It seems like Ubisoft has been rethinking its Assassin's Creed franchise in recent years, putting a pause on its yearly releases and contemplating new directions for its century-spanning action-adventure stealth games. The entries in the Assassin's Creed series have always added new things with each installment, like different enemies, protagonists, and settings, but the core gameplay elements and setups have remained largely the same. After the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla in 2020, Ubisoft looks like it might be going back to the drawing board in more ways than one.
If rumors are to be believed, it seems like the developer has three big Assassin's Creed titles on the horizon. Up until now, the series has largely consisted of single-player, narrative-focused experiences, but things might be about to change. While Assassin's Creed Rift is reported to be a smaller-scale version of this familiar formula, Assassin's Creed Infinity is apparently an ambitious live-service title that will bring content to players over several years. Assassin's Creed Nexus presents an even bigger shake-up and is rumored to be a massive VR game set within the world of Assassin's Creed.
Explaining The Nexus Rumors
There hasn't been a ton of official news about the next Assassin's Creed titles yet, but there have been a lot of rumors. According to leaker and prominent industry insider Tom Henderson, Assassin's Creed Nexus is a large-scale VR title that will let players take control of a number of different stealthy protagonists, starting with the fan-favorite Ezio from Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations. In addition to Ezio's apparent reappearance, previous figures like Kassandra, Connor, and Haytham may also be turning up in Assassin's Creed Nexus as playable characters. These rumored characters also suggest a multitude of different settings and historical time periods, similar to the reports around Assassin's Creed Infinity, which should offer players plenty of variety.
With a number of VR games on the market in recent years, Assassin's Creed Nexus has lots of titles to turn to for inspiration, especially when it comes to how it approaches traversal and combat. Assassin's Creed games may prioritize stealth, but there's still plenty of fast-paced action as well. If rumors are to be believed, Assassin's Creed Nexus will include timing-based combat, pickpocketing, lock picking, and a choice of linear movement or teleportation to get around the area. Movement can be a tricky thing to navigate in VR games, especially given the danger of vertigo or motion sickness, but it would be a shame to do away with the franchise's signature parkour.
Possible Features And A Focus On Parkour
Parkour has become an inventive and engaging way for players to get around in-game worlds, with titles like Dying Light and its sequel using this traversal option to freshen up the survival horror genre and switch up the familiar tropes of zombie titles. Parkour has been a fundamental aspect of the Assassin's Creed series as well, and it perfectly encapsulates the stealthy agility of the assassins and makes exploring the historically diverse cities and areas fun and dynamic. However, incorporating this into a VR environment isn't that straightforward, but that doesn't mean Ubisoft should give it a miss.
Assassin's Creed Nexus will reportedly include another franchise staple - the Leap of Faith. This exhilarating plunge from a great height may seem like some players' idea of a VR nightmare, but there are plenty that would love to try the death-defying stunt from the comfort of their own front room. Assassin's Creed Nexus may be offering teleportation as another method of movement to combat the threat of motion sickness, but if the game does include the Leap of Faith, then parkour doesn't seem that outlandish in comparison. There already seems to be two methods of movement in the game – an analog stick-controlled forward motion and teleportation. Giving players a choice is sensible, but the former could definitely be incorporated into a parkour system as well as a straightforward movement.
Moving fast across the map with a series of acrobatic stunts and hair-raising feats seems like an incredible way to experience a setting in VR, and games like STRIDE have shown that immersive parkour in virtual reality is possible. Assassin's Creed Nexus may have to fine-tune the system for VR, but an in-depth parkour element just makes sense for a game that's putting players directly in the driving seat and letting them experience what it's like to be an incredibly agile killing machine. Hurtling across cityscapes and scaling large structures is almost as synonymous with Assassin's Creed as hidden blades and stealth kills, and it would be a mistake to move away from such a foundational feature among all the other changes coming to the franchise.
The Future Of The Assassin's Creed Franchise
With the sheer number of entries over almost as many years, players haven't been lacking in Assassin's Creed content since the first game launched. Although this has established Assassin's Creed as a dominant and popular franchise among gamers, it has also led to a bit of burnout. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing, and taking a break from annual releases was probably a wise move. This has given the developer space to breathe and look ahead to where the future of the Assassin's Creed franchise could be heading.
While the video game community has made it very clear recently that single-player games are still in demand thanks to the vitriolic response to EA's tweet slamming single-player titles, it seems like Ubisoft is still keen to test the waters of other formats. With Assassin's Creed Infinity's rumored scale, the developer doesn't seem afraid to really push the boat out and explore other aspects of the franchise's world and what a new model could mean for players. Assassin's Creed Rift may be offering more familiar territory, but Assassin's Creed Nexus could get players up close and personal with their favorite characters and the expansive world in ways they've never been able to before.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is still wrapping up its story, and rumors continue to swirl around possible remakes, but players are still holding out for news about the next three titles. They may have to wait a little longer for confirmation, but if Assassin's Creed Nexus is on the way, the future looks fairly interesting for franchise fans.
Assassin's Creed Nexus is reportedly in development.