Entries in both the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry franchises have continued to iterate on the foundations laid by some of the best games in the series. Even though both game franchises have experimented with different gameplay concepts, stories, and other degrees of innovation, both have followed very different development pipelines. Ubisoft implemented an annual release schedule for the Assassin's Creed series after the massive success of Assassin's Creed 2, while Far Cry maintaned a more traditional AAA development cycle. However, based on a few leaks and hints by the publisher, Assassin's Creed and Far Cry may be going live service for the future.
Games as a service would be a relatively new development framework for the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry franchises, for the most part. Ubisoft has its own fair share of live service games, but these games have either been standalone franchises like The Division, or spin-offs like Ubisoft's upcoming XDefiant. Never have either of the publisher's flagship franchises adopted a live service approach in the past, and while the ambitious potential is certainly promising, a live service transformation is a risky endeavour. That being said, it wouldn't be a wholly unfamiliar setup considering Ubisoft's development pipeline, but it is a risky venture for the continued success of both.
Live Service Assassin's Creed or Far Cry Has Potential
Far Cry 7 and Assassin's Creed Infinity could certainly benefit from a live service design, at least, under the right circumstances. Considering Assassin's Creed followed an annual release schedule up until Assassin's Creed Origins, and the most recent RPG-adjacent titles follow a semi-annual release schedule, a live service approach wouldn't be that far out of left field. The next Assassin's Creed game could still iterate on the Witcher 3-esque RPG foundation: Exploring different settings like Feudal Japan or WWII in Assassin's Creed, while following a similar gameplay design to Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Odyssey, makes sense in the current gameplay framework.
Far Cry as a live service game is a bit more nebulous, since releases in the franchise have been a bit more spread out compared to Assassin's Creed. However, the inherent design of a modern Far Cry game doesn't lend itself quite as well to a more consistent content release schedule compared to Assassin's Creed. The development time between Far Cry games has traditionally been much longer, but more importantly, Far Cry's narrative conflict often hinges on a compelling villain arc, which is much harder to develop successfully. That being said, a live service development approach could potentially give villains more narrative depth over time with additional content.
Avoiding Recurring Issues with Live Service
However, a live service development approach for Assassin's Creed and Far Cry could perpetuate some of the same issues that both franchises already suffer from. Whether it's RPG fatigue with Assassin's Creed, or more specifically villain fatigue with Far Cry, it's hard to argue whether or not a live service approach for both franchises is the right call. Even if Assassin's Creed has found recent success with its Witcher-esque RPG design, and Far Cry continues to maintain its penchant for iconic and narratively bombastic villains, either franchise can only go so far before each franchise's potential wears thin with subsequent entries.
Despite the potential star power of Giancarlo Esposito's villain in Far Cry 6, many were still quick to criticize the latest entry for still feeling like more of the same. Even though Far Cry 6's narrative did tackle aspects of a revolution that were compelling, the game's narrative was still contextualized (and subsequently cheapened by) the game's expansive open-world design. Granted Far Cry has never been a series that's taken itself too seriously, but the lack of change makes each entry all too familiar. It's unclear whether or not incremental content could remedy this problem, but a live service Far Cry game is going to set expectations that a compelling villain can only cover so far.
On the other hand, Assassin's Creed has found renewed success with its annual release schedule; iterating on the Assassins vs. Templars and Isu narrative foundations in compelling ways. Paired with the RPG revamp that came with Assassin's Creed Origins, newer entries have a solid gameplay foundation that future adventures can reliably build upon. However, Assassin's Creed has had a history of crushing itself under its own weight and expectations. The series took a break after Assassin's Creed Syndicate for the same reason Far Cry 6 received criticism in several reviews. Avoiding fatigue helped with Assassin's Creed's recent success, but live service could perpetuate a similar issue.
So long as the overarching franchise's story can keep up with the variation in historical setting, Assassin's Creed may be better suited for a live service design similar to what Assassin's Creed Infinity seems to promise. Far Cry may need to implement a new narrative design to help bolster the transition to live service, but the potential is certainly there. However, both franchises have to weather varying degrees of risk if Ubisoft intends to take a live service approach with its flagship franchises. The reception of either series' next entry could be make or break for Ubisoft's new live service direction.