During the company’s recent quarterly investors call, when asked about VR platforms like the Meta Quest headsets and Apple’s recently-released Apple Vision Pro, as well as what Ubisoft’s plans are in the space going forward, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guilletmot said that the company doesn’t intent to increase its investment in VR gaming. That’s down to Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, which, according to Guillemot, is doing “okay”, but has failed to sell to the level that the company was hoping for.

“We have been a bit disappointed by what we were able to achieve on VR with Assassin’s Creed,” Guillemot said (transcribed by VGC). “It did okay, and it continues to sell, but we thought it would sell more, so we are not increasing our investment on VR at the moment, because it needs to take off.

“We have been very impressed by what Apple came up with, and we think it’s fantastic hardware, but we continue to look at this VR business as something that we have to look at but not invest too much in, until it grows enough.”

Based on Guillemot’s words, it certainly seems like Ubisoft is taking a step back from VR space, so even if we were to see the company releasing more VR experiences, they’re unlikely to be of the scale of something like Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR.

Back in 2020, Ubisoft said that it was also working on a VR Splinter Cell game, but a couple of years later, the company announced that the project had been cancelled.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR sees fan-favourite protagonists from past games returning to the limelight, and allows players to play through new memories in the lives of Ezio Auditore, Connor Kenway, and Kassandra. In the modern-day setting, you play as an elite hacker in the Assassins Brotherhood, who infiltrates Abstergo.

The game also boasts multiple open maps and free 360-degree movement, allowing freedom in exploration and navigation, while the combat is built around real-world motions for actions such as blocking, parrying, using your weapons, and more.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR has three playable characters – Connor from Assassin’s Creed 3, Ezio from Assassin’s Creed 2 and Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. While you visit familiar locations (and some new ones like Newport for Connor), they’re approachable at 360 degrees. If you see something, you can climb it, with options like feet-to-feet jumps, throwing yourself sideways and backwards, etc.

As a stealth-focused game, you can sneak and peek around corners. However, there are cracks and holes in the environment to see through. Some objects are also dynamic and can be thrown to distract guards. The trademark whistle is also a physical gesture that you can perform to attract attention.

Combat is motion-controlled as players block attacks and create opportunities to strike enemies when they’re vulnerable. However, this will be the first time players use Kassandra’s Hidden Blade, and while sprinting, your assassination distance increases.

As this is a VR game, there are comfort features like tunnel vision, teleport locomotion, auto parkour, a vignetting system and more available. Check out the video below for more details.

Creative director David Votypka also shared some new details on what to expect, but first clarified that “This isn’t a small VR experience that lasts but a few hours – this is a full, proper Assassin’s Creed game, where you get to play three different Assassins, across three different periods and it’s all up wrapped together in a brand new Assassin’s Creed story.”

The three Assassins in question are Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ezio Auditore from Assassin’s Creed 2 and Connor Kenway from Assassin’s Creed 3. However, you control an “elite player hacker” and Brotherhood member in the modern-day story who goes undercover in Abstergo.

The Templar Order’s front is seeking artifacts, with Dominia Wilk ordering the player to visit the memories of each Assassin to find them. Nexus returns to “the basics and roots” with stealth and exploration (as seen with the climbing and parkour). There is combat, whether it’s fighting single enemies or groups, but it’s not an action RPG like Odyssey.

Each setting explores these pillars in its own way, but the idea is to allow the player to become a “master Assassin.” Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR launches on November 16th. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay in the coming weeks.

Ubisoft has also premiered a new gameplay trailer for the title, offering glimpses of how it’ll translate the series’ assassinations, combat, parkour, and more into a virtual reality experience. The trailer also showcases the game’s three playable protagonists – fan-favourite characters Ezio Auditore, Connor Kenway, and Kassandra – as well as the three eras that they live in. Check out the trailer below, courtesy of IGN.

Upon its launch in November, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR will be available on Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 3 headsets.

One of these, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, was officially unveiled at Ubisoft Forward earlier this week after a few months of leaks, though a few were left disappointed by the fact that the Meta Quest title didn’t show any gameplay at all, with Ubisoft instead choosing to debut the game with a fully VG trailer.

While gameplay footage still hasn’t been shown off, Ubisoft has, at the very least, released new in-game screenshots that show what the game itself will look like. Showcasing sections with all three playable protagonists – namely, Ezio, Connor, and Kassandra – the screenshots, which were uploaded to the game’s official webpage, show a number of different weapons and locations. Check them out below.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR is set to launch for Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro sometime later this year.

Releasing this Holiday season, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR features a new story built for VR. Players can parkour across maps, realistically fight with weapons and even blend in with crowds for stealthy play. The signature Leap of Faith carries over, and Ubisoft promises that its “innovative VR functionality” will help players deal with vertigo and other issues.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR will release for Meta Quest Pro, Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3. Stay tuned for more details and some actual gameplay in the coming months. In the meantime, registrations for an upcoming closed beta of Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade have been confirmed. Head here for more details.

According to the description of the game on the Quest store, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR is an all-new game in the franchise built exclusively for VR, and as such isn’t an adaptation of a game that has been released in the past. Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR also has a website, but with no real details aside from a 2023 release window.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR was announced shortly after Meta unveiled its new Quest 3 headset. The headset, priced at $499.99, is slated for launch in fall this year. It features a new Snapdragon chipset, and will be fully backwards compatible with titles released for the Quest 2.

Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is coming to Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 3 later this year.

Full reveal at #UbiForward on June 12th at 10 AM PT.

Wishlist available here: https://t.co/7ElIRZVkVv#AssassinsCreedNexusVR pic.twitter.com/wEykwqk9KP

— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) June 1, 2023