A new insider report from journalist Jason Schreier speaks of a live-service model for the Assassin’s Creed series, which is traditionally a single-player experience. Schreier compares it to Fortnite and GTA 5 Online – and many players are quite unhappy about it.
This is the situation:
- A forthcoming project from Assassin’s Creed is named “Infinity” and is expected to receive a live service, a “massive online platform” that evolves over time.
- Infinity is said to combine multiple settings and will not be released before 2024.
- The model is allegedly inspired by big hits like Fortnite and GTA 5.
- The two Ubisoft studios, Montreal and Quebec, which normally alternate working on the AC series, are collaborating on the title.
Where does the rumor come from? Jason Schreier is considered a well-connected journalist in the gaming industry with close contacts to employees in many companies. In a post on Bloomberg, he reported on Infinity (via Bloomberg.com).
It states that the upcoming Assassin’s Creed is to become an “online platform” that links multiple settings together. These games are expected to differ in gameplay and appearance – however, there is no further information on this.
Further details get lost in the text, only a comparison with Fortnite and GTA 5 is mentioned, but this is solely regarding the service model. There is no quote from employees on this. Ubisoft has at least confirmed that Infinity exists and that the studios in Montreal and Quebec are working on it (via Ubisoft.com).
How is this supposed to work? Schreier does not elaborate further on what exactly Infinity and the live service model entail. In a tweet, he writes: “The core idea is that Infinity will be a massive online platform that includes various settings and games. I don’t know if multiplayer will play a role.”
It remains open whether Infinity will become an MMO or in what direction the live service will manifest. From the comparison with Fortnite and GTA 5, ideas emerge such as:
- a battle pass with various contents
- worlds where players can interact with one another
- interactive collections to start other AC games from Infinity
- social hubs where players can showcase their achievements
Assassin’s Creed has had social interactions between players before, albeit indirectly. In the latest installment, Valhalla, for instance, you can discover the corpses of other players and avenge their deaths. The map often features snapshots from the community.
There is even a feature in Valhalla that allows you to help friends: you can enhance your own “Joms Viking” and your friends can hire him for their own team. MeinMMO author Jürgen Horn even thought that Valhalla could make a good MMO:
Players Argument – Is Live Service Good or Bad?
The reaction of players to the announcement has been mixed to negative. In the subreddit for Assassin’s Creed, many players predict that this step will mark the end of the series (via reddit.com). Some see a problem in the collaboration between the studios – which harbor a certain rivalry – but above all the departure from single-player experiences is souring many. Over at GameStar, user dodo00d mentioned that he would lack the time for such an Assassin’s Creed:
“Yeah, that’s it for me. I’ve really played all the parts, even the spin-offs at least once, some even multiple times. But for live service, I lack the time and money. Requiescat in pace, Assassin’s Creed” (via GameStar.de).
However, some players can warm to the idea. Reddit user Nelmquist1999, for instance, wishes to explore the worlds of Assassin’s Creed with his friends: “It would be cool to jump between different eras with friends using the Helix menu. That would be really great” (via reddit.com).
A similar idea, that simply several AC games are connected in an additional environment like Abstergo or another world, seems plausible to many players. However, how and if the live service will ultimately be implemented remains open.
By the way, service models have been a significant topic for Ubisoft for a while now. Already in 2018, there was the idea of making games endless:
Games-as-a-Service: This is how Ubisoft plans to create “endless” games in the future
