going to kick off a so-called Period 3 of AC, wherein most new Assassin's Creed games won't actually feature much (or any!) of the previously ubiquitous meta-narrative elements. Instead, the application/launcher itself - AC: Infinity - will be the users' Animus of sorts. Allowing them to make a Leap of Faith into any game or protagonist they want to play as. "It is your DNA Explorer on your desktop," Côté concluded. "You are the main story character."

Assassin's Creed Mirage

Let's start with the most concrete upcoming AC title so far - Mirage. Quite simply, Mirage will be Ubisoft's first proper foray into action-adventure gaming since Unity. Unlike its immediate predecessors, Mirage is going to be a smaller, more contained and - presumably - linear experience overall. It's bound to launch sometime in 2023, too. This means we won't need to wait long to see if Ubisoft still has what it takes in this genre.

Featuring Basim from Valhalla during his early years, this game is going to be set in 9th century Baghdad. Old fans may recognize this as a bit of a return to form. And, really, the odds of the setting being accidental are slim, to say the least.

We're hopeful that Mirage retains the RPG titles' stealth nuances, however. After Ezio's adventures in AC2, stealth was made less and less relevant until the release of Unity. And that particular format didn't end up panning out in the long run. For all their flaws, AC RPGs do handle stealth reasonably well, and over-leveled foes make it mandatory in certain cases.

Assassin's Creed RED

Codename RED is, at long last, a full-fledged Assassin's Creed set in Japan. Indeed - it's finally happening. Unlike Mirage, Codename RED - which isn't likely to be the final title - will be a proper AC RPG. Expect a huge, sprawling overworld, heaps of side-quests, and an improbably substantial playtime investment before the game is all said and done. That, however, is part of the charm. These games do sell remarkably well, after all.

The most important feature here, however, is the setting. Players have been asking for a shinobi or ninja-oriented AC ever since the franchise was first envisioned. It almost feels unreal to finally see the game in practice, truth be told.

Whatever the case may be, information about RED is still rather slim. We do know that it's going to be the flagship Assassin's Creed to launch Inifinity, however. Up until then, the series will remain in a bit of disarray, from what's been shown.

Assassin's Creed HEXE

The working theory about AC Codename HEXE is that it's possibly set during the 1600s' Bamberg witch trials, judging by what precious little has already been shown. This game is pretty far out at this time, and it's unlikely to get much news until RED launches beforehand. Odds are that this, too, will be a full-fledged RPG, but that's yet to be confirmed.

What's interesting about HEXE, however, is who's making it. This game is being developed at Ubisoft Montreal by Clint Hocking, the director of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Far Cry 2, and Watch Dogs: Legion. An erratic mix of productions that has the potential to deliver something truly monumental. On that, though, we'll be waiting for a good long while still.

Assassin's Creed JADE

The final major reveal at this year's Ubisoft Forward was - believe it or not - a mobile game. But wait! It doesn't seem to be that kind of mobile game. Whereas previous mobile AC outings have been rather hit-or-miss, JADE is supposed to be a proper open-world RPG set in 215 BC China. A fascinating premise, right?

What's particularly important is that this isn't supposed to be a side experience. Instead, Ubisoft claims that they're attempting to port a fully capable, customizable, and engaging AC RPG to mobile phones. Players will be able to create their own custom characters, and it seems like this will be a premium-type experience, broadly speaking. Meaning that it might not be a free-to-play microtransaction bonanza. No word yet on any launch days, we're sorry to report.

To Infinity and Beyond

A lot has happened with the Assassin's Creed franchise ever since its inception back in 2007. As fun as the RPG trilogy may be in its own right, it's easy to see why some don't really consider Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla to be true AC titles. Thankfully, Ubisoft recognizes this notion, too, and everything points to there being big changes afoot in how the franchise is handled for future Assassin's Creed games.

Not only is Mirage looking like a true return to form, but we may also be getting a remake of the first AC in the near future! How's that for exciting news? On top of that, RPGs are not being left in the dust. The upcoming - and very eagerly awaited - Assassin's Creed Red is going to be an RPG like, say, Valhalla. The obvious implication, though, is that even the RPGs are being changed around.

Whatever the case may be, interesting changes are afoot. We still have plenty of questions, of course. Can Ubisoft handle multiple Assassin's Creed games all at once, for example? Will action-adventure Assassin's Creed games still feel in line with RPG Assassin's Creed games? How much diversification should we expect?

Answers aren't likely to drop in all that soon. Once they do, though, we'll be all over them!

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