According to a report from Jason Schreier, Assassin's Creed Infinity is in the works a Ubisoft. Unlike other Assassin's Creed titles, it will not focus on one period of time but instead be a live service offering.
If you already struggle with the size and scope of the Assassin's Creed titles, Infinity could be about the expand this further, but will the live service aspect add accessibility for more casual players?
The Ubisoft Montreal and Quebec teams were recently merged into one team having alternated working on the recent Assassin's Creed titles. Their merger was a sign of the intention to end the internal competition between the two studios and have them come together to work on the same project.
When Schreier reached out to Ubisoft for comment, they confirmed the existence of Infinity while being also being questioned about the company's spotty sexual harassment record.
What Is Assassin's Creed Infinity?
From the report, it appears that Assassin's Creed Infinity (which is a codename, not an official title) is going to be a live service title. In short this means that as oppose to yearly releases, one title will be maintained and updated to keep content fresh.
Rather than heading to different locations and timelines across multiple instalments, Assassin's Creed Infinity will contain all of the content and Ubisoft will be able to add and takeaway from the game as they see fit.
The larger scale project has already seen some employees leave the business due to their fatigue related to working on massive productions. Given that Assassin's Creed Infinity is set to be the most ambitious project yet, you can understand their decision.
Why Go With Live Service?
Ubisoft are no strangers to a live service offering. The Division, Rainbow Six: Siege and For Honor are all live service games. Regular DLC and content is available either for free or at a small additional cost.
This content helps keep the active player base engaged while attempting to bring in new players with a lower cost to entry. Ubisoft have already announced their intentions to rely more on free-to-play and live service moving forward.