Assassin’s Creed was meant to be a “trilogy” ending with Desmond Miles’ death in Assassin’s Creed III, but Ubisoft stretched it with Brotherhood and Revelations: “The problem with success is it drags it out”

He says Brotherhood and Revelations arrived in that gap — Brotherhood reportedly began as planned DLC before expanding into a full release — and their presence made the franchise feel increasingly burdened by its own continuity. For Hutchinson, Assassin’s Creed 3 needed to steer the series back toward the historical focus that defined the first games and give players the experience they expected.

Hutchinson warns that franchises (and even genres) can falter when they become insular and overly specialist, citing how some genres narrowed their audience before later reinvention. He argues that franchise entries should remain accessible so new players can join in without feeling shut out by obsessive continuity tracking.

To avoid that trap, the team concluded that Desmond’s death — though controversial among long-time fans — was a necessary move to stop continuity purism from constraining future entries. By closing that chapter, the series preserved a clear entry point for newcomers.

Ultimately, the decision didn’t end the franchise. Assassin’s Creed continued to grow into one of gaming’s most recognizable series, with more recent entries expanding and evolving the brand.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows finally arrives on Switch 2 in December — but the physical release is limited to game-key cards