Tag: Assassin's Creed

The highly anticipated Netflix live-action Assassin's Creed television series has finally revealed specific details about its setting after a five-year development period. According to Nexus Point News, the series, adapted from the Ubisoft game, will likely be set in the long-awaited "Ancient Rome" era. The report indicates that the story is expected to take place between 54 and 68 AD, during the reign of the infamous Roman Emperor Nero. Historical figures including Nero himself and his mentor, the Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger, will reportedly appear in the series. This means that while the series chooses Rome as its setting, its timeline is drastically different from the Renaissance Rome depicted in the game *Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood*, and predates Aya's assassination attempt on Caesar in *Assassin's Creed: Origins*. This indicates the series will employ an original storyline rather than directly adapting existing game plots. Regarding casting, Netflix and Ubisoft have already announced their first confirmed regular cast member: Australian actor Toby Wallace, known for his roles in *The Bikeriders* and *Babyteeth*. While his specific role has not yet been revealed, he is expected to play one of the main characters. ...

Ubisoft's operations appear to be shrouded in mystery. The French game publisher abruptly announced earlier that it would postpone the release of its half-year financial report and had requested Euronext to suspend trading of its shares. Ahead of a scheduled investor conference call on Thursday, Ubisoft announced the postponement of its half-year financial report, stating only that its shares would be suspended from trading from November 14th until the official release of the financial report "in the coming days." Operational turmoil and trading suspension raise questions. In recent years, Ubisoft's development has been fraught with difficulties, including several games failing to meet sales expectations, studio closures, layoffs, and internal sexual harassment scandals. While delaying financial reports may sometimes involve accounting issues, the major move of "suspending trading" usually indicates that significant news is about to be announced, such as a company sale or a return to privatization. However, Ubisoft has not yet responded to these reports. Rumors of Tencent's acquisition of Vantage Studios and its new subsidiary have been circulating since late last year, with reports suggesting that the Guillemot family, founders of Ubisoft, were seeking a partnership with Tencent to privatize the company. While the plan has not yet been formally finalized, Ubisoft, with Tencent's investment and assistance, established a new subsidiary this year called Vantage Studios. Vantage Studios currently oversees Ubisoft's three most important IPs: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Whether this sudden trading halt and delayed financial report signify a major breakthrough in the privatization process, or whether the company faces more severe financial challenges, remains to be seen and awaits official clarification.

In March of this year, after Tencent acquired approximately 25% of Ubisoft for €11.6 billion and spun off game brands such as Assassin's Creed into independent subsidiaries, Ubisoft recently announced the establishment of a new subsidiary, Vantage Studios, positioning it as its first "Creative House." Vantage Studios' primary task is to oversee Ubisoft's three core franchises: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six Siege. This means the studio will directly handle the development of Ubisoft's most representative and consistently revenue-generating games. The new structure brings greater autonomy. Ubisoft stated that the main goal of establishing Vantage Studios is to give development teams greater autonomy and decision-making efficiency, bridging the gap between player feedback and actual game content adjustments. Co-CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot also emphasized that the new operating model will enable the team to respond more quickly to market changes and strengthen accountability. In fact, Ubisoft had already appointed two co-CEOs and confirmed the organizational structure of Vantage Studios back in July. According to internal sources, the studio name "Vantage" was chosen through a vote by its 2300 employees, reflecting Ubisoft's attempt to involve its grassroots teams in decision-making. With multiple locations and a multinational team, Vantage Studios' development and operation will span multiple Ubisoft offices, including Montreal, Quebec City, Shebrook, Saguenay, and in Europe, Barcelona and Sofia, demonstrating the scale and flexibility of its international collaboration. Ubisoft also plans to establish more "creative studios" under the framework of "shared DNA and development expertise," but so far only Vantage Studios has been launched. Tencent's Role and Future Development: In this collaboration, although Tencent holds a stake in Vantage, it will primarily play an advisory role, with the actual decision-making power remaining with the two co-CEOs. This arrangement not only reduces external shareholders' concerns about interference in core IPs but also allows Ubisoft to obtain financial and resource support while maintaining its independence. For Ubisoft, this wave of reforms can be seen as a response to the operational challenges of recent years. In the past few years, Ubisoft has experienced several major titles underperforming expectations, the closure of some studios, and layoffs, putting pressure on its overall revenue structure. However, the success of *Assassin's Creed: Shadow* seems to have shown the company the resilience of its core IPs. It's worth noting the synergistic effect with Xbox Game Pass; Microsoft also recently announced that it would add *Assassin's Creed*, *Far Cry*, and *Rainbow Six* series to Xbox Game Pass...

Ubisoft has announced a new free mobile app, *Discovery Tour App: Medieval Baghdad*, based on *Assassin's Creed: Visions*. The app is available today on the App Store and Google Play Store, and can also be accessed directly through a web browser, allowing more players and history enthusiasts to explore Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate beyond the game itself. Fans of the *Assassin's Creed* series will recognize that Ubisoft has been continuously expanding the "Discovery Tour" mode beyond the main game in recent years, transforming the vast and detailed game world into an interactive and educational resource. This time, *Discovery Tour App: Medieval Baghdad* is based on the highly detailed 9th-century Baghdad depicted in *Assassin's Creed: Visions*, offering two main exploration methods: The first is "Access Codex." This mode includes encyclopedic content based on the in-game "History of Baghdad," covering political, cultural, artistic, and scientific developments. Users can gain a more intuitive understanding of the historical background of medieval Baghdad through the app's AR (Augmented Reality) interactive features. The second option, "Explore Baghdad," is designed as a two-hour gamified journey. Users can enjoy a 360-degree immersive exploration and gradually collect textual entries through a series of mini-games, thus understanding the social and cultural landscape of the time in a more vivid way. This app was co-developed by Ubisoft and the British immersive technology company Sugar Creative, with support from the Welsh government's Creative Wales. The development team extended the Assassin's Creed series' consistent pursuit of detail to an educational level through interactive storytelling and rigorous historical research, creating a digital product that combines cultural depth with accessibility. It's worth noting that "Discovery App: Medieval Baghdad" also incorporates authentic materials from the Arab World Institute Museum in Paris. Through high-quality 3D scanning, users can use AR technology to view medieval artifacts such as the Ruby Lustre Bowl up close, gaining a museum-like experience. With this application, Ubisoft once again demonstrates its philosophy that "games are more than just entertainment." The Discovery Tour series not only allows players to freely explore a virtual world but also provides a digital window into understanding history, bringing 9th-century Baghdad back to life for modern viewers. From gamified interaction and educational content to the digitization of cultural assets, Discovery Tour App: Medieval Baghdad showcases the possibilities for cross-sector collaboration between the gaming industry and educational and cultural institutions. For history enthusiasts and teachers, this application is not only an easy way to learn but also a prime example of bringing ancient civilizations into everyday life.

Back in 2020, Netflix revealed its plans to collaborate with Ubisoft on a live-action adaptation of the Assassin's Creed series. Ubisoft recently officially announced the start of filming, confirming the collaboration to produce this series based on the classic stealth assassination game. The series will be created by several veteran Hollywood producers and writers, promising a new narrative experience that transcends history and explores themes of freedom and control for global audiences. This adaptation stems from a five-year agreement between Ubisoft and Netflix. Roberto Patino, writer of series such as DMZ, Westworld, and Jax Teller, and David Wiener, producer of Halo, Homecoming, and The Killing, will serve as the series' main creators and executive producers. Ubisoft states that this live-action series will be an action-packed story focusing on two mysterious factions across time and civilizations in the Assassin's Creed series: the Templars, who advocate for order through control, and the Assassin Brotherhood, who defend human free will. The series will explore profound themes of freedom, faith, and humanity through the intertwined fates of its characters across different historical eras. Margaret Boykin, Executive Producer at Ubisoft's Film & Television division, says the team is committed to making the series appealing to both existing game fans and newcomers to the series, allowing them to experience its unique charm. Margaret Boykin emphasized, "We hope this is not just an entertainment production, but a profound interpretation of the timeless themes and worldview of Assassin's Creed." Roberto Patino and David Wiener added that, in addition to the parkour, stealth assassinations, and grand scenes familiar from the game, they focused on the psychological portrayal of the characters, thereby depicting complex issues of power, desire, violence, and revenge. The two also believe that, "This will not just be an action drama, but a story that explores how humanity struggles with beliefs, destiny, and values ​​across time and space." In addition to the live-action Assassin's Creed series, Netflix will also launch another animated series adapted from Ubisoft's classic IP, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, this fall, demonstrating its continued commitment to developing video game adaptations.

Following previous reports that Tencent might partner with the Guillemot family, which holds a majority stake in Ubisoft, to form a new company, Ubisoft recently announced the spin-off of its major game brands, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, into independent subsidiaries. These subsidiaries will further collaborate with Tencent, which will acquire approximately 25% of Ubisoft's shares for €11.6 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of this year, but is still subject to regulatory approval. The market's valuation of Ubisoft after spinning off its major game brands into independent subsidiaries has risen to €40 billion. The addition of Tencent's €11.6 billion investment will help Ubisoft improve its balance sheet, drive group transformation, and ensure the continued growth of specific game brands. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated that this restructuring will change Ubisoft's past operating model, allowing for greater flexibility and capability to focus more on building a long-term gaming ecosystem. The newly established independent subsidiaries include development teams in Montreal, Quebec, Shebrook, Saguenay, Barcelona, ​​and Sofia, responsible for the development of Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege games. These teams will receive global, exclusive, and perpetual copyright assets from Ubisoft, enabling them to continue developing games based on these assets. Each subsidiary will have its own leadership team, overseen by the Ubisoft board of directors, allowing for more agile and flexible decision-making in game development and marketing, and ensuring that Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege continue to attract a wider player base.

Ubisoft recently announced that Assassin's Creed: Shadows, which had been delayed until March 20th, is now available for pre-order, along with a new trailer. Developed by Ubisoft's Quebec studio, Assassin's Creed: Shadows transports players to 16th-century Japan, where they will experience the complex story between Naoe, a skilled Iga assassin, and Yasuke, a powerful samurai from historical legend. Players will explore their individual backstories, encounter key historical figures, and forge their shared destiny amidst the brutal process of Japan's unification. The newly released story trailer offers a glimpse into this gripping tale, revealing a turbulent land torn apart by war and threatened by external forces. In this chaos, the ruthless ambition of the daimyo Oda Nobunaga will shape the fates of the two protagonists who will shape the birth of a new doctrine in Japan. The game will launch globally on March 20th and will be available on Ubisoft+, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, Macs with Apple chips (downloadable via the Mac App Store), and Windows PC. Additionally, the standard edition, digital deluxe edition, and collector's edition of Assassin's Creed: Shadows will all be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Mac. Both the Digital Deluxe Edition and the Collector's Edition include exclusive content and are available for pre-order starting today. The Digital Deluxe Edition will additionally include the "Red Dragon Double Pack" containing equipment and weapons for Naoe and Yasuke, as well as the "Red Dragon Hideout Pack" containing hideout appearances and "Mastery Points". The Collector's Edition, in addition to the Digital Deluxe Edition, includes physical content such as a Steelbook case, a world map, Naoe and Yasuke figurines, a life-size Naoe samurai sword guard, a wall hanging dogma scroll, a 76-page collector's art book, and two ink paintings. Players who pre-order any version of Assassin's Creed: Shadows will receive the "Awaji Claws" expansion, expected to launch later this year, for free. This expansion will bring a brand-new open-world area, over 10 hours of additional content, new skills, new equipment, new abilities, and Naoe's new weapon, the "Staff," taking players to the mysterious Awaji Island, where Naoe and Yasuke will be relentlessly pursued by the dangerous new force threatening the region, the "Mountain Bandits."

Ubisoft, which cancelled its Tokyo Game Show appearance last year and announced a delayed release of Assassin's Creed: Shadows (originally scheduled for November 15th), has now announced another delay to March 20th, emphasizing that it's to gather more player feedback to improve the game experience. The earlier cancellation of the Tokyo Game Show appearance was partly attributed to Sucker Punch's announcement of the Ghost of Tsushima sequel, Ghost of the Goat's Hoof. The recent delay is seen as a way to avoid clashing with Monster Hunter Wilds' expected February 28th release date. Ubisoft is currently facing several challenges. For example, the highly anticipated Star Wars: Outlaws, released at the end of August, has only sold approximately 1 million copies worldwide. Pre-orders for Assassin's Creed: Shadows are even lower than those for the previously released Assassin's Creed: Viking Age, and the game itself has been criticized by many Japanese players for its subject matter. When Ubisoft previously announced the delay of Assassin's Creed: Shadows, they stated they would refund existing pre-orders and then provide the first wave of expansion packs free of charge to subsequent pre-orders. However, with this latest announcement of a further delay, Ubisoft seems to have made no further mention of any additional compensation measures.

At Ubisoft Forward 2024, Ubisoft showcased a 13-minute gameplay video of Assassin's Creed: Shadows, a teaser trailer for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remastered, and updates for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Prince of Persia: The Reborn. They also released approximately 10 minutes of gameplay footage for Star Wars: Outlaws. Furthermore, during their appearance at Apple's WWDC 2024, Ubisoft announced that games including Assassin's Creed: Shadows will be available on Mac and iPad, aiming to expand their player base through the Apple platform. In this update, Ubisoft also announced the Avatar: Pandora Frontiers Breakers Story Pack, scheduled for release in mid-July. They also confirmed that the new Just Dance game, Just Dance VR: Welcome to Just Dance City, will launch on October 15th this year, compatible with Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro. Furthermore, they plan to release a new generation digital version of the classic board game Monopoly in September, and a new city-building game, Brave New World 117: Rome, in 2025. Other updates include a second year of content for *The Crew: Power Celebration*, the first season of the free-to-play fast-paced arcade shooter *XDefiant* launching on July 2nd, and *For Honor*'s Year 8 Season 2 "Muramasa" scheduled for release on June 13th. *Season of the Storm* announced its second and third seasons, along with a 5v5 PVP mode. Other updates include: • 13-minute gameplay video for *Assassin's Creed: Shadows*; • *Prince of Persia* series updates; • 10-minute gameplay video for *Star Wars: Outlaws*; • *Avatar: Pandora's Frontier* Skybreaker Story Pack; • *Just Dance VR: Welcome to Just Dance City*; • *MONOPOLY...

Following the announcement that *Assassin's Creed: Visions* will launch on iOS on June 6th (US time), supporting certain iPhone and iPad models, Ubisoft has now announced that *Rabbids: Multiverse Saga* is available on Apple Arcade, and *Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown* is expected to launch on Mac this winter. In addition to the previously announced *Assassin's Creed: Visions*, *Rabbids: Multiverse Saga*, available on Apple Arcade starting today, will be playable on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and even Vision Pro. *Assassin's Creed: Visions*, available on the App Store, is compatible with iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad Air and iPad Pro with M1 or higher processors. Currently, *Assassin's Creed: Visions* is free to download and play, and is available for free within certain limits. A limited-time 50% discount upgrade to the full version is also available, and cross-platform progress and save functionality is available through Ubisoft Connect, allowing players to synchronize their progress with other platform versions. *Rabbids: Multiverse Saga* is a humorous battle card game where players recruit legendary Rabbids from four corners of the multiverse and strategically build battle decks to challenge other players. Players can adventure solo, encountering over 100 Rabbids, collecting new cards and materials to upgrade their decks, or challenging other players in the PvP arena. Meanwhile, *Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown*, currently available for pre-order and expected to launch on Mac this winter, will put players in the role of Sargon, a gifted young warrior who can explore a meticulously crafted world at his own pace. By acquiring new Time Forces, unlocking unique abilities, equipping different amulets, and mixing and matching them, Sargon will delve deeper into Mount Kaf, solving various puzzles, uncovering numerous secrets, and completing thrilling side quests.