Featured Image Credit: Ubisoft
Topics: Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft, Opinion
Ubisoft hasn’t exactly been considered a darling for a good long while. Between accusations of internal toxicity and a slating of the company’s repetitive open-world formula, it’s been a tricky few years to navigate.
That’s not to say that Ubisoft hasn’t produced some bangers. I personally think that Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows are, for the most part, all excellent games.
That being said, Shadows brought a fresh wave of controversy, and this is all against a backdrop of years of layoffs and cancellations.
In fact, Ubisoft has been through so many waves of layoffs that outlining them all would be no small undertaking.
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More are on the way. Ubisoft has just announced the cancellation of six games with seven more delayed to boost their quality.
This will be accompanied by layoffs to be announced on 12 February with all remaining staff reportedly being asked to return to offices full-time.
Of course, I want to highlight how upsetting this is for the creative individuals affected. Developers are the lifeblood of this industry.
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Naturally though, many will be wondering what this means for Ubisoft’s upcoming output.
The Prince of Persia Remake is one of the confirmed cancelled games. It’s wild to me that after all of these years, Ubisoft hasn’t been able to successfully remake its own game.
The cancellation of a mobile game has left us wondering whether Assassin’s Creed Jade has been thrown on the scrap heap following almost three years of silence after its beta test.
Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced has survived the cull, although insiders say a March release date has been scrapped with the remake potentially delayed by up to a year.
It’s perhaps sensible then to assume that Assassin’s Creed Hexe has also been delayed, but that could be a good thing for this highly anticipated release.
As I said earlier, I’ve been pretty impressed with the franchise’s output in recent years, but it hasn’t exactly boasted that crowd-pleasing banger that reaches the dizzying heights of yesteryear.
Personally, I’ve had a feeling for quite some time that Hexe could be that game, mainly due to just how unique it reportedly is.
The game is supposedly set within the 1600s during the witch trials that blazed across Europe.
Rumours claim that the title will feature a female protagonist by the name of Elsa with Ezio Auditore’s sister, Claudia, also rumoured to appear.
Teased as being one of the ‘darkest’ Assassin’s Creed entries to date, tonally, this feels quite special.
It’s hard to see the light in all of these cancellations, but perhaps now Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be given the time and resources it requires to be something truly special.
After all, Ubisoft probably is better off repairing its relationship with the fans by focusing on stronger but fewer releases.