Assassin’s Creed may not be annualised when it returns in 2017

We know Assassin’s Creed won’t get a major instalment in 2016, which has been interpreted as Ubisoft giving its long-labouring series a year off. But according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, it isn’t as simple as that: by the sound of things, the publisher is rethinking its approach to rolling out sequels.

Speaking at a Ubisoft Investor’s Day, Guillemot indicated that, while a 2017 Assassin’s Creed seems inevitable, that might not necessarily hold true for 2018. “The goal is not to automatically come back to an annual cycle, but to come back on a regular basis,” Guillemot said, via GamesIndustry.biz. “We can’t say every year.”

Meanwhile, Guillemot reportedly said that the publisher intends to move away from the “fire and forget” approach to releasing titles, opting instead for ongoing, game-as-service titles like Rainbow Six: Siege and The Division. It’s worth reading the full report if you’re interested in the nitty-gritty, but online, multiplayer focused games seems to be the target.

In the short term, Ubisoft has Far Cry: Primal releasing next week, followed by The Division in early March. Rainbow Six: Siege is also getting some solid ongoing support, following a rocky launch.