‘Assassin’s Creed’ Sequel 2017: What Ubisoft Should Do To Bring Back Its Audience

While there is little news about a possible Assassin’s Creed title in 2017, there is a way Ubisoft can get its gaming audience back. It will require doing something they said they wouldn’t do, but it’s what the consumer has been asking for ever since Unity was announced.

When Assassin’s Creed began back in 2007, it wowed gamers with its relatively realistic depiction of Jerusalem and its surrounding regions. It wasn’t until Assassin’s Creed II that Ubisoft found a successful franchise, with Ezio Auditore as a charismatic Italian born into a secret clan formed to keep the power-hungry Templar order in check. Along with the introduction of their arguably best character ever, the running trope of having to break out of the action to perform mundane tasks as Desmond Miles grew tiresome.

After Black Flag, it became clear that Ubisoft had no intention of breaking the trend of having an Animus bring someone back in time through the extracted memories of an assassin’s descendant. The lack of profits from Syndicate also proved that Unity and its “re-invention” of the gameplay had done significant damage to the franchise’s reputation. Any Assassin’s Creed sequel after 2017 could be a hard sell if they don’t listen to what gamers want.

If the announced Egyptian setting in Assassin’s Creed: Empire doesn’t work, they might have no choice.

There has been a demand for a game set in feudal Japan, since the idea of the assassin has been made famous in that era and region. The Samurai had held despotic authority over the land as the nomadic ninja were forced to take stealthier routes to fight them off. The setting would be perfect, but Ubisoft has said they won’t do it, instead repeatedly giving gamers settings they think would be interesting to explore.

They have also said they would never make a crossover game between their franchises, even though Watch Dogs hinted at people working for the fictional Abstergo from the Assassin’s Creed games. It might bring back one franchise and tie three together if Ubisoft decided to go ahead and join Aiden Pearce and Sam Fisher from Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell for an Assassin’s Creed sequel after 2017. It would be a great way to continue the modern day narrative they feel compelled to focus on, according to Cinema Blend.

Having the two characters unite could be the perfect way to bring back Watch Dogs, as Aiden realizes he’s being hunted by the Templar order. Sam Fisher would overhear his superiors in a conversation including the phrase, “May the father of understanding guide us,” and realize he’s been working with the not-so-mythical order. The two unite in a present day setting, and Aiden reveals a new weapon in his arsenal – the Assassin’s gauntlet and blade. He gives a pair to Sam Fisher, and the two team up to destroy the Templar order in the present day.

At some point in the Assassin’s Creed sequel, Aiden Pearce decides to try out an animus and tasks Sam Fisher with guarding it. At this point, Aiden takes on the role of his ancestor in feudal Japan in a kind of optional mini-game. This could also be the basis for a two-player co-op mode, as one guards the other from being detected by roaming guards, or both cover each other in a challenge to take out the Templars undetected.

The Japan mini-game in the Assassin’s Creed sequel might have him sending allies out into the countryside to distract, kill and sabotage, while he sneaks into the stronghold to take out a Samurai overlord. Ubisoft could make a special edition of the game for the upcoming PlayStation 4 VR headset for full immersion, as well.

Ubisoft has been looking for a way to revive the series and players have been getting bored with the same gameplay experience over and over again. The Assassin’s Creed sequel after 2017 could be a way to give many gamers what they’ve been asking for.

[Image via Ubisoft]