Ubisoft did with Assassin’s Creed what most other major publishers would never dare: give the brand a year’s break. Following annual releases dating back to 2007, the series was starting to get stale, and, following the release of 2015’s Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, the publisher put the franchise on hold.
This year stands as the perfect time for the series’ reboot, with a new report point to an Egypt setting for a game rumoured to be titled Assassin’t Creed: Empire.
Kotaku first caught wind of Empire, and fresh new details from WWG point to the game being unveiled at E3 next month.
Assassin’s Creed: Empire will be a “vast open world experience” set in Egypt, and it will follow the story of the original Assassin’s guild.
WWG reports that the game’s progression system will be similar to Skyrim‘s, in that character progression won’t necessarily be tied to natural progression through the story, but rather by placing more of an onus on the player to shape the character as they see fit.
Interestingly, while the game is primarily set in Egypt, players will be able to venture “possibly as far as Greece”, a rumour that ties into a recently-leaked image that shows boats, suggesting naval combat and exploration may play an important role in the experience.
Empire will be the biggest Assassin’s Creed game ever created, according to sources.
The leaked image, by way of Reddit, shows a character on a boat.
Ubisoft looks set for a huge E3, with rumours about a new Far Cry and now Assassin’s Creed setting the publisher up for a huge even.
Empire is reportedly due for a “fall” release, which would put it in Spring, Australia time. Most Assassin’s Creed games launch in the October to November frame, so that’s about when we can expect the game to hit.
