Assassin's Creed Unity launched in 2014 to mixed reviews. Some players experienced technical issues and graphical errors that lead to the game garnering a reputation for being unfinished. However, Assassin's Creed Unity has since become a cult classic, largely due to developer Ubisoft rebuilding its Paris landscape and the title being the last to feature an online cooperative mode. Due to this cult classic status, the game has seen a revival on digital marketplaces. Over eight years later, players are still active in AC Unity's multiplayer mode.
Multiplayer gameplay was introduced to the Assassin's Creed series in 2011's Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. However, it was best implemented in Assassin's Creed Unity, as the concept of cooperative interaction was not only a gameplay feature but a significant tie-in to the title's overall plot. Playing the role of Arno Dorian, fans were tasked with exposing the Templar ties to the French Revolution while searching for answers surrounding the death of his adoptive father. As the title implies, uniting others to the cause was an underlying theme in AC Unity, and multiplayer was the best example of the concept in motion.
Assassin's Creed Unity Features The First and Last Co-op Multiplayer Mode in the Franchise
Assassin's Creed Unity transitioned the series away from stand-alone competitive multiplayer by allowing players to team up and take on story-based missions and heists. Completing these activities produced an immediate reward, materials or items that could be used in the title's single-player campaign. However, these activities weren't just an add-on to complement the game's primary narrative. Assassin's Creed Unity's popularity was largely due to how much attention was given to its cooperative mode.
Assassin's Creed Unity's multiplayer missions were their own campaign, complete with cutscenes, new characters, and a story that fit together with Arno's single-player narrative. Players were tasked with completing an objective in a certain time limit or defeating a certain amount of guards in a specific location in order to advance the plot. The franchise never featured such a unique campaign again, resulting in Unity's multiplayer missions remaining active to this day.
Heists in Assassin's Creed Unity were something altogether different. Up to four players were tasked with infiltrating a stronghold and stealing a large sum of money or an artifact. Stealth was key in these missions, and required a coordinated effort from players, as a heist's layout and guard routes would be unique with each experience. Assassins could use communal abilities, if grouped together, such as strengthened "sense" that allowed the detection of guards over a larger area than normal.
Together, cooperative story missions and heists contributed to Assassin's Creed Unity's multiplayer becoming a singularly unique experience. Working together allowed players to feel like they were part of the Brotherhood of Assassins. Though the Brotherhood was heavily featured in nearly every entry in the series, it could only be experienced "live" in AC Unity. Following the mixed reception to the title upon release, sequels to Assassin's Creed Unity focused on single-player narratives and cinematic set pieces. Still, some fans continue to return to Unity's multiplayer to feel the rush of working alongside fellow assassins online.
The State of Assassin's Creed Unity in 2023
Assassin's Creed Unity still sees daily activity in its cooperative servers. Last month, the title averaged nearly 800 players a day on Steam, with a peak of over 1600 according to Steam Database. The title is also playable on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with some fans still hoping to see AC Unity released on the Switch. In December 2020, a port of the game was released on Google Stadia. However, that has since been discontinued.
With Assassin's Creed Invictus set to be the series's first stand-alone multiplayer entry, many fans are hoping to see the best parts of Assassin's Creed Unity carried over to the title. After eight years of Assassin's Creed focusing on single-player narratives, Invictus promises to return the series to a simpler time and improve upon the unique features of AC Unity. Though there has been little news surrounding Invictus or the larger Assassin's Creed Infinity live service platform, given how many players still access Unity for its cooperative aspects, it is likely that many are anticipating news surrounding the series' return to multiplayer.
Assassin's Creed Unity is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.