PlayStation LifeStyle » Assassin’s Creed

Surprise! A New Assassin’s Creed Coming Out in 2012

Tony Wibowo — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:13:19 +0000

With Assassin’s Creed Revelations coming out next week, Ezio’s and Altair’s story arcs will be coming to an end. But what about Desmond’s story? Well, you’ll be able to find out how his story ends in the next game, which is scheduled to release in 2012.

The news came from Ubisoft’s earning call, where CEO Yves Guillemot stated:

There will be another great, full-fledged Assassin’s Creed title next year, It will be a major release and we’ll be communicating more about it in the coming months.

Yves also detailed the story of the next game:

In Assassin’s Creed we set up a timeline with this whole end of the world plot of December 2012. That’s fast approaching, and the story we have to tell, we obviously need to do it before we arrive at that point. We have the Ezio cycle and the Altair cycle, and both of those are set to conclude in Revelations, and we have the Desmond cycle, which is set to end on December 2012. But there’s many cycles within the brand – that’s the whole point. History is our playground.

Are you guys still excited about another iteration in the series? Or are they pushing the games out too closely? Sounds off in the comment section below.

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First Screen Shots of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Beta

Tyler Minarik — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:46:28 +0000

A beta trial for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is starting soon, and we’ve found some pictures of the upcoming session.

Last year’s Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood surprised many with its unique multiplayer mode, which threw a massive curve ball at skeptical fans. Much less surprising is that Ubisoft will be making various improvements to the multiplayer aspect, and testing this through a beta phase. Now’s the time to be glad you’re a PS3 owner if you’re also an Assassin’s Creed fan, since the beta will be exclusive to the PS3 platform. To get in when it starts on September 3rd you need to either be a PlayStation Plus subscriber or a Uplay subscriber, and after September 11th the beta will open up to all other PS3 owners.

A new video has been released, which sums up the incredible slew of products already released in the Assassin’s Creed universe. It’s basically a spoiler free montage of clips from the various games that also shows off the novels and comics released, which doesn’t add any new information but is still mildly entertaining to watch. We also managed to dig up a couple of pictures from the upcoming beta, showing players making less than stealthy kills, and capturing a flag.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is currently scheduled to release on November 15th.

Ubisoft Details Collector’s Editions for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Alex Osborn — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:11:43 +0000

To no one’s surprise, Ubisoft has announced that their latest installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise will ship with two different Collector’s Edition options. The standard Collector’s Edition for Revelations will come packed with the game’s soundtrack, a 50-page art book, in-game content including two new multiplayer characters, and Assassin’s Creed: Embers, the animated short that expounds upon the story of Ezio.

The two exclusive multiplayer characters have been confirmed to be the Ottoman Jester and The Crusader. In addition, collectors will also be able to snag a new close quarters dagger from the prison of Vlad the Impaler.

If, however, you consider yourself a true hardcore fan of the franchise, you owe it to yourself to check out the Animus Edition. This jam-packed package comes loaded with the extras of the Collector’s Edition as well as additional in-game content, plus an Assassin’s Creed encyclopaedia. The Collector’s Edition will set UK gamers back £59.99, while the more robust Animus Edition will go for £68.99 when the game arrives on November 15th.

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Assassin’s Creed: Revelations to Reveal the Mysteries of Ezio, Set Up for “What’s Coming in 2012″

Alex Osborn — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:41:49 +0000

While fans of the franchise are likely suffering from a bit of Ezio fatigue, they can rest assured in knowing that the assassin’s story will finally have some closure in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. With a franchise that is based so heavily on story, Ubisoft plans to wrap up the loose ends created by both Altair and Ezio in an effort to prevent the plot from getting too convoluted for its own good.

Creative director Alexandre Amancion explained their plans for Revelations in an interview with the Guardian and had this to say:

Well, Assassin’s Creed has been going since 2007 — the narrative is very rich and complex, so to avoid collapsing under the weight of our own mythology we needed to wrap up a few mysteries and set things up for what is to come. That’s what this game is about: we’re giving players some answers from Assassin’s 2 and Brotherhood, we’re completing the destiny of Altair, and we’re tying it in to what’s coming in 2012. And obviously, our over-arching storyline has to do with the end of the world in 2012 – we need to set up everything for the conclusion of that narrative. In this game, you’ll get to understand why Ezio is so important and how his destiny his aligned to Altair’s and to Desmond’s.

It’s exciting to hear that Ubisoft is finally giving fans the answers they’ve been clamoring for, while at the same time setting things in motion for what is to come next year. Let’s just hope the impending revelations will satisfy fans when the game launches this November.

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Five Glorious Minutes of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Gameplay

Josh Fernandes — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Do you like stabbing people in the face? Good, so does Ubisoft. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is the latest game in the Assassin’s Creed series. Players will take control of Etzio, Altair, and Desmond as they work to end the war between the Assassin’s and the Templars once and for all.

This trailer is from footage that was shown off at E3. The footage starts out with Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the Ottoman Empire. Ezio is noticeably older, with a rough, grey beard. As with previous trailers, the video gets into the action quickly. Combat is stylish as always, with fluid movements and fancy finishers. Ezio also retains the smoke bombs from the previous games, but now he also has fireworks to blast enemies. The footage also shows Ezio traversing across a fleet of burning ships. The climbing and parkour sequences contain a lot of cinematic footage mixed in, much like the Uncharted series. Check out the footage below and let us know what you think in the comments.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations Gameplay Teaser, Latest Screens & New Details

Matt Baker — Thu, 26 May 2011 19:52:47 +0000

Ubisoft has released a ton of Assassin’s Creed Revelations related media including the game’s first gameplay teaser trailer, as well as the adventure title’s latest screenshots. More new details on the fourth installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise have also been unveiled.

Ubisoft revealed the following new details on Assassin’s Creed Revelations:

Hone the deadly art of assassination – As Ezio Auditore, wield the lethal skills of a wiser, more efficient assassin. Armed with a new arsenal of weapons and abilities including the hookblade, bomb crafting and a heightened Eagle Sense, you can kill with death-dealing proficiency.

Herald the return of a legend – Assassin’s Creed Revelations features the return of Altaïr as a playable character, the hero of the original Assassin’s Creed.

Journey to the Constantinople –Explore picturesque settings, from Masyaf, the mountain stronghold of the Assassins during the Third Crusade to the vibrant and exotic Constantinople, the jewel of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th Century. Navigate crowded streets and vistas, through a cauldron of cultures as Constantinople comes to life.

Meet new players to the Assassins Creed lore – Encounter memorable personalities, including fellow master assassin Yusuf Tazim, Prince Suleiman, destined to become one of the greatest monarchs in history, and Sofia Sorto, a simple woman who vies for Ezio’s heart.

Test your skills as an assassin against your friends – the acclaimed online multiplayer experience returns, refined and expanded with more modes, more enthralling maps and new characters

The screenshots and gameplay teaser trailer can be viewed below:

Assassin’s Creed Revelations is currently scheduled for a release in the fall on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Ubisoft Lights Up the Big Screen With Three Huge Franchises

Max Murray — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:48:35 +0000

In today’s materialistic world, who is ever satisfied with what they’ve got? After you instinctively disagree, take a reflective gander at yourself and your current phone, computer, gaming home/portable console, or even your girl/boyfriend and tell me you’re not looking forward to something better. Don’t beat yourself up, we all do it and guess what, so do giant companies! Ubisoft has decided to enact some classic business expansion to spread their boundaries into the movie industry, and what better source material to start off with but using 3 of their biggest franchises?

Ubisoft Motion Pictures, the Paris based motions picture division of Ubisoft launched in early January, has released plans set forth to expand the Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon series into Hollywood’s territory with big screen, 3D counterparts.

The studio is headed by former EuropaCorp CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet who says efforts are being taken to collaborate with the producers and Ubisoft’s marketing team to ensure consistency is held through the series with the expansions. Jean de Rivieres, the senior VP of international marketing and distribution, ensures the action is to provide greater depth for the fans.

Our strategy is not to diversify but to bolster the appeal of our franchises — that’s why we want to make sure our films will reflect the brands accurately and consolidate our fan base while expanding beyond the games’ primary target audience.

According to Baronnet, the group’s projects have drawn great interest from U.S. studios and screenwriters. An initial trip to Los Angeles will take place next month to meet with studios and agents for the future projects. Ubisoft Motion Pictures will utilize the resources of the game publisher and have their 23 studios with which to draw resources from, including Ubisoft Digital Arts and Hybride Technologies. Baronnet explained:

We want to keep ownership, retain control over the film content, and we’re open to work with studios on the development of our projects, and eventually collaborate on the pre-casting, pre-budget and script.

With the ball rolling, Rivieres is confident to have their first script in hand by the end of the year, although it wasn’t mentioned which of the three franchises will get the initial focus. Ubisoft Motion Pictures is also developing Raving Rabbids, a jokey CGI 3D cartoon series based on the popular franchise that will comprise of 78 episodes of seven minutes.

Have you been scarred by poor video-game ports enough times to ignore this news, or can you see yourself being swept away by your favorite characters brought to life on screen?

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Ubisoft Reports Both Success and Failure in Video Game Market

Joseph Peterson — Mon, 16 May 2011 08:11:27 +0000

Ubisoft is known as one of the top publishers/developers in video games of both past and present. They are known for past hits such as the Prince of Persia titles on the PlayStation 2, and recent released like the Assassin’s Creed series on the PlayStation 3. Needless to say they are known for great games, and if their recent 2011 fiscal year earnings report is any indicator, they are doing quite well.

According to the yearly earnings report for Ubisoft, the company made $1.87 billion in revenue in 2011. This is up a total of 19% compared to last year. Even with all of this success that they attained, Ubisoft still managed to garner a net loss of $74.36 million. Typically this is due to major expenses, such as development costs.

On the brighter side of things Ubisoft did reveal total franchise sales of their top franchises:

Assassin’s Creed - 29 million units sold
Rainbow Six – 23 million units sold
Splinter Cell – 22 million units sold
Ghost Recon – 18 million units sold
Prince of Persia - 17 million units sold
Far Cry – 7 million units sold

Interestingly enough Assassin’s Creed is regarded as a fairly “new” franchise seeing as how it’s debut was towards the beginning of this console generation, yet it tops their list of most sold.

Pachter: E3 2011 Could Be The Best Yet

Paulmichael Contreras — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:42:54 +0000

E3 2011 is mere weeks away now, and the entire industry is ramping up in preparation for the big show. Professional analyst Michael Pachter is planning to make his case as to why this year’s will be the best show ever.

Industry Gamers recently teased their upcoming monthly segment titled “Pachter’s Podium,” where the analyst discusses his opinion on the gaming industry at large. When asked about the upcoming E3 show, Pachter had this to say with regards to who will “win” this year; Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo:

Gamers will win this year’s E3, because there is going to be a ton of gaming goodness this year,” he enthused. “I’m personally excited to see Star Wars and Battlefield from EA, a Call of Duty reveal from Activision, possibly a Bungie or Respawn game, something cool from Take-Two (like BioShock Infinite, Max Payne 3, or . . . dare I say it . . . GTA???). Ubisoft will show Driver and the next Assassin’s Creed, THQ will show Saints Row, and we’ll probably see Batman Arkham City, Rage … so much that I can’t keep track. The console guys are almost secondary, but we have NGP from Sony and Wii 2 from Nintendo (with Zelda for Wii, likely Mario for 3DS and Wii 2)…This could be the best E3 ever, and I’m not making that statement lightly.

Of course, this is mostly just speculation at this point, but with E3 just around the corner it won’t be too long before we see if Mr. Pachter is correct in his conclusion that gamers will benefit the most from all of these high-caliber titles perhaps being demoed on the show floor. Curious to note here – a lot of the games Mr. Pachter names are sequels. Most of the developers named have booked plenty of floor space to show off not only these hot titles, but much more. Stay with PlayStation LifeStyle as we will bring you nonstop coverage of E3 2011 as it happens.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Officially Announced, New Location Revealed

Sebastian Moss — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:52:06 +0000

After some teasers and a Facebook post for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Ubisoft have officially announced the latest game in their 28 million selling open-world platforming series.

Developed and led by Ubisoft Montreal with the support of Ubisoft studios Annecy, Massive Entertainment, Quebec, Singapore and Bucharest, the publisher claims that Revelations presents the “most immersive experience available in the series to date”. Ezio Auditore will once again return for his third and final time, following in the footsteps of Altaïr on a “journey of discovery and revelation”. Ezio will travel to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the region.

The developer has also touted “revolutionary gameplay”, where players can manipulate the construct of Desmond’s memories and the Animus to decipher the mysteries of his past and gain insight into the future. Multiplayer will return with more modes, more maps and more characters.

Alexandre Amancio, Creative Director at Ubisoft Montreal said:

Delivering the final chapter of the Ezio trilogy is an important milestone in the Assassin’s Creed franchise for us and for our fans
Assassin’s Creed Revelations includes lots of new features and some significant surprises. We can’t wait to show our fans what we have in store at E3 this year.

More details of Revelations will be in the June issue of Game Informer, as well as at next month’s E3.

Revelations will be coming to the PS3, 360 and PC this November. Are you excited for a new Assassin’s Creed, or are you upset that the game still focuses on Ezio and his lifetime? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Ubisoft Set to Dabble in Creating Movies, TV Shows on Its Own

Paulmichael Contreras — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:26:45 +0000

Ubisoft is one of the few developers whose videogames have actually produced a movie that wasn’t universally panned (2010′s Prince of Persia flick was commercially successful and has a decent Rotten Tomatoes score). After creating the Ubisoft Digital Arts CGI studio back in 2007, and acquiring Hybride Technologies, a visual effects studio, it looks like Ubisoft is ready to start making movies of its own.

According to Variety, Ubisoft has announced the Ubisoft Motion Pictures studio. It will serve to turn Ubisoft’s various videogame franchises into feature films as well as television shows. Jean-Julien Baronnet, ex-CEO from French film company EuropaCorp. is going to be at the head of the studio. Didler Lupfer, producer for French film Gainsbourg, will be responsible for development and production, and Jean de Rivieres from Walt Disney’s France studio is being put in charge of international sales and marketing. So who would want to see an Assassin’s Creed movie or TV series?

Assassins Teased; First Hints of Brotherhood’s Successor

Tyler Minarik — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:06:40 +0000

Even before the release of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, it was pretty much a given that another Assassin’s Creed would be on the way, and now the first teaser trailers for it have surfaced on the web.

We heard recently from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot that the next Assassin’s Creed game would be revealed in May, with its release being planned for this fiscal year. True to his word, although a bit earlier still than apparently intended, our very first detail on the game has been revealed, along with a couple videos too. The title of the next iteration will likely be Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, which was seen briefly on Facebook before being taken down.

Besides that, the details are rather slim, however Ubisoft is sure to reveal more running up to E3 this June. Each Assassin’s Creed game thus far has built upon the success of the franchise by bringing players plenty more options to vary gameplay, most recently with the addition of competitive multiplayer in Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines. Hopefully something just as exciting is awaiting us in Revelations to keep this already popular series fresh, and you can be sure PlayStation LifeStyle will let you know just what that is when it is revealed.

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See What April Will Bring for PlayStation Plus

Adam Wolfe — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:36:35 +0000

As the last PlayStation Store update for March has passed, it’s now time to start looking towards April. We may not know what is in store for the normal updates, but luckily we do get a glimpse of what PlayStation Plus members should be getting next month.

Announced earlier on the Official PlayStation.Blog, fans of the Sonic franchise will be getting a second free helping of nostalgia, as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, complete with trophies, will be offered for free on April 5th. Be warned as Sonic 2 comes racing to Plus members, the original Sonic will be leaving just as quick, as it will be going back to its normal $4.99 price point on the 5th.

Other free options on April 5th will be the miniS title Duael Invaders and Qore April Episode 35. Also, those that have waited for the fast paced Stardrone, can grab it when it release on April 5th for just $4.00 for Plus members.

For those that enjoy trying out their games before they buy them, you’ll be able to try Assassins Creed on April 12th – yes that is the original Assassins Creed. Also on April 12th, PS Plus members will get 25% off the newly released Dungeon Hunter, so you will only have to pay $9.74. Finally, fans of avatars can get their hands on 38 Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds avatars, on April 12th for just $3.99, and it will be exclusive to Plus members.

So what are you looking forward to the most in April?

Next Assassin’s Creed Will be Announced in May

Josh Fernandes — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:24:32 +0000

Ubisoft has struck gold with the Assassin’s Creed franchise, with each title selling millions of copies. Both Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood also received very high review scores, with the series gaining a loyal following. With such incredible success, Ubisoft’s plans for the future of the franchise are not that surprising.

During their financial call, Ubisoft announced that a new Assassin’s Creed will be releasing in Fiscal Year 2012, with more information set to release in May.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced:

We will have an Assassin’s Creed this [fiscal] year. We are going to give you more details in May

The publisher also released sales figures for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. The title shipped an impressive 6.5 million units since its launch back in November. Although Assassin’s Creed II shipped more copies, Brotherhood performed better in terms of revenue. Additionally, the company revealed that PSP spin-off Bloodlines, which released in 2009, has now sold 500,000 units.

With a new Assassin’s Creed on the horizon, when and where would you like the title to be set? Let us know in the comments below.

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Xperia Play Already Has A Growing Library

Joseph Peterson — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:38:43 +0000

The Xperia Play has already been announced, but there have been many questions surrounding the new smartphone. One of those being what titles will be available for the phone, well it seems that question has been somewhat answered at the Sony Ericsson Xperia Event.

There are already 50 titles confirmed for the phone, and they will include titles such as Battlefield, Dead Space, Guitar Hero, and Assassin’s Creed. It is also worth noting that the library is growing on a daily basis as more developers sign on to release games on it.

What else would you like to see released on this fantastic smartphone?