It appears thatAssassin’s Creedhas a busy calendar ahead. Reports claim thatAssassin’s Creed Riftis on the way, a game that began as anAssassin’s Creed ValhallaDLC but eventually grew into a standalone title to fill up Ubisoft’s thin release schedule. Gamers can also expectAssassin’s Creed Infinity, which is a live serviceAssassin’s Creedentry. Rather than being a single game, it will be the bedrock of future releases from the franchise. Ubisoft has confirmed that the game is in development, though only slivers of information have been released, making it difficult to fully understand what the studio is working on.
Assassin’s Creed Infinityis a noteworthy development in the story of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise, as it implies that the future of the franchise is a live service approach. If this is the case, microtransactions will likely be a permanent fixture in the series. Ubisoft should handle this carefully because while microtransactions are not inherently bad, they can easily be botched, leading to disgruntled gamers and permanently sullied franchises.
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Ubisoft Reveals Assassin’s Creed Infinity
Ubisoft announcedAssassin’s Creed Infinityin 2021, revealing that it will be a massive, cross-studio project led by series veterans such as Marc-Alexis Côté, who is one of the founding members of Ubisoft Quebec, and Julien Laferrière, who has worked on the series since its beginnings in 2007. The overall aim, Ubisoft explains, is to offer a more integrated experience both at the development level by drawing from talent from all its studios, and at the consumer level by doing away with the old release strategy of passing “the baton from game to game.”
The announcement was effective at piquing curiosity, but it did not reveal too much regarding what precisely gamers can expect, and what formAssassin’s Creed Infinitywill take. Fortunately, more details came in a Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier which claimed that the game would be an online live service platform that seeks to emulate the long-term success of titles such asFortniteandGTA: Online. As Schreier has later revealed, the game will feature “a bunch of different games/experiences/biomes/whatever you want to call them,” and he has seen two of them, which he confirmed are not set in the Aztecs.
Assassin’s Creed Infinity, in addition to being supported in the long-term, could be the platform where Ubisoft chooses to launch its future titles. Rather than having standalone titles released on a nearly annual basis, gamers will be able to access differentAssassin’s Creed"worlds" viaAssassin’s Creed Infinity,unifying the entireAssassin’s Creeduniverse. This has been suggested by Schreier, who recently claimed that the rumored upcomingAssassin’s Creedgame,Assassin’s Creed Red, will be released onAssassin’s Creed Infinity, along with all futureAssassin’s Creedtitles.
Although not much is known about this reported project codenamedAssassin’s Creed Red, there has been speculation that it may be theAssassin’s Creedgame set in Japanthat there have been reports on. If implemented correctly,Assassin’s Creed Infinitycould be a good way to tieAssassin’s Creedtogether nicely while allowing players to easily access the different eras and locations the series has explored. However, Ubisoft should be wary of how it implements microtransactions if it chooses to include them since it could spoil the entire project.
Ubisoft’s History With Microtransactions
Microtransactions have a controversial reputation, and it is not entirely unearned. Historically, they have been used by developers to funnel gamers to make additional in-game purchases, sometimes by crippling the experience of the base game or by offering unfair advantages to players who purchase certain microtransactions. However, microtransactions can also be used positively to add additional value to a game while allowing gamers to supportfree-to-play gamesthat they enjoy.
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Ubisoft already encountered problems with microtransactions withAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. It is anexpansive open-world gamethat can easily eat up dozens of hours before a player has exhausted its content, so to help gamers along,Valhallaoffers XP boosts as DLC. However, many see this as exploitative rather than helpful. Gamers have also pointed out that Ubisoft has focused its post-release support on microtransactions, resulting in the number of purchasable armor sets exceeding the in-game armor sets. The issue, some gamers claim, is that some purchasable armor sets are overpowered, giving an unfair advantage to players who are willing to pay.
Microtransactions Must Be Handled Carefully in Assassin’s Creed Infinity
To avoid this issue, Ubisoft does not need to remove microtransactions altogether. Rather, it just needs to ensure that the microtransactions included are not exploitative. This can be done, for instance, by ensuring that the most beloved outfits from throughoutAssassin’s Creedhistoryare not locked behind paywalls and can be obtained through regular gameplay. Furthermore, there should be a balance between content available for purchase and content that is unlocked through regular gameplay, so that players who do not wish to spend extra money do not feel as though they are being disadvantaged.
Additionally, future titles that may launch onAssassin’s Creed Infinityshould be balanced to ensure that they are not too dependent on grinding so that gamers do not feel as though they are being manipulated into purchasing XP boosts. It may be even better to avoid XP boosts altogether, though it is unlikely that Ubisoft will be able to resist including them. Lastly, whatever microtransactions that do get included should be reasonably priced, as a store full of overpriced items may also leave players displeased.
WhileAssassin’s Creed Infinityappears promising, it is still a while off, and Schreier has claimed that the game will not be released until at least 2024. This gives Ubisoft plenty of time to perfect the game, which is treading new ground and could provide a new model for how the company supportsAssassin’s Creedin the future. If microtransactions do make an appearance, Ubisoft should avoid some of the past mistakes it has made withmicrotransactions inAssassin’s Creed.
