Why Assassin's Creed Hexe is Perhaps the Most Interesting…

Summary

Ubisoft is increasing the development team for Assassin's Creed by 40% in an effort to boost revenue amidst recent financial struggles.
Assassin's Creed Hexe, the next entry in the franchise after Red, is touted to be a "very different type of Assassin's Creed" with a potentially horror-oriented setting.
The lack of information and mysterious nature surrounding Assassin's Creed Hexe adds to its excitement, as it could introduce a completely new experience to the long-running franchise.

At the start of the year, Ubisoft delayed its infamous pirate game Skull and Bones once again, and soon after, it was reported that the publisher had axed a slew of in-development projects. It's no secret that Ubisoft's recent output hasn't been bringing in the same revenue the company is used to, and in an attempt to course correct, the publisher is doing some extreme reallocation of resources, choosing to pump most of its studios into its biggest franchises. And of course, one of Ubisoft's hottest IPs is Assassin's Creed.

Debuting all the way back in 2007, Assassin's Creed has consistently been one of Ubisoft's best-selling franchises, and that remains true to this day. So, it's only natural that in a time of crisis, Ubisoft is deciding to fall back on its old reliable Assassin's Creed for help, planning to increase the franchise's development team by an eye-watering 40% over the next few years. But while this means that there are about to be a lot more Assassin's Creed games, none might be as conceptually intriguing as Assassin's Creed Hexe.

Why Assassin's Creed Hexe Might Be the Most Exciting Upcoming AC Project

Announced back in September 2022, Assassin's Creed Hexe will be the next mainline, flagship entry in the franchise after Assassin's Creed Red. And while Assassin's Creed Red will apparently be another RPG-focused game like Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, Assassin's Creed Hexe is going to be something all-new, with Ubisoft's own Marc-Alexis Cote stating that the game will be a "very different type of Assassin's Creed."

The Assassin's Creed franchise has gone through two distinct phases in its long lifespan. The first phase stretched from 2007 all the way to 2015, encompassing every game between the original Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed Syndicate. This era covers the action-adventure side of the franchise, while the games that come after it are much more RPG-focused. But while these two phases definitely have their major differences, they're still easily recognizable as Assassin's Creed titles, and the vast majority of them do share the same general formula. And after 16 years of practically the same formula, fans are desperate for something new.

Assassin's Creed Hexe could finally be that breath of fresh air that the franchise so desperately needs. Though fans have just one 30-second trailer to go off, Assassin's Creed Hexe does look like it'll be quite the departure for the series, with its overall tone looking like the biggest shift. While Assassin's Creed has always had a fairly light tone, even when being dramatic, Assassin's Creed Hexe's teaser felt surprisingly spooky, with eerie music and visuals. Horror isn't usually an element that Assassin's Creed explores, and a whole game based around it could end up being very unique. And while it hasn't been confirmed, Assassin's Creed Hexe's rumored 16th-century European Witch Trials setting would naturally lend itself to a strong horror tone.

But by far the most intriguing aspect of Assassin's Creed Hexe is that fans really don't know much about it right now. While upcoming projects like Assassin's Creed: Mirage, Assassin's Creed Red, Assassin's Creed Jade, and Assassin's Creed Nexus have all shared some key details with fans, Ubisoft has remained tight-lipped on Assassin's Creed Hexe, adding a sense of mystery and allure to the project that just isn't there with the rest of Ubisoft's upcoming AC projects. The notion that this could be a completely new type of Assassin's Creed game, along with the fact that this is the next flagship title for the franchise and thus one Ubisoft has faith in, makes Assassin's Creed Hexe an incredibly exciting game already.