Assassin's Creed Valhalla director says fans "rightfully expected more" from the trailer

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

The Assassin's Creed Valhalla gameplay trailer was surprisingly light on gameplay, and the game's creative director has owned up to the misunderstanding.

Ashraf Ismail took to his personal Twitter account to address fans who were disappointed by the trailer, which includes plenty of in-engine footage but very few moments that appeared to actually be controlled by a player.

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The trailer itself was exciting and informative - we even pulled out 13 details you might have missed from the Assassin's Creed Valhalla gameplay trailer - but it probably should have been called an "in-engine teaser" or something like that instead. In any case, as Ismail said, Ubisoft still has plenty more time to show off the mechanics of the game before its holiday 2020 release date arrives. 

Original story follows

Today's Inside Xbox event, revealing more details about the slate of upcoming Xbox Series X games from third party publishers, has provided us with our first glimpse at Assassin's Creed Valhalla gameplay, following Ubisoft's reveal of the action RPG sequel last week. 

The gameplay teaser, which ended Microsoft's digital showcase for the Xbox Series X, is as gorgeous, action packed, and memorable as you'd expect, though perhaps not quite as revealing as the full demos that Ubisoft is traditionally known for saving till their E3 press conferences. You can watch the full thing for yourself in the video below: 

As you can see, there's plenty to love about Assassin's Creed: Valhalla right now, and the game looks to be in pretty good shape judging from this small vertical slice of what is expected to be an overwhelmingly large experience. While primarily set in the 9th Century Britain seen here, we also know that parts of Norway will also be open to exploration during the early stages of Valhalla's story campaign. 

Outside of this latest look at Assassin's Creed: Valhalla gameplay, Ubisoft has also confirmed that ambitious next entry in the open world series will once again let you play as a man or woman, is being worked on by 15 different studios, and is scheduled to release this Holiday 2020 on Xbox Series X and PS5 as well as current consoles. 

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla isn't the only next gen project being shown off by Team Xbox today, so be sure to stick with GamesRadar+ for all the latest coverage of the event, including every new game reveal, as it continues online right now. 

Excited for the upcoming Viking adventure? Here's where you can preorder Assassin's Creed Valhalla to guarantee your copy. 

Alex Avard

I'm GamesRadar's Features Writer, which makes me responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet!