Something to look forward to: Many people, this writer included, consider Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag the best entry in the long-running series. The good news for fans is that the game will likely be one of several AC remakes that are on their way, as confirmed by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.
In an interview on the Ubisoft website, Guillemot was asked about what’s in store for the future of the Assassin’s Creed series. “Firstly, players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we’ve created in the past and modernize them,” said Guillemot. “There are worlds in some of our older Assassin’s Creed games that are still extremely rich.”
The CEO added that Ubisoft’s goal is to have Assassin’s Creed games release more regularly, but not for it to be the same experience every year. Guillemot cited the recently revealed Assassin’s Creed Hexe, set during the witch trials in the Holy Roman Empire, as an example – he said it is going to be very different from the next Assassin’s Creed game, Shadows.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which arrives on November 12, is set in 16th-century Japan. It features two protagonists: Naoe, a female shinobi, and Yasuke, an African samurai inspired by the historical figure of the same name.
While Guillemot never gave any clues as to which AC games were set for remakes, 2013’s Black Flag seems like a certainty. The pirate-themed entry remains a fan favorite over ten years after launch, and Kotaku reported last year that Ubisoft Singapore was working on a remake. Many hoped Skull and Bones would recapture the magic of Black Flag, but it failed miserably in that department.
Other remakes could include the original Assassin’s Creed from 2007 and its Ezio trilogy sequels, which were released as the remastered The Ezio Collection in 2016.
Insider Gaming reports that the remakes will use the Anvil Pipeline engine, and while it isn’t new, the engine represents a huge upgrade in what Ubisoft can do when it comes to developing remakes and making changes to the original games.
Ubisoft is also set to launch a new platform called Animus hub, formerly known as Infinity, on the same day that Shadows arrives. It will allow users to launch and play Assassin’s Creed games. It might also sell the games.
