The Assassin's Creed Storyline Is Changing Forever
Ubisoft revealed that "Assassin's Creed" is shifting to a new era starting with the "Assassin's Creed" "Infinity" hub and "Codename Red." It's unclear how this game, which will release after "Assassin's Creed Mirage," will differ from the series' latest RPGs, but it's supposed to set a new tone that's more beginner-friendly to newcomers.
"I wanted [Infinity] to perfectly be a good entry point [to the series]," Marc-Alexis Côté, VP Executive Producer of "Assassin's Creed," said at a press conference ahead of Ubisoft Forward (via IGN). "And that's where extracting the meta story from our games and making it live at the platform level is an important change for the franchise."
"Assassin's Creed" has been divided into three distinct eras. Period 1 starts from the first game up until "Assassin's Creed Syndicate," which all leaned closer to the action-adventure stealth genre that the series became famous for. Then, "Assassin's Creed" switched to Period 2, the RPG era that includes "Assassin's Creed Origins," "Assassin's Creed Odyssey," and the latest "Assassin's Creed Valhalla." "Assassin's Creed Mirage," the most recently announced title coming in 2023, will reportedly be the last game for Period 2. According to IGN, "Assassin's Creed Codename Red" will be the first in Period 3.
Here's what more you should know about the "Assassin's Creed" series' shifting storyline.
Modernizing Assassin's Creed with the Infinity Hub
So what about "Assassin's Creed Infinity?" In a discussion about the "Assassin's Creed's future, Côté explained that "Infinity" it isn't actually a game but a "hub." As per IGN, its "story" will take place in a modern-day setting separate from the typical historical backdrops and let players experience the "Assassin's Creed" meta storyline outside of a true mainline game, continuing the overarching storyline from previous titles. It also features a playable character like Desmond or Layla from past "Assassin's Creed" titles.
Côté didn't comment on how exactly the team would achieve the "Infinity" experience, just that it would enable players to experience the "Assassin's Creed" world more broadly with it. Previously, the contemporary storyline of "Assassin's Creed" was told right alongside the story unfolding in Animus, but now that story will be a separate experience that players can choose to enjoy or bypass entirely. Some characters, like Basim, the star of the upcoming "Assassin's Creed Mirage," have made the jump from the memories inside the Animus to the "real world." To understand characters like Basim, players would need to investigate the story in both mainline games and "Infinity." It's all a bit of an experiment that the team is still fine tuning.
"The way we tell the story will evolve with time," Côté told IGN. "But the abstraction that we want people to have is [Infinity] is your Animus. It is your DNA Explorer on your desktop. You are the main story character."
What is Infinity and how will it work?
An exclusive look at "Infinity" from IGN highlighted that it will bring together a wide variety of "Assassin's Creed" content, both full games and smaller experiences. It's unclear what the platform will look like, but it won't be mandatory for those wanting to experience "Assassin's Creed" games. Côté explained that players can purchase full-length "Assassin's Creed" games separately, just as they've always been able to, but that gamers will be prompted to enter "Infinity" upon booting up. "Infinity," then, is the glue that holds both the contemporary "Assassin's Creed" storyline and the memories players can explore in Animus. While players will have to purchase full length "Assassin's Creed" games — like the upcoming game set in Japan — to enjoy them, they'll also be able to enjoy shorter, free experiences in "Infinity." Additionally, players will be able to see new "Assassin's Creed" releases as "memories" that they can choose to explore (after purchase). In that way, "Infinity" will serve as a source of "Assassin's Creed" news in addition to a connecting hub, as players can see other games as they release.
Côté told IGN that "Infinity" will allow the "Assassin's Creed" franchise to diversify its offerings. "Not everything has to be a 150 hour RPG, right? To bring more diversity to the places we choose to visit and to how we choose to represent those periods," he explained. Côté also hinted that "Codename Hexe" will be a different type of experience than fans have seen before.
There isn't a set date for when to expect "Assassin's Creed Infinity" or Codename Red. Heck, there isn't even an exact date for "Assassin's Creed Mirage." Expect to hear more about these projects through 2023 and beyond.