Of course, there are still questions, but Ubisoft clarifies much in its new FAQ. Despite what was initially assumed, Animus Hub isn’t a standalone launcher – it’s integrated into Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and there aren’t any plans to make it separate.

Those with Origins, Valhalla, Odyssey or Mirage installed can launch them from within the Hub, though physical owners must insert the disc. Titles released before Origins are not supported. Furthermore, the missions within the Animus Hub, aka Anomalies, are playable only in Shadows.

Ubisoft also reiterates that the Animus Hub’s content is free and unlocked when playing the game. Additional missions and updates will also be free. The Keys used to earn rewards from The Exchange can’t be purchased with real money and are only available by completing Anomalies.

What happens if you’re offline? Memories will remain available, but you can’t access The Exchange, Projects or The Vault.

As for the future, Ubisoft touts “ambitious plans” and wants to “create new opportunities to tie together the Assassin’s Creed universe, our Modern Day story, and your favorite Assassin’s Creed games.”

“Launching within Assassin’s Creed Shadows is merely the first step of a long journey together. The Hub will continue to evolve and grow with new features, content, and rewards rolling out in the months and years to come.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on March 20th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out the story trailer, learn more about the Claws of Awaji expansion or read the PC requirements here.

The Animus Hub consists of four sections: Memories, Projects, The Exchange, and The Vault. Memories encompass the modern releases, laid out over a timeline of different heroes and their periods. Projects are unique missions released regularly for Shadows known as Anomalies, providing rewards like weapons, gear, data files, and keys.

You’ll spend keys in The Exchange, which features a selection of weekly and daily items for Shadows. Finally, there’s The Vault, a mysterious list of narrative-focused files that gradually becomes available while playing the new game.

The Animus Hub promises to grow “far beyond” the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows with new features and rewards. As promised in November, there’s no paid battle pass or subscription involved. Stay tuned for more details before its launch.

In a Reddit post, the Assassin’s Creed development team has stated that the upcoming Animus Hub – which is what its official name is seemingly going to be – isn’t going to have any paid subscriptions or any paid battle passes (contrary to prior reports), and that all rewards earned in the hub will be completely free. All “regular content and missions” will also be accessible to players at no additional cost.

Several questions are obviously still left unanswered, from how the Animus Hub will tie into the series’ mainline entries to how it will be monetized, but Ubisoft says more information will be shared “closer to the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on February 14 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.