Next Assassin’s Creed reportedly drops RPG style & returns to basics

A new leak claims the next Assassin’s Creed game will abandon RPG elements from recent installments and return to the franchise’s basics.

Rumors about the next Assassin’s Creed entry have circulated for months on end. According to a Bloomberg report from earlier in the year, AC Valhalla’s Basim will star in the new installment.

The title reportedly codenamed Rift will take place in Baghdad if other uncorroborated reports prove accurate. Ubisoft has yet to officially detail its plans for this alleged interstitial release, however.

With Ubisoft’s promise to unveil the “future of Assassin’s Creed” in an upcoming September event, it should come as no surprise that a fresh batch of rumors and leaks have begun to circulate.

Next Assassin’s Creed game reportedly ditches RPG mechanics

A report from reliable Assassin’s Creed leaker and YouTuber j0nathan (via Rebs Gaming) indicates the project formerly known as AC Rift will carry the name of Mirage upon release.

J0nathan claims Baghdad will indeed serve as Mirage’s setting, allegedly taking place years before AC Valhalla between 860 and 870 during the Anarchy at Samarra period.

Players can expect to assume the role of a young Basim, who operates as a thief prior to joining the Hidden Ones.

Apparently, the role-playing mechanics introduced in Origins will take a backseat, eschewing features such as dialogue choices and the leveling system. Supposedly, traditional AC elements will return to the fore, with Mirage being heavily influenced by the original 2007 adventure.

The leaker also says the next Assassin’s Creed game should release sometime in the spring of 2023.

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier cast doubt on a few of j0nathan’s other details, though. For one, the YouTuber alleges Mirage will play host to multiple explorable cities. Someone familiar with Ubisoft’s operations told Schreier this is inaccurate.

In addition, the journalist thinks talk of an Assassin’s Creed 1 remake launching in a Season Pass for Mirage – akin to AC3 Remastered’s inclusion in Odyssey – “seems dubious.”

But Schreier’s source did insist that parts of j0nathan’s information are true, including the new name, release window, Baghdad setting, and return to basics motif.

If Assassin’s Creed Mirage does indeed return the series to its more basic structure, it couldn’t do so at a better time. This year marks the long-running franchise’s 15th anniversary, after all.

Hopefully, Ubisoft’s special plans for an Assassin’s Creed reveal in September will finally clear up confusion about where the history-hopping brand is headed next.