There are even studios like Ubisoft Montpellier (currently working on Beyond Good and Evil 2), Ubisoft Montreal (Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake) and Ubisoft Singapore (Skull and Bones). While past Ubisoft projects have had multiple studios as support, Assassin’s Creed Shadows probably has the highest amount at 15.

Launching on November 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC (including day one on Ubisoft+), Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set in late Sengoku era Japan. Shinobi Naoe and samurai Yasuke team up to combat injustice and corruption in society while pursuing their own goals. Check out the trailer breakdown here for more details.

Ubisoft Bordeaux has recruited Rik Godwin as lead writer (as announced by himself on his Twitter page) to continue working on the Assassin’s Creed franchise, suggesting that the studio has another instalment in the works (especially since it’s been previously confirmed that there are no DLC or post-launch support plans for Assassin’s Creed Mirage).

Earlier this year, it was claimed in a report by Insider Gaming that Ubisoft had eleven Assassin’s Creed projects in varying stages of production across a number of studios, including a remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Of those eleven projects, two – Mirage and Nexus VR – have launched, but a second title by Ubisoft Bordeaux wasn’t mentioned at the time.

The next mainline instalment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise is Assassin’s Creed Codename RED. Set in feudal Japan, the game will allegedly launch in late 2024.

As it's the end of my first official week on the job:

I am ridiculously delighted to announce I am now Lead Writer at Ubisoft Bordeaux, working on the Assassin's Creed franchise! pic.twitter.com/F2b2l6nqsk

— Rik Godwin (@Tafdolphin) November 24, 2023

These two titles exemplified the weaknesses of the yearly sequel cycle, both in polish and potentially exhausting a player base. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag brought things back on track by being completely unlike anything seen before with its setting.

However, Assassin’s Creed Unity fell off again due to numerous bugs and glitches. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate was there, and by that point, fans were ready for a refresh. Assassin’s Creed Origins debuted two years later, and the series has embraced The Witcher 3-like action RPG gameplay ever since.

Don’t get me wrong – a new Assassin’s Creed was still very much a big deal for many people. Look no further than Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which crossed $1 billion in revenue in less than two years of release. However, much of the series’ magic felt like it had diminished over time. Maybe it was because the games had become bigger, evolving from stories into pieces of a never-ending mystery or platforms for live service with new “modes” and microtransactions.

Maybe it was that the “assassin” in Assassin’s Creed no longer really applied. It became more of a name than an identity for a series founded on stealth and assassinating targets using ingenuity and the environment.

Thankfully, Ubisoft is returning to those roots with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, ironically meant as an expansion for Valhalla before evolving into its own game. Many things will look unfamiliar to contemporary fans – it costs $50 and doesn’t feature an overwhelmingly large map with multiple regions to explore. There are no loot boxes, and it’s about 15 to 20 hours (with playtests estimating about 25 to 30 hours for a completionist run).

Most importantly, there are no plans for DLC or extensive post-launch support per creative director Stephane Boudon. Even if it’s the origin story of Basim Ibn Ishaq, a key figure in Valhalla, Mirage aims to tell a complete story, even if it makes up an overall larger narrative.

To say that all of this is a breath of fresh air would be an understatement. It’s not because we don’t appreciate big games that provide dozens of hours of entertainment, but modern-day Assassin’s Creed – and Ubisoft in general – was becoming dangerously bloated. An experience like this that can be completed over a week, emphasizing quality over quantity, is appreciated.

None of that would mean anything if the gameplay wasn’t something you wanted to experience. For Assassin’s Creed fans, Mirage is a return to what made the series tick. Set in 9th-century Baghdad with four districts to explore (a throwback to the first game, which similarly focused on a single, dense location), you follow Basim from his beginnings as a street thief to becoming a member of the Hidden Ones. Combat is close-quarters, but it’s less over-the-top and smash mouth than Valhalla or Odyssey. Stealth is still very much the play here, especially when completing objectives.

When completing a mission, you’re not just beelining it to the target and killing everything in your path. First, you need to gather information about them, completing different tasks and gathering clues before zeroing in on their locations. Being an assassin also means not being able to soak up a lot of damage (crazy, I know), and while parrying attacks and countering with killing blows is an option, it’s best not to let enemies overwhelm you.

Sneaking and investigating the area for opportunities is the key to success. Blend into crowds, pickpocket enemies, throw smoke bombs and swoop in for assassinations – the choice is yours. Thanks to the new Assassin Focus, you can take down several enemies immediately, but only if you remain undetected (somewhat similar to the Mark and Execute feature from Splinter Cell Conviction back in the day). It requires assassinations to recharge, further incentivizing stealth. Combat, as in the older games, is an alternative means to defend yourself, but it’s thankfully not the main gameplay loop.

It’s also nice being able to hire different groups for unique purposes, like mercenaries who can fight alongside you or musicians who create distractions. Parkour also makes a grand return, with Basim nimbly moving across the city’s rooftops (with new mechanics like poles allowing you to cross larger gaps). Eagle Vision is also here to offer a hand in locating targets, but you also get an eagle companion (with the added nuance of having to clear anti-air forces so that it can safely scout locations).

It isn’t to say that open-world content is completely gone. You still run into World Events, which provide different rewards, with collectibles, artifacts, optional contracts and more also available. There’s even a Notoriety system, which causes the city to come alive in the worst possible way if you commit too many crimes.

All of this sounds too good to be true if we hadn’t seen extensive gameplay over the past year or so. It’s almost crazy how Ubisoft would pay homage to the first Assassin’s Creed and offer a stealthy experience when it’s spent the past several years embracing loot systems and hack-and-slash combat.

One could look at this as part of the company’s push for Assassin’s Creed Infinity (remember that?), its upcoming hub for everything related to the franchise. Granted, Infinity is not launching with Mirage – its first two games will be Assassin’s Creed Codename Red, an action RPG, and Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe, which hasn’t been showcased but isn’t an RPG.

Nevertheless, Assassin’s Creed Mirage could still be viewed as an advertisement for the platform to offer experiences and cater to different kinds of fans. Whatever the case, the fact that a throwback title like this, even with all its new bells and whistles, could ever happen again, especially in a year packed with major releases, is auspicious.

A lot is riding on it, especially considering Ubisoft’s string of failures, cancelled projects and generally terrible work practices over the years. It’s a chance for the company to put its best foot forward and show that it understands what made its franchises so popular in the first place while building upon their core gameplay. More importantly, it leans into the idea that you don’t need massive +100-hour experiences with endless checklists of tasks in this day and age.

Sometimes, a compact and compelling title with fun gameplay is enough. If modern Assassin’s Creed could acknowledge, much less remember the fact and become successful, then perhaps there’s some hope for future instalments following suit. In the meantime, it’s one of the more important titles of the year for fans and worth keeping an eye on.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The update addresses several gameplay bugs, such as elevators killing Basim or Shards not properly being awarded. Enemies should also properly take fall damage, while auto-loot will work irrespective of how you kill them. The Sand Outfit, one of many obtained in-game, will also prevent Basim from dying when two enemies simultaneously deal fatal damage.

Other issues like invisible collision on some objects in the city, NPCs not staying stationary on boats and continuing to sail, and more have also been addressed. Check out the rest of the Title Update notes below.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is out today for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. You can check out our review here.

AC Mirage Title Update 1.0.2 – Release Notes

• Title update 1.0.2 for Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be deployed on all supported platforms tomorrow, Oct 5 @ 1400 UTC / 03:00 PM UK / 10:00 AM ET / 7:00 AM PT

Patch Sizes:

• Xbox Series X|S: 5.44 GB
• Xbox One: B : 4.04 GB
• PlayStation 5: 2.18 GB
• PlayStation 4: 5.40 GB
• PC: 0GB (TU 1.0.2 is included in the 41.6 GB game files ahead of Oct 5.)

Gameplay

Addressed:

• Elevators would kill Basim.
• Shards were not properly awarded.
• End Game rewards are now properly awarded after finishing the game.
• Enemies now properly take damage from falling.
• Auto-loot skill now works properly on all enemies, regardless of how the player kills them.
• Players will not lose control of Basim after Fast Traveling.
• Enemies parry reaction time is properly slowed down using the “Dagger of Time” perk.
• The “Sand Sword” perk now properly heals Basim when killing an enemy.
• While wearing the “Sand Outfit” Basim now won’t be killed if taking two fatal damage from two separate enemies at the same time.

UI

Addressed:

• Quest markers no longer disappear after performing a save/load action.
• English language option now properly appears only once in menus
• Instances of misplaced or wrong UI displayed.

World

Addressed:

• NPC on boats will continue to sail and not stay stationary.
• NPC’s drinking animation fixed.
• Removed invisible collision for some objects in Baghdad.

Quests

Addressed:

• NPC detection has been improved during the Gilded Butterfly quest.
• Forty Thieves quest items rewards are not visible in game.
• Eavesdrop lines now properly play.
• Baghdad Bound – Could not interact in the Harbiyah Bureau if the investigation board was opened too quickly after the Dialogue Scene.
• Den of the Beast – Could not interact with Ali properly in the “Speak with Ali” objective.
• To Catch a Demon – Could not interact with the Tool Wheel or World Map if detected by enemies while interacting with clues.
• Gilded Butterflies – Fighting during the “Great Auction” would break the quest flow.
• The Great Symposium – Fixed blockers for the “Find Frazil the Great Scholar” objective.
• The Serpent’s Nest – Dialogues now trigger correctly for Basim.

GRAPHICS, ANIMATION, AND PERFORMANCE

Addressed:

• Numerous graphics, environment or VFX improvements.
• Multiple stability improvements.
• Enemies and bosses having anormal poses.
• Unnatural animations for Basim and/or Nehal.
• Refresh Rate settings will now display proper information.
• Animations for takedowns are more polished.
• Placeholder lines/dialog appearing for too long are now removed.
• Fixed conditions in which cinematics were not displaying carried objects.
• Setup optimization for ultrawide and multiscreen modes.
• Settings are now persistent on Luna.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Improved OWO Haptic Suit support.
• PS4 update history will now be populated.

Project Q‘s official Discord server has since been shut down.

“The first closed test was a great milestone for us because of all the work put in from the team, your amazing support, and your great reception,” says the announcement on Discord, according to Insider Gaming. “We loved the amazing energy on this discord, it was our fuel for the project. Your feedback was a true gift and allowed us to grow as developers in order to do our best for you, our players.”

“All these warm moments make this announcement harder to make: sadly we have to cancel our upcoming closed tests as Project Q will no longer continue development. This also means that we will need to shut down this Discord server.”

The studio behind Project Q hasn’t really given much in the way of details about the game’s cancellation in its announcement. “We don’t have further information to communicate right now but we want to thank you all for your passion and your love for Project Q,” says the announcement.

Project Q was originally announced back in April 2022. Described as a team battle arena title, the game was rumoured to have extensive playtests throughout its time in development. The game never got an official release window, however.

Ubisoft would stress that Project Q wasn’t a battle royale, but rather a more straightforward PvP game with a host of different game modes. Recent reports have also revealed that the company has had “at least a dozen” battle royale games in development at one point.

The first is reportedly set for late January, followed by the second in April and the third in June. Each test reportedly lasts about a week, and while the content is unknown, a Ubisoft source revealed that “significant changes” had been made since the last test.

While the publisher says Project Q isn’t a battle royale, one of the modes, “Showdown,” apparently has mechanics from the same (as per footage seen by Insider Gaming). Another mode, “Battle Zone,” involves two teams of four players fighting to capture points and was the focus of the first playtest.

A release window for Project Q hasn’t been confirmed, with Ubisoft stating it to be in “early development” last year. Other multiplayer projects still in testing include the controversial competitive shooter XDefiant and the PvE shooter Pathfinder. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Interestingly, this includes a brand new quest called “Shared History.” It sees Eivor teaming with Roshan from Assassin’s Creed Mirage. The latter mentored Basim, who plays a role in Valhalla. As a Master Assassin, she’s voiced by actor Shohreh Aghdashloo and fights for justice. Given how the events of Eivor’s story play out, it should be interesting to see their interaction.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is still releasing on December 6th for Steam, so stay tuned for more details. Assassin’s Creed Mirage launches in 2023 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Amazon Luna. It takes place 20 years before Valhalla with Basim as the protagonist and returns to the stealth-focused gameplay of older Assassin’s Creed titles.

Surprise! Roshan from Assassin's Creed Mirage makes an appearance in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with our latest update. Eivor and Roshan team up in "Shared History" – a new free quest available now! #AssassinsCreed pic.twitter.com/s7QOcjaavS

— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) November 29, 2022

The game’s Deluxe Edition will cost $59.99, and in addition to the come, it will also come with a digital artbook, the game’s soundtrack, as well as Prince of Persia-inspired cosmetics, including an skins for Basim, his eagle Enkidu, mounts, weapons, and more.

Then there’s the Collector’s Case, which will be a much costlier purchase at the price of $149.99. The Collector’s Case will include all the content in the Deluxe Edition, as well as a Basim figurine, a physical version of the game’s sountrack, a map, a collectible brooch, and a steelbook case that will feature a design elected by fans. You can check out an image showing the contents of the Collector’s Case below.

Meanwhile, it’s also been confirmed that pre-ordering the game will unlock the bonus “The Forty Thieves” question, which was leaked earlier this month.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set to launch sometime in 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, and Amazon Luna.

Speaking in an interview with VGC, vice president executive producer of Assassin’s Creed Marc-Alexis Côté called the game a “commemorate” of everything the franchise has done up until this point, adding that though the game is built using Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s tech, it will be much more focused on stealth, parkour, and close-quarters combat.

“It’s our commemoration of everything that we’ve done in the franchise, so it will be less of an RPG and more of an action-adventure game like our period one games,” he said. “It is built using our Valhalla technology but, we’re proposing a more intimate, more focused experience for players to to again go back to our roots, go back to the Middle East… more stealth, more parkour, more close-quarters combat.”

In line with the game’s smaller scope, it’s been confirmed that Mirage will be roughly 15-20 hours long and will retail at $50.

Meanwhile, Côté also confirms that Assassin’s Creed Mirage is being developed by Ubisoft Bordeaux, the studio that developed the Wrath of the Druids expansion for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Interestingly, multiple leaks prior to Mirage’s recent reveal had claimed that the game initially started development as another expansion for Valhalla, before being morphed into a separate, standalone project.

“[Ubisoft Bordeaux] started working on AC with [Valhalla DLC] Wrath of the Druids and collaborating with us a little bit beforehand,” Côté said. “It’s a very young studio and a studio that has an energy and desire to leave its mark that reminds me a lot of my own studio in Quebec City. It’s a studio that really wants to impress the world.”

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is due out sometime in 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, and Amazon Luna.

That, of course, means that you expect Mirage to be a significantly smaller experience than the likes of 100-hour behemoths like Odyssey and Valhalla. Speaking to IGN, vice president executive producer of Assassin’s Creed Marc-Alexis Côté said that Mirage is “a smaller Assassin’s Creed project” that was “conceived [and] built to celebrate the 15th anniversary” of the franchise.

In terms of runtime, you can expect Assassin’s Creed Mirage to be roughly 15-20 hours long. “You should expect something that’s closer to our original games,” Côté said.

As you’d hope, that means the game’s going to cost less than mainline Assassin’s Creed releases. Ubisoft has confirmed that the Standard Edition of Assassin’s Creed Mirage will retail for $49.99.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is due out sometime in 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, and Amazon Luna.