Assassin’s Creed Infinity has a new name and no microtransactions

by Yaron

Ubisoft quietly confirmed new details on Assassin’s Creed Infinity, a hub that’s set to launch alongside Assassin’s Creed Shadows, on the franchise’s official Reddit on Friday. It not only revealed that Animus Hub would be the official name, but that the rewards would be free.

The post was in response to a datamined leak (since taken down via DMCA request) that purportedly revealed a lot of information about the Animus Hub and how it would integrate with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Along with revealing the new name, we learned that the Animus Hub would include a battle pass with cosmetics that can be purchased with Isu Coins, the in-game currency. This led to people assuming that there would be microtransactions involved.

Assassin’s Creed Reddit community manager Ubi_Waldo called the rumors “inaccurate,” but did confirm the Animus Hub name. Ubi_Waldo clarified that while there will be rewards in the hub, they’d be “entirely free.” “There are no paid subscriptions or paid battle pass featured in the Animus Hub,” the post read.

There’s been some confusion around what the Animus Hub would actually be. Assassin’s Creed Infinity was always a code name, so we expected that to change, but Ubisoft announced it as part of a “cross-studio, collaborative structure” between Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Quebec that’s led by veterans from the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Was it a new game? Was it just the name for the team? Either way, Ubisoft seemed to be putting the weight of Assassin’s Creed’s future on its shoulders.

Then, a Bloomberg report claimed that Infinity would be a “massive online platform that evolves over time.” It would apparently contain multiple settings that would change as the franchise moved forward. That was also vague. Maybe it was a live-service title, but as we found out in a later IGN interview, it’s just a hub that will host all the Assassin’s Creed games starting with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It’s like a launcher, but with an Animus interface that will tell its separate story — hence the new name.

However, in 2022, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that Animus Hub would not be free to play. We’ll have to wait to see the final result when Shadows launches on February 14, 2025.

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These are the games we’re still looking forward to in 2024
Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows fighting an enemy. He's dressed in his samurai armor.

Going into 2024, I expected a slow year. We were coming off the highs of 2023, and we knew that heavy hitters like Grand Theft Auto 6 were waiting for 2025. I expected a transitional year full of niche hidden gems. Boy was I wrong. This year has nearly matched 2023 already thanks to games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and much more. The wild part? 2024 feels like it hasn’t even gotten started yet.

The back half of this year is looking loaded thanks to a dense holiday season. Xbox will get an influx of games, PlayStation will chase the family market once again, and the Nintendo Switch is getting one heck of a final gasp. That’s only a small piece of the pie too. Third-parties will deliver anticipated blockbusters like Silent Hill 2’s remake and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, while the indie scene is bringing some genre-bending creativity. So what should be on your radar for the rest of 2024? Here’s what we’re especially looking forward to.
The Crush House (August 9)

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Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works
Basim perched on a ledge overlooking Baghdad

In a company interview with CEO Yves Guillemot posted on the Ubisoft website Thursday, the executive reveals that there are remakes of Assassin’s Creed games in the works, although he doesn’t specify which ones.

“Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we’ve created in the past and modernize them,” he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. “There are worlds in some of our older Assassin’s Creed games that are still extremely rich.”

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ blend of old and new is a recipe for success
Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows fighting an enemy. He's dressed in his samurai armor.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows was officially revealed a couple of weeks ago in a beefy cinematic trailer showing off its dual protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe. It’s a big moment for fans of the series, as Shadows is finally the Feudal Japan Assassin’s Creed game fans have been asking for since it was teased back in the very first entry in the franchise in 2007.

Does it live up to that long wait? Ahead of today’s Ubisoft Forward stream, I saw an extended gameplay presentation for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that gave me a much better sense of what to expect this fall. The team behind it is looking to blend newer series entries like Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins into the more traditional Assassin’s Creed titles from over a decade ago. And that seems like it could be a winning formula.
Out of the shadows
During the presentation, I saw both of Shadows’ playable characters in action — and they’re quite different from one another. Yasuke’s Samurai stature and hulking physique command respect from villagers when he walks by. They bow to him, move out of his way, and clearly show signs of admiration. His combat skills also match this, giving him access to actions like a shoulder charge to break down doors or knock enemies off balance.

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