You've already heard the news on the massive sales that games like Black Ops and Halo: Reach enjoyed within their first week, nevermind their first day. While Ubisoft didn't quite reach those numbers with the recent release of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the game was the most successful game in the franchise so far. As a thank you to all of their fans who picked up the game to show their support for the development team's expansion into new gaming territory, Ubisoft has announced that the first DLC offering wil be available to all customers free of charge.
The DLC, entitled 'Animus Project Update 1.0' will not be an addition to the game's main storyline, but extra content for Brotherhood's multiplayer component. So if you have yet to give the new game mode a try, Ubisoft is doing their best to make it worth your while.
The new map will give players from around the world a chance to walk-or run- the steets of Mont Saint-Michel, France's second-most visited tourist site. Located on an island of Normandy, the town's narrow streets, multi-leveled architecture and the iconic belltower will all need to be used if predators and prey alike are to succeed.
Sebastien Puel, Ubisoft Montreal's executive producer voiced the team's gratitutde to the fans of the series, and how that motivated them to make the offering free:
“We are very thrilled to be able to offer the first Multiplayer DLC for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood for absolutely free...We wanted to say thank you to our fans for making Brotherhood such a huge success its opening week. We are very proud of the unique and innovative Multiplayer mode it offers, and hope the fans enjoy the new content.”
The new game mode should offer some new content to fans already accustomed to the multiplayer portion of the game, and may attract some newcomers. The new online game type may be a bit difficult for those who haven't earned their stripes, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the various modes before jumping in:
"The game mode, Advanced Alliance, will make the original Alliance Mode with target identification and engagement more difficult than in original Alliance Mode, thus providing a more challenging experience for players. With three teams of two players each, Advanced Alliance is a tougher test for players and rewards teams that use stealth techniques to hunt their targets."
It's hard to argue against free content, and it's nice to see that Ubisoft is aware of just how much their future successes or failures depend on the fans of Assassin's Creed. Hopefully more developers will take notice of their dedication to good DLC, and pay back the thousands of gamers who stood in line just to experience their next venture a few hours before their friends.
You can get your own bit of free content when the 'Animus Project Update 1.0' DLC for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is made available for download from Xbox Live and PSN on December 14th, 2010.