As Assassin's Creed Shadows support comes to an end, Ubisoft reiterates what's coming in the future, and yes, co-op factors into it somehow
Ahead of a stream on March 20, Ubisoft has confirmed Assassin's Creed Shadows is moving "into its final phase of support". The publisher's focus will move to three previously announced Assassin's Creed projects, including the "darker, narrative driven" Codename Hexe.
"We’re winding things down with smaller, less frequent updates… but still a few surprises!" Ubisoft confirmed today in an update. That surprise—or those surprises—will be shown during the March 20 stream commemorating Shadows' 2025 launch date.
The series update is otherwise just a re-iteration of what we already know: the PvP multiplayer take on Assassin's Creed, Codename Invictus, is still in development. Rumors that it's a chaotic online party game in the style of Fall Guys, which didn't seem very substantial to begin with, have been quietly shut down: "It’s a new approach to multiplayer in the franchise, but it isn't quite what the rumors have suggested," is the official line. The multiplayer project is progressing on a "test and learn" basis.
The most substantial part of the update is on co-op. "We’re also looking into bringing coop back to Assassin’s Creed—a detail we know didn’t go unnoticed," the publisher said. "And while we recently chose to pivot away from an early project, the lessons from that work are already helping shape our approach going forward."
An aborted co-op feature in Shadows is what's being alluded to here. AC League was reportedly in development at Ubisoft Annecy, initially as a substantial expansion to Shadows, but then possibly as a more ambitious standalone title. AC League was then outright cancelled following Ubisoft's January round of layoffs. French outlet Origami reports that some Annecy devs have been tasked with working towards multiplayer tech that can be easily adapted for future Assassin's Creed games.
Codename Hexe, which remains the most enticing Assassin's Creed project in development, lost veteran director Clint Hocking last week. Black Flag director Jean Guesden now leads the project.