Some massive changes are expected to be made to the Assassin's Creed franchise in the near future, with the next few months seemingly shaping up to herald a new era for the longstanding and successful Ubisoft IP. While there are a handful of exciting projects on the horizon for the series, none seem quite as important and unpredictable as the Infinity hub, which will reportedly be the go-to place to access and play all future AC content going forward.
A move as impactful and drastic as this is likely to put the future of Assassin's Creed on a knife-edge in terms of player reception, with many pros and cons over the switch to a live service hub already being outlined and debated by large parts of the community. While there are many factors that could be causes for concern regarding the Assassin's Creed Infinity hub, the service could be the perfect way to allow the AC franchise to explore more brief and ambitious stories within settings that would not be as justifiable as fully-fledged mainline releases.
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Assassin's Creed Infinity Could Massively Expand the Franchise's Storytelling Capabilities
Assassin's Creed Infinity was first announced in 2021, with Ubisoft seemingly following the growing industry trend of massive franchises moving away from traditional individual releases in favor of one-stop hubs. Reportedly, Infinity will be the place that all future Assassin's Creed content is delivered and accessed, including large-scale releases, much in the same way that Call of Duty recently moved over to its own Call of Duty HQ hub.
Concerns have already been raised over how Assassin's Creed Infinity might impact trophy hunting while feeding into the growing and invasive "always online" nature of modern gaming, but there are some potential benefits of the hub that could help to win fans over. As things stand, the current mainline releases for Assassin's Creed are quite far removed from the earlier identity of the franchise, with more intimate smaller-scale experiences being traded in for massively expansive open-worlds with a greater focus on RPG elements.
This shift in identity for Assassin's Creed has been fairly successful but divisive, and the Infinity hub could be the perfect way to offer a wider level of content that satisfies fans of all preferences. Infinity is expected to launch alongside Assassin's Creed Shadows in February, with other confirmed projects like Hexe being a great example of the interesting and unique gameplay experiences that can be justified through Infinity.
The Settings and Perspectives of AC Infinity Experiences Are Endless
Fans believe that Hexe will be centered around a coven of witches, acting as a smaller-scale title compared to the likes of Shadows. Short, distinctive experiences like that could be a staple of Infinity in terms of supplementing the gaps between the larger mainline releases of the franchise. Without the risk of being released as fully-fledged standalone games, brief yet memorable AC experiences could be released through Infinity that take fans to settings like the Second World War, the Old West, the modern day, and beyond.
Of course, there is the argument that the fresh assets that these experiences would require might be too costly for brief gameplay experiences, but Ubisoft could still use them sparingly to great effect. Conversely, Infinity could provide shorter titles that explore different character perspectives of past games, offering fascinating insights from the views of the Templars and beyond without requiring hugely demanding development resources. It almost seems inevitable that the launch of Assassin's Creed Infinity is going to be controversial, but Ubisoft could really lean into the short and sweet stories that the hub can host in order to really make the most out of such an ambitious change.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
• Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
• Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
• Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
• Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
- Engine
- AnvilNext
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
