It’s the End of an Era for Assassin’s Creed and Ubisoft

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The series has been around for a while, and some believe it’s lost its way. It started as a focused action game, but has evolved into a large, open-world RPG, which hasn’t pleased everyone. Lately, it feels like the franchise is struggling to define what it is.

The latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, launched on March 20, 2025, and Ubisoft reports it’s exceeding sales expectations. Despite this, many players haven’t been happy with the game, and its first expansion, Claws of Awaji, received largely negative feedback. Ubisoft has announced future plans for Shadows in a 2026 roadmap, but it’s unclear if they can address fan concerns and improve the game’s reception.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Adding a Parkour Challenge and More New Features

Ubisoft has shared an update plan for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and the first update launched on February 17, 2026. A key new feature is a more challenging parkour system; players can activate it by selecting “Advanced Parkour” in the game’s settings.

A new Parkour Challenge is now available, letting players practice and enjoy this exciting feature. Players can submit videos of their best runs and vote for their favorites. Ubisoft will award prizes – like exclusive cosmetic packs and a signed copy of the Assassin’s Creed Shadows soundtrack – to those with the most impressive parkour skills.

The latest update for Assassin’s Creed Shadows focuses on parkour, but Ubisoft has also included visual enhancements and a more in-depth stats screen. Despite these improvements, player reviews on Steam have been mixed, with many expressing dissatisfaction with the game as it currently stands.

Okay, so I’ve pretty much explored everything in the game at this point, and a lot of us are wondering what’s next to keep us hooked. I’ve seen some people complaining about lingering bugs, and others think things like scouting could really use some work. The parkour is cool and all, but honestly, it doesn’t quite feel like what Shadows – or the whole series, really – needs to take it to the next level.

The Assassin’s Creed Franchise Has Changed Dramatically Since 2007

You know, the first few Assassin’s Creed games just felt… epic, but in a really cool, contained way. They weren’t these massive open worlds like some games today, and honestly, I think that helped them. The whole point of the series is jumping into different periods of history, and a lot of us fans feel like the older games really nailed the atmosphere and made those eras feel authentic.

Many fans of the Assassin’s Creed series love the huge, open worlds in the newer games, which encourage exploration. However, a lot of players also feel that the more focused and compact worlds in the older Assassin’s Creed titles created a more vibrant and immersive experience.

It’s easy to get nostalgic about older Assassin’s Creed games, but they weren’t perfect. Because new games came out every year, developers struggled to make significant changes, and the series began to feel stale and predictable.

It used to be that new Assassin’s Creed games came out frequently, but now there are much longer waits between releases. The series is starting to face similar challenges as before. With Assassin’s Creed: Codename Hexe currently in development, Ubisoft might need to rethink its approach to the franchise.

Ubisoft Needs a New Formula for Assassin’s Creed Games

I remember when the first Assassin’s Creed came out, it was amazing how accurately they recreated historical locations. But honestly, lately the games just don’t feel that special anymore – they blend in with a lot of other open-world titles. Take Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for example. Everyone was comparing it to Ghost of Yotei, which came out around the same time, and Shadows didn’t always come out on top in those comparisons, which was a little disappointing.

It’s good to see Ubisoft continuing to refine Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but the next game needs a unique element to stand out. While the reported setting of Hexe – the Holy Roman Empire with witch trials – sounds promising, Ubisoft needs to avoid simply making another huge open-world game filled with unimportant tasks if they want it to be a success.

The upcoming Assassin’s Creed game needs to innovate – perhaps by focusing again on traditional assassins or offering more creative ways to complete missions. The series currently feels stagnant, but even minor adjustments could recapture the excitement it once had.

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2026-02-18 22:09