Summary
- Assassin's Creed Mirage will be released a week earlier than anticipated, which puts the game in a better position for success considering the strong competition in October.
- Ubisoft's decision to ship the game earlier shows its confidence in the quality of Assassin's Creed Mirage and gives more gamers a chance to consider playing before other big releases.
- The extra week on the market could be a major difference maker for Mirage, as fans can enjoy it before Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder debut.
2023 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years for gaming in a long time. The first half of the year was dotted with heavy-hitting titles like The Legend of Zelda and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and it seems almost every AAA studio under the sun has a major release slated for the fall. One such studio is Ubisoft, whose most anticipated release of 2023 is Assassin's Creed Mirage. The next installment in the iconic series has a lot of pressure behind it this time around, as Assassin's Creed Mirage promises to take AC back to its roots after a few years spent in the action-RPG genre.
Those looking forward to Mirage's more traditional take on Assassin's Creed have been recently met with some good fortune, as Ubisoft has confirmed the game will be releasing a week earlier than anticipated. This coincides with the announcement that AC Mirage has gone gold and is ready to be shipped, which is hopefully a sign that Ubisoft is confident in the quality of its final product. There is an additional benefit to this announcement, however, as AC Mirage coming out a week earlier than planned puts the game in a much better position for success when taking the games releasing around it into consideration.
October 2023 Is Bloated With Big Video Game Releases
September 2023 to November 2023 is going to be packed with major releases, but the one month with arguably the stiffest competition is October. Before the first full week of the month is up, Detective Pikachu Returns releases October 6 on the Switch, and shortly after Forza Motorsport comes to Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 10. AC Mirage's original October 12 release date would put it in direct competition with these titles, in addition to a few more releasing closer to the middle of October. It's what releases at the end of the month, however, that Mirage wants to distance itself from as much as possible.
On October 20, a pair of games are slated for release that could give the rest of the month's titles a run for their money. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder will release on the PS5 and Switch respectively, with each game expected to make a big splash. Any game releasing soon before or after will have to contend with the sheer amount of attention Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder will receive, even if they offer wildly different experiences. AC Mirage is no exception to this possibility, making its new release date a boon for the title's future success.
AC Mirage's New Release Date Should Help It From Getting Lost In The Crowd
Assassin's Creed Mirage was always going to be up against strong competition with its fall 2023 release, but Ubisoft's decision to ship the game a week earlier should help it stand out. AC is a big name in the industry, but it can be argued that it doesn't carry the same weight it once did due to its recent identity issues. Mirage is very much an experiment in that it will have to find common ground between old-school and new-school AC fans. By putting more distance between Mirage and other AAA games, Ubisoft is giving more gamers an opportunity to consider diving into the next AC entry before committing to October's other big releases.
A game like AC Mirage is a long time coming for fans of the franchise, but it won't be able to rely on that alone for success. Ubisoft is giving the game better odds by moving up the release date, and hopefully its confidence in Mirage is an indication of its overall quality and polish. If it turns out to be everything fans have been hoping for, then Mirage may stand a chance in October and through the rest of the competitive holiday season. For those looking for more experiences like what Mirage promises to be, this extra week on the market could turn out to be a major difference maker.
Assassin's Creed Mirage releases October 5 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.