The decision of making a break in the Assassin’s Creed franchise comes in handy for the promotion of Justin Kurzel’s movie, says Ubisoft CEO.
Ubisoft confirmed a few days ago that they are not releasing a new Assassin’s Creed title this year. The announcement has been received with mixed feelings within the gaming community. From the relief of the critics, who had commented already on the wearing-and-tearing-away feeling of the franchise, to the cry of the hardcore fans, who have seen this move as a downer. Probably one of the reasons for this decision is the fact that Syndicate, their latest shipment, did not live up to Ubisoft’s expectations. The game saw a slower launch than expected, accompanied by lower revenue figures when compared to previous core titles.
Whether you want to consider numbers and reception as a sign of stagnation or not, the fact remains that this franchise probably needs doses of new air for its own good. And that is precisely what the development team in charge of this universe is doing. They are not ruling out the continuity of one of their most successful titles nor setting up a new bi-annual release cycle. Rather, they are stepping back, re-examining the core experience and giving the brand a new dimension.
[blockquote cite=”Assassin’s Creed Team, official blog post on Ubisoft’s website”]Since the release of Assassin’s Creed Unity, 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.[/blockquote]
Now Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft CEO, confirms in GameSpot that this break in the game’s cycle will pave the way for a more successful launch of the official Assassin’s Creed film. “The movie guys are extremely happy […] because they will have the full-year marketing space”, he says.
Assassin’s Creed Movie: Number One in the Pipeline
From a first glance at it, the movie looks rather juicy, at least on the staff side. It has Justin Kurzel (The Turning, Macbeth) on the direction front while Oscar-winning Marion Cotillard and Oscar-nominee Michael Fassbender lead the main roles, supported by Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson.
Fassbender plays Callum Lynch, a man who experiences the adventures of his ancestor thanks to a new technology that unlocks DNA memories. This ancestor is a man called Aguilar. He lived in Spain during the 15th century and, of course, belonged to the secret society of the Assassins. Fans of the series will surely enjoy the in-game lore unfolding on the big screen. There will be Assassins, Templars, time travel through DNA memory sequences and big doses of battling action, “leaps of faith” included. Whether it will serve rightfully to the game or fall behind as an adaptation remains to be seen, of course.
The movie finished filming last month and has entered into post-production. It will arrive to theaters on December 21 this year and it is aiming for the category of blockbuster.
Ubisoft is not stopping with Assassin’s Creed their debut into the seventh art world. For the near future you can also expect movies based on the Far Cry, Rabbids, Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell and Ghost Reckon franchises, although their release dates have not been confirmed yet.
[Source: GameSpot]
