Ubisoft has today announced that the next Assassin’s Creed project will mark the beginning of a new cross-studio strategy that brings to an end the studio rotation that has up until now produced the developer’s steady annual release of the series. The new initiative has been codenamed Assassin’s Creed Infinity, led by Marc-Alexis Côté, who will serve as executive producer.
Côté will be joined by key members of Ubisoft’s Montreal, Quebec, including Étienne Allonier, brand director for Assassin’s Creed for the last 10 years; Julien Laferrière who has been named senior producer, overseeing production at both studios, and creative directors Jonathan Dumont and Clint Hocking.
Ubisoft introduced the concept behind the Infinity project in today’s press release:
“…we wanted to share some key updates on the talented and creative minds that will now be working in a collaborative, cross-studio structure between Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Quebec that will guide, grow, evolve, and define the overall future of Assassin’s Creed that includes an important upcoming, early-in-development project codenamed Assassin’s Creed Infinity.”
Later in the article, Ubisoft also cites its intention to build a more multicultural approach to game development as reason for the change.
“Assassin’s Creed has always been developed by multicultural teams with various backgrounds and perspectives that have influenced the depiction of its characters, locations, and cultures. While we know there’s always room for improvement, we believe this new structure allows us to ensure that diversity and representation within our teams continues to grow and match that of our players.”
Notably, earlier today a report from Jason Schrierer explains that Assassin’s Creed Infinity will be a “live-service” game that will mark an end to the franchise’s annual release schedule. Instead, Infinity will become a constantly updated platform with multiple changing locations.