Ubisoft has been going through a bit of a roller coaster time period. The Assassin’s Creed frachise, which was the successor to the wildly popular Prince of Persia IP, had a great era, and then, like many popular game franchises, the idea got stale and the company suffered back to back flops. Their recent offering, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla showed that the franchise could still be saved, and now with Assassin’s Creed: Shadows being previewed positively, it looks like the franchise could indeed spark a resurgence.
If you have not heard about it yet, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows takes us to feudal Japan, which is a fresh change, considering the other major titles more more west focussed. As is the trend with recent AC titles, we have two playable characters – A Shinobi Assassin named Naoe, and a samurai amed Yasuke. Ofcourse, the company did ruffle a few feathers when they said that this new entry into the Assassin’s universe will explore characters with varying cultural representations, but it looks like the select group who have caught a glimpse of the new game, have found the storyline and experience to be immersive and refreshing.
Ubisoft has reported recently that pre-order numbers for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows are solid, almost at par with Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, the franchise’s second most successful entry. But, there are contrasting reports saying the new AC game has made only 7% of the expected pre-order figures, much in line with Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.
Whatever the truth may be, Ubisoft seems to be confident that they will make up the numbers for AC: Shadows post launch, as the product and encouraging word of mouth will invite new and existing AC games to experience the beautiful, yet brutal journey through feudal Japan.
While it all sounds happy and positive on the outside, the truth is that Ubisoft is struggling financially, and the success of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows will be pivotal in shaping the future of the franchise and the company as a whole.
I have played every Assassin’s Creed entry to date, and will obviously be trying my hand at AC: Shadows when it finally drops in March, but I want to hear your thoughts on this. Do you think Assassin’s Creed will get a ew lease of life with Shadows, or will it be a case of new game, same content.
