Ubisoft announces new Assassin’s Creed games set in Baghdad, Japan, and more

After a string of leaks, Ubisoft has officially unveiled the next major Assassin’s Creed game. As expected, it’s called Mirage and will shift the time-traveling series to 9th-century Baghdad, where players will take on the role of a budding assassin named Basim. (Fans might remember that name from an appearance in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla; Mirage takes place two decades before that game.)

Notably, Ubisoft says that the game will get back to the action-adventure roots of the series, which means that the RPG mechanics from more recent games will not be present. Mirage is expected to launch sometime in 2023. Also of note: in an inspired bit of casting, Shohreh Aghdashloo will be voicing the role of Basim’s assassination mentor.

But that’s not all for the series, as Ubisoft also made a number of other big announcements regarding the future of the franchise.

Let’s start with mobile. Ubisoft is developing the first open-world version of Assassin’s Creed for smartphones, currently dubbed “Jade,” which is set in ancient China and will let players customize their own character. You can also parkour across the Great Wall, which seems fun. “Codename Jade” is listed as coming soon. Elsewhere, Ubisoft also says it’s working on an unnamed mobile title for Netflix’s gaming service, though there are no details on that right now. (Netflix and Ubisoft are currently working together on a live-action series based on Assassin’s Creed.)

Image: Ubisoft

As for the future of the mainline series, Ubisoft shared a few details on the games that will come after Mirage. One of these games, codenamed “Red,” is in development at Ubisoft’s Quebec City studio and will be set in feudal-era Japan, while the Montreal team is working on another codenamed “Hexe”; there aren’t many details on that one yet, but it appears to be about witches in some form. While Mirage is largely eschewing the RPG mechanics of games like Odyssey, it appears that both Red and Hexe will retain them.

Elsewhere, the publisher provided a few more details on its Assassin’s Creed “Infinity” project, which appears to be an online hub of sorts that will connect the mainline games along with standalone multiplayer projects. Think of it like the Animus from the games, only you use it to launch video games.