The future of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise seems brighter than ever right now. For the last decade or so, theAssassin’s Creedfranchise has kept to a familiar formula, with the action-adventure entries releasing consistently every year, and then the new RPG entries dropping every few years. But withAssassin’s Creeddefinitively becoming Ubisoft’s biggest franchise, the publisher seems to be looking toward new avenues for the long-running series, and some experimental spin-offs could be on the cards.
Ubisoft currently has five differentAssassin’s Creedprojects in the works. The next to release isAssassin’s Creed Mirage, a smaller-scale stealth-focused throwback to the first game in the series. Then there’sAssassin’s Creed Nexus, an unconfirmed VR game, andAssassin’s Creed Redis the working title for the long-awaited Japan-set entry.Assassin’s Creed Invictuswill apparently be a multiplayer-focused title, and finally,Assassin’s Creed Hexewill be the series' next flagship title, likely set during the 16th-century Witch Trials. Ubisoft is clearly going all-in onAssassin’s Creed, but the true route to success might be more experimental spin-offs, and a fighting game could be an excellent option.
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An Assassin’s Creed Fighting Game Has a Lot of Potential
Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, every gaming franchise worth its salt would have at least one fighting game spin-off. It was simply the natural order of things that once a gaming series got big enough, with enough memorable characters to fill out a full roster, a fighting game would be on the horizon soon. The classic Sega side-scrollerGolden Axegot a fighting game spinoff withGolden Axe: The Duel,Double Dragonreceived a few fighting game spin-offs, andFinal Fantasyhas its ownmulti-part fighting game spinoff inDissidia Final Fantasy.
Times have changed, however, and the practice of making a fighting game spin-off of every popular gaming franchise has mostly been forgotten about. But that shouldn’t stop Ubisoft from bringing it back with its ownAssassin’s Creedfighting game spinoff. Though the slated line-up ofupcomingAssassin’s Creedgameshas some intriguing concepts, they all pale in comparison to the sheer uniqueness of anAssassin’s Creedfighting game, and Ubisoft has plenty of source material to work from.
Over the last 16 years, theAssassin’s Creedfranchise has had 13 mainline entries, and over seven spin-off titles. Each one of these games centers around a compelling protagonist with their own unique identity, personality, and most importantly, fighting style. AstheAssassin’s Creedfranchisehas evolved over the years, it’s introduced new weapons and gameplay mechanics, and it would be fascinating to see how those would be translated to the fighting game genre.
Naturally, theAssassin’s Creedfighting game roster would be primarily filled with the franchise’s slew of iconic assassins, each of which would have their own unique moveset, just like any other fighting game. Altair, being a more stealth-focused assassin, could use his speed and the environment to dupe his opponents. Ezio’s impressive arsenal would grant him both superb close-range and long-range abilities, with his dual Hidden Blades being able to dice up those up close while his Hidden Gun could be used to get in a few cheap shots from afar. On a similar note, Edward Kenway could use both rifles and a plethora of pistols to pepper his opponents with bullets. When it comes to more recent assassins likeKassandra, Bayek, and Eivor, their diverse set of skills and their ever-changing arsenal could be reflected in their own fighting mechanics, with them having the ability to swap weapons mid-fight. There’s a lot of potential for anAssassin’s Creedfighting game, and Ubisoft’s just leaving it untapped.
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