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Ubisoft's company-wide "major reset" is a blow I saw coming from a mile away. If Star Wars Outlaws' lukewarm reception wasn't enough of an indication in 2024, the short-lived hype around last year's Assassin's Creed Shadows leading to a change in its post-launch plans sealed the deal. The news that the now-former Assassin's Creed boss is reportedly suing Ubisoft was the tipping point.
When Assassin's Creed Shadows' second DLC was canned in 2025, I hoped 2026 would bring the series' future into sharper focus. Now was the time to start dangling carrots; but we haven't seen or heard anything about Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe in almost four years, and aside from a heavily rumored Black Flag remaster, the only other upcoming Assassin's Creed game known to be in production is a mobile entry I can't say I was all too keen on in the first place. But as Ubisoft moves to "accelerate [its] cost reductions initiatives to rightsize the organization," according to an official press release, I'm starting to get nervous.
Swansong
Assassin's Creed Shadows review: "More confidence, texture, and purpose than we've seen since Assassin's Creed pivoted into RPG territory"
We can't assume plans don't exist just because we don't know them. But having this little information about one of the biggest stealth-action and RPG series in the world is more than a little bit worrying.
The fact is, we've just about run out of upcoming Ubisoft games to talk about – let alone Assassin's Creed as a franchise. Summer Game Fest 2025's roster of events had one notable absence: Ubisoft Forward. The showcase was a huge deal in past years, giving the publisher a chance to show off then-upcoming games like Assassin's Creed Shadows, Skull and Bones, and even the now-cancelled Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake. Hell, it even featured one of my favorite presentations in industry history (skip to 32:00); I've never played The Crew: Motorfest, but I can't deny that I think about it a lot.
Ubisoft shines when it lets its biggest personalities show off, reminding us all why it deserves to have so many huge names under its belt. But last year felt like Ubisoft was holding its breath, an eerie pause with more questions than answers. And not in a cool, mysterious way, either.
Now, at least, we know why. Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin's Creed, as well as Far Cry and Rainbow Six, will be handled by the first of its six new Creative Houses. The goal, according to Ubisoft, is "to turn them into annual billionaire brands." I read that as a step to consolidate and refocus the publisher's intentions, with a clear goal to up production and narrow the gap between new releases.
It's hard to champion a series that seems to be trying so hard to keep its most loyal players at arms-length
There's a clear solution. That Black Flag remaster is one of the worst-kept secrets at this point, but with these new Creative Houses in mind, perhaps its existence indicates that Ubisoft is taking the Resident Evil Remake approach to fill in the blanks between mainline instalments?
It worked for Capcom, buying it time and funds to put into Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil Requiem in this brave new world where a five-year development cycle is considered the norm. It worked more recently for Konami following the success of its Silent Hill 2 remake, winning back the confidence of its biggest fans while re-establishing the franchise's relevance. Assassin's Creed is a similar beast to both of the above, survival horror or not; these are classic, iconic game series fighting to get and stay with the times, bolstered by a passionate fanbase that (mostly) wants it to succeed.
All of this speaks to the promise of what a Black Flag remake could bring in 2026. After all, if an "annual" new game is Ubisoft's intention for its big-three IPs, it's highly unlikely to be Hexe this year. But with the announcement also mentioning an "unannounced title initially planned for FY26, that has been delayed to FY27," it seems that the Black Flag remaster I'd been hotly anticipating is set to slip the reins as well. Maybe Ubisoft doesn't want to get our hopes up by announcing a whole branch of remakes. Maybe it truly is starting from square zero and is rethinking its entire approach to the franchise. Either way, the restructure seems to have thrown the future of Assassin's Creed into even murkier territory.
What gives? Will 2026 really be a year without Assassin's Creed, unless you count the odd Shadows content drops as part of its seasonal rollout? At the very least, I hope that Ubisoft Forward returns for Summer Game Fest this year to give us the foggiest idea of what might be happening under the hood. It's hard to champion a series that seems to be trying so hard to keep its most loyal players at arms-length, and while I wish the publisher immense luck and resilience as it undergoes restructure, I'll need more convincing that it had to tear down its own house to rebuild it for the better.
Check out all the new games set to come in 2026 and beyond once you've had your fill of Shadows
