Assassin's Creed Infinity represents the future of the Assassin's Creed franchise – just not in the way that you might expect. Rumors of Codename Infinity began to spread in early 2021, and its existence was later confirmed by Ubisoft that July. In an open letter penned by Nathalie Bouchard (managing director, Ubisoft Quebec) and Christophe Derennes (managing director, Ubisoft Montreal), the pair reflected on how the pandemic had fundamentally changed the way Ubisoft created games, and that it had given the publisher "a moment to reflect on our organization." Assassin's Creed Infinity is the result of that reflection – it's not a game, but an evolving hub that can house the ongoing evolution of the franchise, and connect future game releases into a single interwoven experience.
Ubisoft has always worked collaboratively within its network, with one studio taking the lead and the others acting to support where needed. As the resources necessary to create something on the scale of an Assassin's Creed have increased, a palpable tension when the PS4 and Xbox One were introduced, the series creators at Ubisoft Montreal have traded lead development duties with the Quebec studio. Montreal developed Assassin's Creed Unity (2014), Assassin's Creed Origins (2017), and Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020), while Quebec led Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) and Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018).
Assassin's Creed Infinity is designed to bring a more "cohesive approach" to the development of future games, which should shorten the time it takes studios to iterate, innovate, and implement new ideas. "Rather than continuing to pass the baton from game to game, we profoundly believe this is an opportunity for one of Ubisoft's most beloved franchises to evolve in a more integrated and collaborative manner that's less centered on studios and more focused on talent and leadership, no matter where they are within Ubisoft," the open letter continued.
Assassin's Creed Infinity isn't the easiest thing to understand, because it doesn't necessarily have a direct comparison. For Ubisoft, it's a way for its talented studios to work smarter not harder as it builds the next generation of the best Assassin's Creed games. For us as players, Codename Infinity will be an evolving hub that will host and connect future Assassin's Creed games together. So let's dive into how it'll work, and explore everything we know about Assassin's Creed Infinity so far.
What is Assassin's Creed Infinity?
Assassin's Creed Infinity has been described by the franchise's executive producer, Marc-Alexis Cote, as "not a game, per se" but rather "the single entry point for our fans into the Assassin's Creed franchise into the future." The initiative will see a closer collaboration between Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Quebec as the pair work to guide and define the next installments of the Assassin's Creed franchise.
How does Assassin's Creed Infinity work?
Assassin's Creed's executive producer Marc-Alexis Cote says that "Infinity is going to be a hub that will unite all our different experiences and our players together in meaningful ways." That answer was prompted by a comparison of the Infinity service to the Animus – that's the in-game virtual reality machine developed by Abstergo Industries which allows a user to tap into, and explore, a genetic memory. This means that, in the future, flagship Assassin's Creed games will be accessible from the Infinity Hub, and be at least tangentially connected to other titles available via the platform.
What games are included in Assassin's Creed Infinity?
Ubisoft has confirmed that two games will be available in the Assassin's Creed Infinity Hub in the coming years. The first is Assassin's Creed Codename Red, which is the Assassin's Creed Japan game in development at Ubisoft Quebec under the creative direction of Jonathan Dumont – who served as creative director of Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Immortals Fenyx Rising. The second is Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe, a game said to explore Europe's infamous witch trials from Ubisoft Montreal – with development led by Clint Hocking, the creative director of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Far Cry 2, and Watch Dogs Legion.
The recently announced Assassin's Creed Mirage – a smaller-scale experience set to release in 2023, which has a broader focus on assassinations, parkour, and stealth like the early games in the series – is not thought to be a part of the Assassin's Creed Infinity hub. Rather this game from Ubisoft Bordeaux will likely draw a line under the recent era of games, concluding the broader arc that ran through Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla which charted the formation of the Assassin and Templar Orders.
Will Assassin's Creed Infinity be multiplayer?
We know that Assassin's Creed Infinity will be bringing games in the franchise together under one umbrella, and that it'll act as the "single entry point" for players to access future releases. But will an Assassin's Creed Infinity multiplayer experience be a part of the hub? Marc-Alexis Cote, Assassin's Creed's executive producer, says that "We're actually investigating how we bring back standalone, multiplayer experiences into the Assassin's Creed universe – all connected to the Infinity Hub."
Will Assassin's Creed Infinity be free-to-play?
Assassin's Creed Infinity will not be free-to-play. Understandably, there's been some confusion as to how the Infinity Hub will function, which led to some fans speculating that it would be a free-to-play live service that would contain premium-priced Assassin's Creed games. While we're still waiting for clarification on the fine details, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot had this to say about Codename Infinity in a 2022 earning's call: "It's not going to be free to play, and this game will have a lot of narrative elements in it."
Assassin's Creed Infinity development
While Assassin's Creed Infinity is a platform that will bring future games in the series together onto one evolving platform, it's also an initiative that's been described as a "new cross-studio, collaborative structure" which will help Ubisoft streamline the way it produces its flagship franchise. Codename Infinity is led by Marc-Alexis Cote, who will now serve as executive producer of the Assassin's Creed franchise. Cote is joined by Étienne Allonier, the longtime AC brand director, to help bring about a more cohesive approach to the development of new titles.
Ubisoft Montreal's Julien Laferriere is serving as senior producer of Assassin's Creed Infinity, and will oversee broader production at both the Ubisoft Quebec and Ubisoft Montreal studios. Cote, Allonier, and Laferriere will work closely with Quebec's Jonathan Dumont and Montreal's Clint Hocking to bring their vision for Infinity and the wider Assassin's Creed series to life – with the pair sharing leadership as creative directors on the Infinity initiative.
Looking for something to play while you wait for AC Infinity to launch? Why not check out our pick of the best games like Assassin's Creed that you can dive into today.