While leaks are nothing new to the folks at Ubisoft, especially those who work on the Assassin's Creed games, we've come to expect them only during a certain time of the year. Typically, first details leak for the current year's Assassin's Creed title about 6 months before release; it happened with Unity, and Black Flag, and even Assassin's Creed 3.
Well, consider the mold broken, as first details for NEXT YEAR's Assassin's Creed, allegedly titled Assassin's Creed Victory, have already made their way online. Up until a few hours ago, the details were only allegedly tied to Assassin's Creed, but Ubisoft has since come forward to say that, yes, this is next year's Assassin's Creed.
So, before getting into those details here's Ubisoft's statement:
It is always unfortunate when internal assets, not intended for public consumption, are leaked. And, while we certainly welcome anticipation for all of our upcoming titles, we're disappointed for our fans, and our development team, that this conceptual asset is now public. The team in our Quebec studio has been hard at work on the particular game in question for the past few years, and we're excited to officially unveil what the studio has been working on at a later date. In the meantime, our number one priority is enhancing the experience of Assassin's Creed Unity for players.
Although we don’t know how, Kotaku seems to have come into possession of a 7-minute target video that highlights the gameplay of Assassin's Creed Victory. According to the publication, and some screenshots pulled from the video, Victory will be set in London during the Victorian era (anywhere between 1830 to 1900).
Kotaku also emphasized the visuals in Assassin's Creed Victory, which will apparently use the same version of the Anvil Engine that Unity did. The detail in the London streets seems to perfectly capture the Victorian era, much in the same way Unity did Revolution-era France. The one difference this time around is that the first demo is set during night.
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Other highlights of the presentation were said to include a new grappling hook gadget that let the assassin quickly ascend buildings. In the past, traversal has been a key component of the AC series, but perhaps Ubisoft is starting to get away from that. That could be a welcome change to those who have taken issue with the climbing mechanics in the past.
Aside from that, though, the footage still reportedly looks like an Assassin's Creed game, albeit running at blockbuster levels. The player is given a target to take out, but by the end of the mission they are battling enemies on top of a speeding train. And of course the demo ends with the assassin performing a leap of faith off said moving train.
Outside of what Kotaku saw, they also confirmed that Victory will be the first Assassin's Creed title developed at Ubisoft Quebec, and it will be the only AC release in 2015 (sorry last-gen). Last month, Ubisoft confirmed that the Quebec would be taking up development on the next Assassin's Creed, which in turn would give the franchise's main Montreal studio extra time to get their game right.
So, apparently Assassin's Creed Victory is Quebec's new game and we should see more of it at some point next year. Whether gamers will be as receptive to Victory after Unity's failures is unclear, but Ubisoft should tread lightly regardless.
What do you think of an Assassin's Creed set during Victorian Era London? Has Unity's shortcomings changed you opinion about future AC games?
Assassin's Creed Victory (Unofficial Title) will release in 2015.
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Source: Kotaku
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