Assassin’s Creed Riftis the next entry in the franchise, if recent reports are to be believed. WhileAssassin’s Creed Infinitytakes the time that it needs, Ubisoft is reportedly converting a formerAssassin’s Creed ValhallaDLC into a full-blown game of “smaller scale.” This game is said to put players into theshoes of Basim during his time in Baghdad, focusing on stealth.
Bringing back an actual Assassin/Hidden One to play, focusing on stealth, and making a game on a smaller scale than the past few entries sounds a lot like the original action-adventure games of the franchise. It does remain to be seen, but if this is the case, thenAssassin’s Creed Riftshouldn’t just be a throwback to the past games, but a new chapter in upcomingACcontent.
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The Known Future of Assassin’s Creed
There are two main things players know about the future ofAssassin’s Creed. The first isAssassin’s Creed Infinity, a live-service hub where players will be able to visit multiple settings. There’s not a lot confirmed about it, but some have described it as aHitman 3-style approach in terms of single-player content but with wider live-service features. Because it is live-service and a mainline game, fans can expect Ubisoft to try to support it for quite some time—even longer thanAC Valhalla.
But, that doesn’t meanAssassin’s Creed Infinitytakes over the franchise, leading to the second thing. Fans can reasonably expectAssassin’s Creed Infinityto be core content, but even as Ubisoft studios support it, it’s likely that theopen-worldAssassin’s Creedgamesare going nowhere. They may be more spaced out, but Ubisoft has commented on the high engagement and success ofAssassin’s Creed Valhallain the past. Ergo, fans can reasonably expect more games in this style in the future.
How Assassin’s Creed Rift Could Fit Into This Plan
However, with as popular as the overall franchise is, open-world games and one live-service game really isn’t the limit for Ubisoft. There have been movies and spin-offs, and there’s certainly room for more classicaction-adventure games—exactly whatAssassin’s Creed Riftsounds like. If it proves successful, that will likely cement this even more. Ubisoft is aware of the split among its fanbase, with some fans enjoying the open-world games but some, also or otherwise, wanting to experience the originals again. In terms of parkour, story, Assassin-focused gameplay, and all of that,Assassin’s Creed Riftshould be the first of many more.
There’s no reason that Ubi should limit the franchise to two main games/styles.AC Infinityis all good and well, so is whatever succeedsValhalla. But ifAssassin’s CreedInfinityserves as the central hub, and Ubi movedACto something like one classic game every two-three years, alternating it with open-world games, it’s hard to see how that wouldn’t at least improve the current state of affairs among fans.
Some will preferInfinity, Some will prefergames likeValhalla, and some will prefer games likeRift—that’s the nature of the beast. Ubisoft certainly can’t make everyone happy, but where there is room, the possibility ofAssassin’s Creed Riftbeing a classic experience poses a big question: why stop there?
