In September, Ubisoft will be hosting some sort of event to showcase the future ofAssassin’s Creed. What that means exactly is still anyone’s guess, but for many, there are four major possibilities. Fans could either get a look at anAC1 Remake, which fans think Ubisoft has teased;AC Infinity, the live-service title confirmed by Ubisoft some time ago;AC Rift, the reported, more classic-style action-adventure title said to be in development; andAC Nexus, a VR entry in the franchise.
Of these rumored titles, perhaps theAssassin’s Creed 1 RemakeandAC Riftare the most popular. The first is a bit of a tightrope walk though, in honoring its legacy and pleasing longtime fans, butAC Rifthas the potential to be something new and old at the same time. According to the initial report by Bloomberg,AC Riftbegan as an expansion forAssassin’s Creed Valhallabefore breaking off into its own title, ultimately boding well for its future.
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Assassin’s Creed Rift Doesn’t Need Valhalla
As it stands, Ubisoft has said nothing in an official capacity about Assassin’s Creed Rift, nor has it seemingly teased anything about it. The report says that it will be a small-scale game, featuring Basim fromAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. Follow-up reports also suggested thatAssassin’s Creed Riftwould be set in Baghdad. Put it all together, and many have imagined that Assassin’s Creed Rift will explore Basim’s pre-Loki past, in a smaller game more akin to the classicAssassin’s Creedaction-adventure titles.
This, if indeed it is Ubisoft’s plans, sounds incredibly promising. It could be a big turning point for the franchise asfatigue sets in aroundAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. And if Ubisoft is going to pull this off, making sure Basim’s story is its own game is a much better move than making it aValhallaDLC.
If it were, it would likely share the sameproblems as otherAssassin’s Creed ValhallaDLCs, which comes down to them being interesting but ultimately inconsequential. Basim’s story should not be inconsequential. It would make Baghdad and perhaps some of the surrounding area a map, toss Basim there, and the parkour would suffer.
Ubisoft is hopefully taking the classic approach here, meaning Baghdad may be the main focus of the game. This setting would allow for a tighter city design and allow Ubisoft to really pushparkour inAssassin’s Creed Rift. Truly, by breaking away fromAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, Rift has to prove that it can walk on its own. From the sounds of it though, it could be thatAC Riftis able to freely wall run, parkour, and make leaps of faith without being tethered toValhalla’s design.
