At the latest Ubisoft Forward, Ubisoft unveiled what the future ofAssassin’s Creedlooks like. There are a lot of open-world games to look forward to, and Ubisoft also has plans to bring the franchise to mobile platforms withAssassin’s Creed: Codename Jade. It will apparently be an open-world title with classicAssassin’s Creedgameplay in the brand-new setting of Ancient China. It holds a lot of promise, but players may be turned off by its mobile nature.
Ubisoft has not revealed much aboutAssassin’s Creed: Codename Jadebeyond a logo and the setting. The only other information Ubisoft has shared is that it will be the first time players can create their own assassin protagonist, and that concept has a lot of promise. Couple it with the Chinese setting andJadehas the potential to be a really cool entry for the series - except for the fact that it’s weighed down as a mobile game. Mobile games have a bad reputation, and the entire concept ofJadecould suffer for it.
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China Has Been Relegated to Assassin’s Creed Spin-Offs
Assassin’s Creed: Codename Jadewill not be the first time the series has explored the Chinese Brotherhood, but so far it has only cropped up in spin-offs. Back in 2015, Ubisoft kicked off atrilogy known asAssassin’s Creed Chronicles. The first game in the trilogy brought players to 16th Century China. Its gameplay was a far cry from the mainline series, as theChroniclesseries included 2.5D sidescroller that told much shorter stories.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles Chinaput players in control of a new assassin named Shao Jun who wished to take out the Eight Tigers, a group of Templars that ruled the country from the shadows. The game itself was decent fun, but was nowhere near the quality of the main series. This was the series' only experience with Chinese history and many players have called for a full-fledged action-adventure title, so it seems Ubisoft is preparing to deliver on that request.
WhileJadeis supposed to be an open-world title, it will not be a mainline entry appearing on consoles. If players want to experience an assassin story set in Ancient China, they will have to be willing to download a mobile title - most of which are associated with microtransactions, garnering a bad reputation thanks togames likeDiablo Immortal. Many fans of the franchise may choose to skip this entry, and it almost feels like Ubisoft is doing a disservice to a setting that has huge potential.
As of now, it seems like Ubisoft has relegated Chinese history to spin-off titles. The main franchise has explored much of European history and a bit of American history, but it has shied away from Asia. It will finally explore Japan in the upcomingAssassin’s Creed: Codename Red, but it has yet to explore the history of China through the main series. This history goes back centuries, and it deserves to be at the center of a flagshipAssassin’s Creedgame.
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Assassin’s Creed Jade Deserves to Shine
Assassin’s Creed: Codename Jadewill be the first time in the series that players are able to create their own assassin, but they can only do it on their phones. One of the joys of the series has been exploring complicated characters throughout history, and becoming personally inserted into that history may make things more special. It gives players a greater connection to the protagonist, and is one of the reason thatMMOs likeWorld of Warcraftand games likeSaints Roware so popular.
Having everyone play as their own unique character may impactthe grander story ofAssassin’s Creed, but it could all be explained away by the Animus. The series has dabbled in letting players select the gender of their protagonist withOdysseyandValhalla, and character creation feels like the logical next step. If it works well,Jadecould become very popular for that feature alone. That is why the game cannot just be a mobile title.
Players want to explore China in a mainlineAssassin’s Creedgame, and many would also love the ability to create their own characters. The mobile market is a huge moneymaker, particularly in China, and mobile games take advantage of that withthe sheer amount of microtransactionsthat are available. Not every title is super predatory, but the ones that are have received the most attention, and they are often used as a representation of the market. These controversies push console and PC players away from the platform, and thus many may choose to skipJade.
Time will tell ifAssassin’s Creed: Codename Jadeis filled with predatory microtransactionsor not, but being a mobile title already hurts the excitement for many fans. The game is built upon a feature that has not been seen in the main series and a setting that has only been in spin-off games, and it does not deserve to be left on phones. Ubisoft should consider giving the game a console or PC port like akin toGenshin Impact, or at least let the features shine in a new mainline title sometime soon.
Assassin’s Creed: Codename Jadeis currently in development for iOS and Android.
