Though fans' requests for Ubisoft to remake the original Assassin's Creed may be falling on deaf ears, the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage might be the next best thing. With confirmation that the game will be departing from its most recent counterparts' RPG elements in favor of a stronger narrative focus, Assassin's Creed Mirage is being presented as a return to the series' earliest roots. Among the several new Assassin's Creed projects announced, Mirage seems to serve as the stand-in for a story-driven experience not influenced by players' choices with a different gameplay experience for those longing for a remake.
However, this isn't the ideal compromise fans had expected to see either, as Assassin's Creed Mirage will focus on Basim, the enigmatic and dangerous individual players were introduced to in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Mirage is therefore Basim's prequel and origin, and though it might evoke the original style of Assassin's Creed, it may not scratch the itch for the first game. Given Basim's known connections to the current narrative being built with the recent games, fans who had hoped for a remake and are seeing Mirage as a substitute may still find themselves wanting. But with Ubisoft seemingly uninterested in developing future remakes, Mirage may well have to do.
A Possible Assassin's Creed Remake
Since the original Assassin's Creed is fifteen years old and counting, fans had been hoping that Ubisoft would finally confirm that an Assassin's Creed remake was in the works. Owing to the series' explosive popularity following its first game onwards, including the leaps and bounds it made in terms of gameplay and design, it seemed like an inevitability that eventually the very first game would be given a new lick of paint and freshened up for newer audiences and nostalgic players. When rumors finally sparked that Ubisoft might be working on a remake, the fans were eager to see these rumors confirmed.
However, no confirmation came, and instead among the sea of other Assassin's Creed games announced at Ubisoft Forward this year was Mirage. It's possible that some of the earliest rumors and theories had actually identified Mirage as an Assassin's Creed remake due to their striking similarities from the Middle Eastern locations to the historical setting. Despite the hype Ubisoft might have wanted to see for the game, fans were let down by their own expectations. This could be why Ubisoft has now addressed rumors of a remake and explained that for the foreseeable future it didn't intend to develop any such games.
Assassin's Creed Mirage As A Remake Substitute
Fans have therefore been left with no possible remake in sight and only Assassin's Creed Mirage to possibly tide them over until rumors resurface again. At face value, much of Mirage appears to reflect on the original Assassin's Creed after Mirage's story and gameplay details were confirmed. With a greater emphasis placed on Basim's progression from street thief to master assassin, comparable to more classic titles that saw novices evolve into veterans by the game's conclusion, Mirage might follow a story akin to that of the earliest games.
However, no matter how traditional Mirage might aspire to be, it will still be influenced by recent titles like Unity or the Ezio trilogy. Story threads such as Basim's visions that prelude his awakening as Isu Loki have been confirmed to feature in Mirage, meaning that the game will still uphold its fantasy-based elements that the latest games have leaned further into than the earliest in the series. Therefore, for fans hoping to satiate their need for a remake closer to the original Assassin's Creed, a compromise in Mirage may be necessary, as it appears it will be the closest thing to a remake that Ubisoft will currently get.
Assassin's Creed Mirage is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.