We'll have to wait longer for the next Assassin's Creed game
Ubisoft says that future Assassin's Creed games will have longer development times
⏳ Mainline Assassin’s Creed games will take longer to make
📆 Ubisoft says four years seems about right for new major installments
👍 The publisher said it’s open to remaking classic Assassin's Creed games to fill in the gaps
🥷 The next big AC game is Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is out on November 12
Ubisoft has admitted that it’ll take longer to develop future Assassin’s Creed games ahead of the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
The announcement comes shortly after Ubisoft said it’s planning to remake some of Assassin’s Creed games for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, which may be a way to fill in the gaps between its mainline releases.
According to AC: Shadows lead producer Karl Onnée, the game has been in development for four years, which he believes is “the right balance to go from conception to production and get the feedback necessary to adapt” any major Assassin’s Creed game.
"It's great to work on a game that comes after something with the pedigree of Valhalla... but obviously there are great expectations," Onnée told GamesIndustry.biz. "We always want to go better, which is what we're trying to do with Shadows.”
Assassin’s Creed has benefited from a longer development cycle after Ubisoft scrapped its annual release format. The French publisher also has multiple studios to develop Assassin’s Creed games, which means it can create smaller projects like Assassin’s Creed Mirage as players wait for the next big entry.
Game development has become increasingly costly and time-intensive as studios try to create more expansive, realistic, and engaging worlds. The average triple-A game takes around five years to finish, which means gamers are waiting longer than ever for sequels or new titles to be released.
Check out the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games to see which titles are on the way for the rest of the year.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.