Summary
- Assassin's Creed Infinity has been renamed to Animus Hub.
- The app will launch no later than November 15, when Assassin's Creed Shadows does.
- While Animus Hub is planned to continue the series' modern-day story, it's still unclear what that will actually entail.
Assassin's Creed Infinity has been renamed to Animus Hub, a senior Ubisoft official has revealed. But the company is still being coy about the details of what the upcoming Assassin's Creed app will actually offer.
Assassin's Creed Infinity was originally announced in September 2022, alongside the codenames of the next two mainline entries in the franchise, Red and Hexe. Since then, AC: Codename Red has been fully revealed as Assassin's Creed Shadows, but not much has been said about AC Infinity. Ubisoft has been sending somewhat mixed signals about the nature of AC Infinity, which is meant to connect AC Shadows and Hexe as a sort of hub or launcher app, but also somehow continue the series' modern-day story. How exactly that's meant to work in practice is unclear.
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Assassin's Creed Shadows Will Require Animus Hub
And while many details about the launcher are still up in the air, Ubisoft finally broke silence on Assassin's Creed Infinity in mid-June, starting with the reveal that the app will launch under a different name, Animus Hub. That's according to the Assassin's Creed franchise executive producer, Marc-Alexis Côté, who said as much in a recent interview with Game File's Stephen Totilo. The official did not elaborate on the company's decision to rename AC Infinity. What he did say is that the next mainline entry in the franchise will be launched through Animus Hub, essentially confirming that the app will release no later than Assassin's Creed Shadows does on November 15.
The new moniker does appear to better reflect the aggregator nature of the upcoming app. Côté confirmed that Animus Hub will also allow players to launch other, "different experiences." But it's unclear whether any such offerings will be available from day one. Ubisoft did previously say that Animus Hub is meant to continue the modern-day story of Assassin's Creed, so it stands to reason that full-fledged games like AC Shadows and Hexe won't be the only "experiences" it will have to offer.
Assassin's Creed Shadows May Not Feature Any Modern-Day Story Segments
Either way, it sounds like Assassin's Creed Shadows itself may not feature any modern-day segments, even though the game will still use the Animus as a narrative device, which Côté confirmed will be the case. By moving those sections to the launcher app, Ubisoft is presumably trying to please both the fans who enjoy the modern-day story and those who couldn't care less about it.
The Game File interview also saw Côté reflect on the ongoing backlash against the upcoming game's African protagonist, which was recently fueled by billionaire Elon Musk. Among other things, the official said that Musk's Assassin's Creed Shadows criticism is needlessly fueling hatred and misconceptions about the game.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Released
- November 15, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Amazon Luna
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, RPG
