TheAssassin’s Creedfranchise is clearly not afraid to add variety to its key frameworks and formulas in the name of staving off tedium within its loyal player base. As well as the recent installments to the franchise adopting more RPG-like elements, the upcoming additions to the long-standing IP appear to offer their own comparatively unique experiences.
WithRift,Nexus,andInfinityall being slated to release under theAssassin’s Creedmoniker as the next steps in the franchise’s trajectory, it can be difficult to keep up with the rumors and details. Further, each of the upcoming games is rumored to provide a wholly unique experience, so determining the differences between the titles can be the source of further confusion.
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Assassin’s Creed Rift
Assassin’s Creed Riftis the working title for an upcoming installment within the franchise that is rumored to be a smaller-scale and narratively focused game that will provide an experience more akin to classicAssassin’s Creedtitles. It is strongly rumored thatRiftwill see Basim Ibn Ishaq as its protagonist, who was a character that featured frequently withinAssassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Riftwas originally intended to be a part ofValhalla’spost-launch DLC, however it has clearly grown in scale to the point where Ubisoft believes that it warrants its own standalone release. The game will reportedly be set primarily within the Middle East, most likely before the events ofAssassin’s CreedValhalla. With the Iraqi capital of Baghdad being the primary rumored setting, many have noted the potential links between the upcomingRiftand the originalAssassin’s Creed,both physically and, to a lesser extent, temporally.
With Basim being an influential part of theHidden Ones, the precursor group to the Assassin Brotherhood, the game could provide untold lore as to the specifics of the tumultuous transition between the two factions. WithinRift,fans should expect a smaller-scale and more intimate gameplay experience, lacking the bells and whistles of the extensive recent mainline releases but possessing the classicAssassin’s Creedcharm and narrative drive.Assassin’s Creed Riftis currently rumored to release sometime toward the end of 2022.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus
Another largely-rumored upcoming addition toAssassin’s Creedis that ofNexus. Being the subject of several recent leaks,Assassin’s Creed Nexuswill reportedly be a large-scale virtual realitytitle set within theAssassin’s Creeduniverse.
Obviously adopting a first-person perspective,Nexuswill reportedly allow players to embody several of the franchise’s most iconic and lethal assassins, such asEzio Auditore. According to the leaks, the game will very much maintain the core elements ofAssassin’s Creedgameplay, with combat, stealth, and parkour being vital aspects ofNexusgameplay. Sound-based detection gauges are supposedly a major facet ofNexusstealth gameplay, with the iconic hidden blade also taking the lead in combat.
Supposedly containing 12 individual missions, most likely spanning different eras and assassins, it can be inferred thatNexuswill not possess the expansiveopen world formulas that Ubisoft has become synonymous with. Providing a more linear experience instead, many will likely agree that this would ultimately be a better choice in providing curated gameplay befitting of virtual reality hardware. While the leaks also report thatAssassin’s Creed Nexusis set to release within the next 12 months, the information must be taken at face value and is of course subject to change due to its unofficial nature. Regardless, it would be fascinating to see how the classicAssassin’s Creedformula can translate to the medium of virtual reality.
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Assassin’s Creed Infinity
Yet again being a title that was brought into the public eye via leaks,Assassin’s Creed Infinityis rumored to be by far the most expansive of the aforementioned titles.Infinityis reportedly going to be a massive-scale live serviceAssassin’s Creedtitle, massively changing what fans know of theAssassin’s Creedformula and life cycle.
To gain an insight as to just how large of a working titleAssassin’s Creed Infinitycurrently is, leaks and rumors suggest that the game is not likely to release for another two or three years at least due to its sheer scale. The main allure ofInfinityseemingly lies in the longevity that it will supposedly hold. Containing a huge array of settings, it appears thatAssassin’s CreedInfinitywill have a slew of potential storylinesand expansions that can seemingly be implemented to the game indefinitely after its launch.
Being a live service game, fans can expect to see content periodically added toAssassin’s Creed Infinityfor a long time following its release, with Ubisoft higher-ups Christophe Derennes and Nathalie Bouchard notingInfinity’saim to end the process of “[passing] the baton from game to game.” With rumors thatInfinitymay even see remakes of classicACgameswithin it, it is clear that this upcoming title is set to stay around for a long time upon its eventual release.
While manyfans are worried aboutAssassin’s Creed Infinitedue tothe current uncertainty surrounding the future of Ubisoft and the widerAssassin’s Creedfranchise, solace can definitely be found in the studios that have been officially confirmed to be in charge ofInfinite’sdevelopment.Assassin’s Creed Infinitewill receive a “collaborative, cross-studio structure” between both Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Quebec in regard to its continuous live development. Keen fans of the franchise will know that both Montreal and Quebec are veteran studios within thedevelopment history ofAssassin’s Creed, working extensively on many of the game’s now iconic classic titles. In what is clearly a bold move, Ubisoft could change the face ofAssassin’s Creedforever with this new title.
