‘Assassin’s Creed’ in 2016: Identity Is A Hit And A Miss, Plus AC Movie Sequel In The Works

In February, Ubisoft confirmed on their blog that Assassin’s Creed will be stepping back for this year. After years of annual releases of Assassin’s Creed titles, the company has decided to take a step back and look at the whole franchise, what needs to be done, and what can be improved (Read: Assassin’s Creed has built, for the last few years, quite an identity for bringing titles filled with bugs and they may be remedying that starting with Syndicate).

“This year, we also are stepping back and re-examining the Assassin’s Creed franchise. As a result, we’ve decided that there will not be a new Assassin’s Creed game in 2016. Since the release of Assassin’s CreedUnity, we’ve learned a lot based on your feedback. We’ve also updated our development processes and recommitted to making Assassin’s Creed a premier open-world franchise. We’re taking this year to evolve the game mechanics and to make sure we’re delivering on the promise of Assassin’s Creed offering unique and memorable gameplay experiences that make history everyone’s playground.”

But even though Ubisoft has decided to let their AAA title take a break for consoles, other media in the Assassin’s Creed franchise are looking pretty hot this 2016.

First on our list is the worldwide release of Assassin’s Creed Identity, an iOS version of the famous AAA game. Released on February 25, Assassin’s Creed Identity is as action-filled and role-playing as the regular Assassin’s Creed titles, tons better from the previously-released Assassin’s Creed games for the smartphone-playing market.

Watch @IGN ‘s @NaomiKyle run a play through with the Berserker class in Monteriggioni!https://t.co/7Ba72EDLtI pic.twitter.com/iZ6NVZX6ol

— ACIdentity (@ACIdentity) March 6, 2016

Assassin’s Creed Identity takes place during the Assassin’s Creed II era and features locations such as the Colosseum in Rome. Is buying the new title worth it? It would depend, actually. Hardcore fans of the series would find that they need to purchase and play the game, which is priced at a decent $5 on iTunes. But if you’re just a workaday gamer who happens to appreciate Assassin’s Creed, it’s quite a letdown since it just basically a compressed and simplified version of its predecessors.

For a person who appreciates Assassin’s Creed for what it’s worth, Identity becomes, as Gamezebo puts it, a very typical, run of the mill excursion for the series. It’s basically the exact same game that could be played even better and more thorough on the console. While there are certain smartphone-familiar styles embedded into the game, such as leveling with XP, two types of currency (in-game fictional currency and premium currency than can be bought only with real money), and simplified on-screen commands, overall, it feels more like an Assassin’s Creed ripoff than a spin-off.

But if you’re going to look at Identity from a more positive angle, it’s actually pretty decent for starters into the Assassin’s Creed world. It feels and plays like a real Assassin’s Creed game, albeit simplified, with decent graphics and demanding only a healthy level of commitment. And for players who are not into console gaming or haven’t had the pleasure of playing Assassin’s Creed on a real console with a real controller, it’s a good smartphone title on its own.

Q: Will #ACIdentity be on Google Play?
A: Yes! More information regarding Android will be announced at a later date. pic.twitter.com/SFTgcvIJCI

— ACIdentity (@ACIdentity) November 14, 2014

For now, Assassin’s Creed Identity is only available for iOS phones. Ubisoft, however, assures Android users that Identitywill be available later on on Android devices.

Fastforward to December 21, 2016, the Assassin’s Creed movie will be hitting theaters worldwide with Michael Fassbender as the lead. While we have little information about the upcoming movie, and only a handful of photos, we are getting hit with the news that a sequel to the movie is already getting confirmed.

The Tracking Board exclusively came out with the information this week that even though the first movie is yet to make ground, a sequel is already underway.

“The mostly positive reactions to the first images of Fassbender as the Lynch/Aguilar character may have further fueled producers to initiate plans for a sequel.

“That the studio is already laying the groundwork for the sequel is hardly surprising, given the international appeal of both the game and its star, Fassbender. But skeptics of video game-based films may interpret this move as a sign of confidence from those involved that, unlike previous attempts to bring popular video game properties to the big screen, Assassin’s Creed could not only work – but thrive.”

The sequel will see familiar names in terms of the executive committee for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie in December. Michael Fassbender, the actor playing lead Callum Lynch in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie is also written down to produce the sequel with Conor McCaughan through DMC Films.

[Featured images by AC Identity Twitter page and IMDB]