Ubisoft has clarified that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not getting a battle move amid rumors that the Animus Hub, the rebranded Assassin’s Creed Infinity set to accommodate all future video games within the franchise, will characteristic paid content material.
The Animus Hub staff posted on the Assassin’s Creed Reddit to appropriate leaks claiming the hub would include paid rewards for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, main many to imagine a battle move type system was being carried out.
“It has come to our consideration that wrong rumors have been circulating on-line concerning the upcoming Animus Hub (ex-codename Infinity),” Ubisoft mentioned. “We needed to take this event to make clear that each one the rewards out there within the Animus Hub will likely be totally free.”
The submit went on to make clear “there aren’t any paid subscriptions or paid battle passes featured within the Animus Hub” and “gamers could have entry to common content material and missions at no additional value.” Extra particulars will likely be revealed nearer to the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which was just lately delayed from November to February 14.
Ubisoft can also be ditching its principal paid content material mannequin of releasing a Season Pass with two principal, paid enlargement drops within the yr after launch. The fake “early entry” interval that sees publishers cost gamers extra to play on the precise launch date as an alternative of three days later has additionally been scrapped.
Releasing myriad items of downloadable content material totally free will maybe carry some Assassin’s Creed followers again on-side in what’s in any other case been a significantly tough pre-launch marketing campaign for Ubisoft.
Points started as some followers expressed frustration with inaccuracies within the sport’s depiction of Japan, main the event staff to challenge an apology and say the sport will not be supposed to be a factual illustration of historical past however as an alternative “a compelling, historic fiction.” This regardless of artwork director Thierry Dansereau telling IGN that Ubisoft regarded to make Shadows as “genuine as doable to match historic occasions” simply two months prior.
Concern was additionally raised when the developer used a flag from a Japanese historic re-enactment group in paintings for Assassin’s Creed Shadows with out permission. Ubisoft apologized for doing so however refused to take away the paintings from the aforementioned and presumably already printed artbook out there within the Collector’s Version. The historic re-enactment group mentioned this was not adequate, however Ubisoft hasn’t publicly acknowledged it since.
One more controversy got here as collectible determine maker PureArts eliminated an Assassin’s Creed Shadows statue from sale over its “insensitive” design.
All this comes as followers are already annoyed by the delay to the sport, which places Assassin’s Creed Shadows in additional direct competitors with PlayStation’s Ghost of Tsushima sequel, Ghost of Yotei. That is additionally anticipated in 2025 and is one other open-world motion journey sport set in Feudal Japan.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot maintained confidence, nevertheless. “There’s a lot of house for very high-quality video games, and people two video games can promote very effectively,” he mentioned within the firm’s newest earnings name. “The main focus is to actually be sure that we ship a improbable expertise with this twin protagonist strategy and two totally different and complimentary gameplays.”
Assassins Creed Shadows certainly options two protagonists, stealthy murderer Naoe and savage samurai Yasuke. The sport’s story will weave between the 2 however gamers can in any other case swap between them at will as they discover Ubisoft’s open-world tackle Japan.
It can additionally start a new modern-day story, maybe linked to the Animus Hub, as Ubisoft admitted it is “struggled to search out its footing” with that features of Assassin’s Creed in recent times.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll speak about The Witcher all day.