Ubisoft is pivoting a planned Assassin’s Creed Valhalla expansion into its own, stand-alone game, according to a Bloomberg report.
The game is being called Rift internally, and was originally slated as an expansion to 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. It’s expected to star Basim, an assassin that appeared in Valhalla. Bloomberg reported the new stand-alone game — slated for release in late 2022 or 2023 — will be smaller than recent games, turning away from the large, open-world and instead “focusing […] more on stealth gameplay.”
The ending of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla left Basim’s future open-ended, though he seems to have had a very interesting life as an assassin before he meets Eivor and Sigurd.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has received multiple pieces of DLC, including an expansion, since it was released in 2020. These added new regions, like Ireland, and an extended storyline.
A Ubisoft spokesperson told Polygon the company does not comment “or engage on rumors or speculations.” The company’s full statement is below.
Ubisoft has one of the strongest in-house creative teams that are developing incredible experiences for our players. We have a solid and exciting line-up of titles in our pipeline, both established brands with new story twists and features, and brand new IPs that will continue to change the landscape of today’s video games. We don’t comment or engage on rumors or speculation as they do a disservice to our development teams and community.
Bloomberg said Ubisoft’s slim release lineup has been impacted by recent workplace troubles. Reports in 2020 outlined a culture of sexism and harassment at Ubisoft, and reports since suggest Ubisoft suggest problems have continued, as evidenced by an “exodus” of staff leaving the company. This has led to delays to games like Skull & Bones, an online, open-world pirate game that was first shown at E3 2017. A Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake has been delayed indefinitely, while Beyond Good & Evil 2, shown at E3 2017, is still in pre-production.
Source: Polygon
