Assassin's Creed Hexe release date and female protagonist teased

Of all the Assassin's Creed projects in the pipeline (and there are many), Assassin's Creed Hexe is the one that excites me the most.

Don't get me wrong, I'm pumped to finally explore Japan when Assassin's Creed Red launches next year, but when Ubisoft teased an Assassin's Creed game that leans into the pure horror of 16th century witch trials... well, how could you not want to play that game?

Very little is know about Assassin's Creed Hexe at this point, beyond the fact we know it'll deal with the supernatural and have "strong feminine energy". However, a hefty new Assassin's Creed report from Insider Gaming has shed light on Ubisoft's plans over the next few years, and it would appear Hexe is a little further away than you might have assumed.

In a detailed look at Ubisoft's plans for Assassin's Creed Red, Assassin's Creed Infinity, and even future remakes, Hexe wasn't really mentioned until the end, when it was suggested Ubisoft is eyeing a 2026 release window for the game. Coming just one year after Assassin's Creed Red, which we know is going to be a large open-world RPG, we could infer that Hexe will be a smaller and more contained experience, similar to last year's Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Certainly, if Ubisoft really wants to lean heavily into Assassin's Creed releases, it would make sense to alternate between larger and smaller scale games. Do we really want massive open-world RPGs every year without fail from the same publisher? We all remember what happened to the quality of Assassin's Creed last time Ubisoft tried churning 'em out.

Insider Gaming's report also teases Hexe will be the darkest Assassin's Creed game we've ever seen, and will feature a female lead protagonist currently called Elsa. Naturally, this could change during development, so stay tuned.