Next major Assassin’s Creed game will launch in 2017, sources claim

There will be no new major entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise in 2016, with Ubisoft allegedly opting to skip a year for the first time since the release of Assassin’s Creed 2 in 2009, Kotaku sources have revealed.

There is, however, a new Assassin’s Creed game in the works for next year, sources claim. Codenamed Empire, the new Assassin’s Creed is believed to be set in ancient Egypt, with one source telling Kotaku that the decision to launch in 2017 was made following 2014’s disappointing Unity.

Making the decision early means the dev team on Empire now has extra time to ensure a fully polished game is delivered. A two year gap could also help alleviate franchise fatigue.

Kotaku had the ancient Egypt setting for Empire confirmed by multiple other sources, in addition to an original report which appeared on 4chan by a poster claiming to be a Ubisoft dev.

However, one Kotaku source indicated the new game would be set in ancient Rome, which the 4chan poster suggested could be the setting for the second game in a new trilogy beginning with Egypt.

Assassin’s Creed may be skipping 2016’s major holiday season, but the year will still be packed with new entries in the franchise. Coming in January and February are side-scrolling action titles Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia, respectively. Then skip to the year end and the Assassin’s Creed movie is set to hit cinema screens on December 21.

The slot left behind by a major Assassin’s Creed game could also be filled by a new entry in the Watch Dogs franchise, Kotaku suggests.

Source: Kotaku