Ubisoft has announced that they are developing a virtual reality experience set in the Assassin’s Creed universe which will be released this year.
The project is connected to the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, which is due to be released this December. The VR experience includes some scenes filmed alongside the movie and is not “a game.”
Just announced: Assassin's Creed VR experience – based on the film – is coming this year from FOX & Practical Magic. pic.twitter.com/YZUCJwfPY3
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) March 15, 2016
Simply and unimaginatively titled the Assassin’s Creed VR Experience, the event is being produced by Fox and Practical Magic, a VR company. The production was unveiled last night during a GDC event. Practical Magic’s boss Matthew Lewis stressed the fact that isn’t a video game while on-stage.
In the movie, Fassbender plays two characters: a 15th century Assassin named Aguilar and his modern day descendant Callum Lynch, but details beyond that are scarce. The movie, directed by Macbeth’s Justin Kurzel, also stars Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson. Ubisoft has all approved a sequel.
2016 will mark the first year since 2008 that no major Assassin’s Creed game is released. Ubisoft said the decision to postpone the next game to 2017 arose from negative feedback relating to 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity. The next game will be retooled over the next year and is believed to be subtitled Empire. Set in Ancient Egypt, the game reportedly casts players as a former slave and Ubisoft hopes it will mark the beginning of a Roman trilogy. The company has said that even when the series does return, it won’t stick to an annual release schedule.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more about the Assassin’s Creed VR Experience soon.