Highlights

  • Ubisoft is planning to release at least six new Assassin's Creed games, including a live-service platform called Assassin's Creed Infinity.
  • Assassin's Creed Infinity aims to be a hub for accessing new AC games but must avoid the pitfalls seen with Call of Duty HQ.

As the best-selling franchise in Ubisoft's arsenal right now, it's no wonder why the publisher/developer has so many Assassin's Creed games currently in the works. While the Assassin's Creed franchise has been enjoying a steady stream of less-frequent releases as of late, it seems as though that pattern is about to be broken, as Ubisoft is getting ready to drop at least six Assassin's Creed games in the near future.

From big-budget open-world releases like Assassin's Creed Red to more experimental entries like Assassin's Creed Hexe and even mobile titles like Assassin's Creed Jade, the AC franchise has its plate full of anticipated releases, but there's one upcoming release that doesn't quite belong with the rest. Announced officially back in September 2022, but known about since early 2021, Assassin's Creed Infinity is still shrouded in mystery. Assassin's Creed Infinity is set to be a hub as an evolving live-service platform where players can access new AC games. Assassin's Creed Infinity could be great, just as long as it learns from Call of Duty's mistakes.

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Assassin's Creed Infinity Needs to Learn From Call of Duty's Mistakes

Call of Duty's New Hub Has Been Heavily Criticized

On paper, the idea of an ever-evolving hub in which players can access their ongoing library makes a lot of sense, letting players quickly swap between different entries in a franchise without needing to manually exit and enter each title. However, Call of Duty HQ has proven that, in practice, this idea doesn't necessarily work.

Released alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in November of last year, Call of Duty HQ collects Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, and Call of Duty: Warzone and brings them all together in one place. This release was met with an immediate widespread backlash, with the glorified launcher causing a litany of issues on all platforms. One of the biggest issues with Call of Duty HQ is its download size.

Though each game in the collection can technically be downloaded separately, many of the games' files still end up being downloaded regardless, leading to an absolutely gigantic file size.

Another major issue with Call of Duty HQ is its convoluted menus and needlessly complex UI. A continuation of the last few entries' UI design, Call of Duty HQ puts a handful of horizontal menus in front of the player, similar to streaming services like Netflix or Disney+. While not inherently awful, this interface does require players to manually scroll along each bar before they land on the map or mode they desire, as opposed to the much more streamlined system in previous Call of Duty entries, where players simply select from a vertical drop-down menu.

Assassin's Creed Can't Afford to Fail the Same Way as Call of Duty

How it affected trophies on PlayStation is also a cause for concern. Normally, PlayStation players would be able to earn a Platinum trophy for each Call of Duty entry, with each game having its own separate trophy list. With Call of Duty HQ, that's no longer available, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's trophy list now appearing as a DLC underneath Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, without its own Platinum.

While Assassin's Creed Infinity can certainly avoid the issues that continue to plague Call of Duty HQ, that might not fix the platform's biggest issue, and that's the platform's actual purpose. Currently, Call of Duty HQ adds nothing of genuine value to the Call of Duty experience. Even if it didn't have problems, the benefit of having all the ongoing Call of Duty games in one place isn't actually that beneficial to the player. If Assassin's Creed Infinity is looking to avoid Call of Duty HQ's shortcomings, then it's going to need to add some value to the overall experience, whether it's story content or unique gameplay elements.