Executives say there "might be something around" popular franchise next year, promise original intellectual properties in racing, fighting, and/or role-playing game genres.
When Assassin's Creed debuted and quickly established itself as a blockbuster hit, Ubisoft wasted little time in ramping up work on the first sequel. Later this month, Assassin's Creed 2 will arrive in stores, almost exactly two years after the original game's launch.
As prompt as that turnaround may be, gamers might not have to wait even half that long for another dose of the time-travelling stealth action franchise. In a conference call after its quarterly earnings announcement today, Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez teased that the franchise could return as soon as next year.
Responding to an analyst's question about the publisher's major franchise plans for 2010, Martinez said, "There might be something around Assassin's Creed, and you mentioned that there will be a movie of Prince of Persia." He didn't specify what form that Assassin's Creed content might take, be it significant downloadable content, a spin-off game, or a full stand-alone installment in the franchise. The content also might not necessarily be a game, since Ubisoft released an effects-heavy live-action short, Assassin's Creed Lineage, as part of its preparations to expand into feature filmmaking. (See below.)
Martinez's comment wasn't the only Ubisoft executive utterance to raise eyebrows during the call. CEO Yves Guillemot also talked about the publisher's desire to expand into genres where it hasn't met with much success to date. Specifically, Guillemot said the company has gaps in its lineup in the racing, fighting, and role-playing game genres, and that Ubisoft will be entering some (not necessarily all) of those genres with original intellectual properties "soon."
Although Guillemot specified them as weak spots of Ubisoft's catalog, the publisher already has some entries in each of the named genres. The company's Might and Magic franchise is one of the longest-running Western RPG series, although Ubisoft has focused more on spin-offs like the Heroes of Might and Magic line of games. Ubisoft also recently acquired the racing game studio behind the Trackmania franchise, Nadeo, but currently has the team working on TrackMania 2 instead of an original IP.
As for fighting games, the just-released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up was developed by the studio behind Super Smash Bros. Brawl. However, it is based on a licensed property and underperformed Ubisoft's expectations upon release.
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
For Assassin's Creed 2 it will be downloadable content for sure. The 3 Bonus Levels featured in the Black Lim. Edition will be up for download and I guess we'll have to pay for them since the Black Edition is more expensive than the normal game (double price). And if u look on the website u can see the PS3 Network and Xbox Live logos. I w8 for this game. Hope it wont let us down.
@ TWilliamz What????? MGS4, no gameplay???? \ \ MGS4 was probably the greatest game ever made. Of course you had to be a fan of the series from at least 1998 to "fully" appreciate it but......bwaaaa. My head is going to explode. \ \ I Just feel that AC2 is being shoved down our throats a little too much. One review is up on Metacritic and it seems to say that everyone should calm down as this game has fixed ALL the problems. \ \ I think that AC2 will be amazing. There is a 450 person team working on it, it better be good. It is more so that I feel that the first one was a POS.
@Hickmanie14 Yeah! I was thinking about that too! In the streets of old Japan with a twist of "ninjas" would be saaaweeeeet! :D
Assassins Creed 1 was pretty good, yes we all know it repeats but the story was interesting and the graphics were awesome, the fighting was great with the counters and Altaïr couldn't possibly have been more acrobatic. The secong game will hopefully change what the 1rst was missing. Cant wait¡!¡!
@ taylormadederek assassins creed was a great game even if it got repetative at the end it was still good fun also it came out near the same time as modern warfare 1 so they had alot of competiton but still managed to pull 9 million sales FOR A NEW IP which is amazing tbh i cant wait for AC2 but i will most likely get that later because MW2 is at the top of my list atm :P
I don't necessarily know if I want that much Assassins creed, the game is very repetitious. That said, maybe AC2 will change that stale point of the game. Can't wait to try #2 then I'll make final judgment.
@Nobri Don't you even DARE suggest that. The AC series doesn't need to be cheapened with online antics. I thumb my nose at you! *wiggle*
@taylormadederek "Who supported that one so much as to make them make a second one?" Why should they give up on it if they feel they can make it better than the first one? I guess you're the type to stop doing something you love because of a few negative reviews "You can make a game with little to no gameplay, but if it look amazing then it sells." I agree, but this makes me think more of MGS4 than it does AC.
@taylormadederek Ah come on, don't you like the ending conspiracy puzzles? Although I totally agree with you. And to be honest, gamespot is the perfect reflection of that. ginving 9.0s away just for having stunning graphics, but good gameplay only counts as... 0.5. But the fighting in AC1 was awesome, you've got to give credit that until the 5th chapter the game was amazing, from there on the little bit pieces of story drove me to the end. Not that I did not like the game, I loved it, but it got pretty boring by the end of the 4th chapter, from there the fighting just kept getting easier.
Loved the first one, really looking forward to the second one, and even the third one, but we'll see about 'downloadable content'.
Lets face it, being an assasin is a repetitive job, you do the same thing all the time, the way it isnt repetitive is by spicing it up, add a challenge to it. They coulda done more with disguising him, like it's obvious that he isn't a monk the red and swords and daggers are a giveaway. Hopefully they add something for you people who found it repetitive and boring.
I think that eventually (hopefully not AC3) the Assassin's Creed franchise should move to the American Revolution or Civil War. However, I would like to see a Samurai era story for Assassin's Creed 3.
Assassin's Creed stands as one of my all time favorites. Whatever Ubi does with the series, I can't wait. It is a great series with a ton of potential.
XD This game is going to be sick, but there are certain parts that could have been left out.
I am sure that Assassin's Creed 2 will be good. It will actually be very good. \ \ However, who here likes the first one? it is crap. Repetitive boring crap. Who supported that one so much as to make them make a second one? \ \ I guess that it just goes to show you that gamers are shallow. You can make a game with little to no gameplay, but if it look amazing then it sells. There is no denying that AC1 looks amazing.
Well, here's to Assassins Creed II. That it may be a great game, otherwise i'm dropping the series. The first one bored me to tears.
i can't see this next thing coming out in 2010, i can however see (sooner or later) a young boy from a rich family who moved to a huge city and had his family murdered by gangs and now 10 years on slinks around the cities by night wearing a white hoody looking to exact revenge.
I would love to see Assassin's Creed become a movie as long as Ubi creates it themselves like the Lineage series
It's probably going to be an expansion, or they could be messing with us. Remember - Assassin's Creed 2 comes out for the PC next year :P
its obvisouly gonna be DLC. minimal effort, maximum profit........and they can say their doing something for the fans. @ Shehryar_89 yh maybe the DLC might be a compatability mode for motion play, doubt its a whole new game though.
meh i would guess WW1 and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The Serbian nationalist group the Black Hand
@D4NZEL-709 I guess the Colonial America idea could take place leading up to the War of Independance. The Assassin helps the colonists gain enough power to rebel. I really think that they should explore historical periods other than recent ones such as the Cold War because it gives a very cool contrast between the ultra modern lab setting and that of his ancestors distant pre-modern experiences. The cold war assassin and espionage thing has been done to death, anyone heard of a little series called James Bond??? That concept is just tired and it would actually be a disappointment if Ubisoft were to fall back on such a lazy concept.
Shinkada Posted Nov 5, 2009 10:14 am GMT -2 Jim60360: This. Steer the hell away from WW2. Even WW1 should be avoided, if not as much. Protip: Cold war would be WAY more appropriate~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sorry to say but wouldn't AGENT kick ubisofts ass. I mean R* is using all the power of the PS3.
I think that next years Assassin's Creed will be a Wii game or a couple of DLC missions. I highly doubt we're going to see Assassin's Creed 3 so soon.
Bad-Chad Posted Nov 5, 2009 1:36 pm GMT -2 Should take place in colonial United States. Could have a conspiracy story like 100 Bullets. Could feature the behind the scenes power struggle between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America all leading up to and taking place during the War of Independence. Lots of opportunity for violent assassinations and conspiracy theories in that period. Could be deliciously cool. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The devs said they would not make a game in a war period of time.
zaqcdebgt9513 Posted Nov 5, 2009 3:13 pm GMT -2 I smell a poorly done wii assassin's creed spin off game. Either that or an animated mini series, which seems to be all the rage these days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This
i highly doubt there will be AC3 within a year. If by some strange way that happened, it may not be as good of a game as it should have been
Bad-Chad Posted Nov 5, 2009 6:36 am PT Should take place in colonial United States. Could have a conspiracy story like 100 Bullets. Could feature the behind the scenes power struggle between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America all leading up to and taking place during the War of Independence. Lots of opportunity for violent assassinations and conspiracy theories in that period. Could be deliciously cool. --------------- Great idea!!! I still think there's going to be some ninja stuff from that strange writing in the first one. Feudal Japan perhaps? Or maybe WWII? But your idea would rock harder than either...
is so then i have a strong feeling on the Spanish Armada, French Revolution and the Viking ages.....but even though i love the franchise dont bring AC3 next year
I smell a poorly done wii assassin's creed spin off game. Either that or an animated mini series, which seems to be all the rage these days.
Maybe he is talking about a DLC for AC 2, something similar along the lines of POP, only bigger.
i think MS's PROJECT NATAL and SONY's MOTION CONTROLLERS are responsible for another ASSASSINS CREED (2010)
before all the "milkers" begin, its only milking if the developers keep on making games in the same era or whatnot. if they go off in an entirely new direction, i say do it. @bad-chad you are right. ill be waiting
kind of agree with @Bad-Chad.. could incorporate some Freemasons and/or Illuminati influence, and it could get interesting. But along the alternate modern day storyline of AC and AC2, I think they eventually have to wrap up the story in a modern times setting.
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