It appears that Assassin's Creed has a busy calendar ahead. Reports claim that Assassin's Creed Rift is on the way, a game that began as an Assassin's Creed Valhalla DLC but eventually grew into a standalone title to fill up Ubisoft's thin release schedule. Gamers can also expect Assassin's Creed Infinity, which is a live service Assassin's Creed entry. 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 Infinity is a noteworthy development in the story of the Assassin's Creed franchise, 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.
Ubisoft Reveals Assassin's Creed Infinity
Ubisoft announced Assassin's Creed Infinity in 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 form Assassin's Creed Infinity will 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 as Fortnite and GTA: 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 different Assassin's Creed "worlds" via Assassin's Creed Infinity, unifying the entire Assassin's Creed universe. This has been suggested by Schreier, who recently claimed that the rumored upcoming Assassin's Creed game, Assassin's Creed Red, will be released on Assassin's Creed Infinity, along with all future Assassin's Creed titles.
Although not much is known about this reported project codenamed Assassin's Creed Red, there has been speculation that it may be the Assassin's Creed game set in Japan that there have been reports on. If implemented correctly, Assassin's Creed Infinity could be a good way to tie Assassin's Creed together 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 support free-to-play games that they enjoy.
Ubisoft already encountered problems with microtransactions with Assassin's Creed Valhalla. It is an expansive open-world game that can easily eat up dozens of hours before a player has exhausted its content, so to help gamers along, Valhalla offers 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 throughout Assassin's Creed history are 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 on Assassin's Creed Infinity should 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.
While Assassin's Creed Infinity appears 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 supports Assassin's Creed in the future. If microtransactions do make an appearance, Ubisoft should avoid some of the past mistakes it has made with microtransactions in Assassin's Creed.