Although Assassin’s Creed Rift has yet to be confirmed or denied by Ubisoft, there are several rumors and reports surrounding the title that is allegedly being developed. If reports are true, gamers could be receiving an Assassin’s Creed title with a smaller scope than usual, and with plenty of stealth in a Middle Eastern setting. Following this, gamers will also receive Assassin’s Creed Infinity and, possibly, a project codenamed Assassin’s Creed Red.
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News of Assassin’s Creed Rift Breaks
The first report of Assassin’s Creed Rift came from Bloomberg in an article written by video games journalist Jason Schreier, who claimed that the game was born out of Ubisoft’s need to fill out its thin release schedule. Although Rift was originally planned as a DLC for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft eventually decided to make it a standalone game. According to Schreier, the game is centered on Basim Ibn Ishaq, an Assassin Brotherhood member who appears in Valhalla.
Schreier’s sources informed him that the game will not be a massive open-world game like the typical Assassin’s Creed title, and will instead lean on stealth gameplay. He also reports that the game is scheduled for a 2022 or 2023 release. A game focused on Basim has plenty of potential due to the character’s rich history and connection to Loki, and news of a potential game based on him has drawn excitement. A focus on stealth is also good news, as stealth gameplay has been well-implemented in prior Assassin’s Creed games.
Is Assassin’s Creed Rift Still Coming?
Since Schreier’s article, there has been plenty of conversation surrounding Assassin’s Creed and the future of the franchise. In July, @JeremyPenter Tweeted that the next Assassin’s Creed game would be set in the Aztecs. The leak appeared believable, as the leaker has been correct regarding their leaks about Far Cry, another popular Ubisoft franchise. However, when the Tweet was posted on Reddit, Schreier commented, stating that it could not be true, because the next game is Rift, and it is set in Baghdad. He also added that Rift will be followed by Assassin’s Creed Infinity, which will be an online game that will feature many biomes. Schreier claimed he has seen two of them, and none of them are set in the Aztecs.
Gamers may have to wait longer than expected to experience Rift if they experience it at all. Kotaku reported that Ubisoft’s Avatar tie-in game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is delayed, meaning it will not launch in time to coincide with James Cameron’s highly anticipated film, Avatar: The Way of Water, which is slated to release in December 2022. According to Kotaku, an internal Ubisoft email revealed that Ubisoft has decided to stop working on certain games to give higher priority projects more attention and that another smaller unannounced premium game had been delayed. Kotaku speculated that the delayed game may be Assassin’s Creed Rift.
Although Assassin’s Creed Rift is a game that shows plenty of promise due to its focus on Basim and its deviation from the typical Assassin’s Creed formula, recent reports suggest that it may be further away than initially anticipated. It does not appear that Ubisoft is abandoning the franchise, however, as Assassin’s Creed Infinity is still on the way, which could be the platform for all future titles from the series according to Schreier.
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