Assassin's Creed finally heads to Japan with Codename Red, the first piece of Infinity

Assassin's Creed: Codename Red is the series' long-awaited debut in feudal Japan, and it will be the first piece of Assassin's Creed Infinity.

Codename Red is Ubisoft's "next premium flagship title and the future of our open-world RPG games on Assassin's Creed," according to Marc-Alexis Côté, executive producer on Assassin's Creed. "It is being developed by Ubisoft Quebec, the studio behind Assassin's Creed Odyssey, under the creative direction of Jonathan Dumont. It will let players explore one of their most awaited settings ever on the franchise, feudal Japan, and they'll live a very powerful shinobi fantasy."

A brief teaser trailer shows a character dressed in shinobi gear leaping onto a Japanese castle rooftop bathed in blood-red sunlight. The character wields both a katana and the series' traditional hidden blade.

Whatever the final title of Codename Red, it will be the first piece of the Assassin's Creed Infinity project. Ubisoft's still coy about what Infinity is, but Côté describes it as a "hub that will unite all our different experiences, and our players, together in meaningful ways." Both Codename Red and the witchy-looking Codename Hexe will be part of Infinity, and Ubisoft is also looking to build "standalone multiplayer experiences" for the platform.

There is not yet a release date for Codename Red, and it's unclear whether the Infinity platform will launch alongside it, or some time later. Both Red and Infinity are coming after Assassin's Creed Mirage, which launches in 2023, so expect a long wait ahead before you can put your hands on this one.

Hopefully these new titles can measure up against the best Assassin's Creed games of the past.