Ubisoft is on a tear this week, with two major announcements about the latest in its massively popular – and profitable – Assassin’s Creed series, plus an entirely new game, Immortals Fenyx Rising.
Assassin’s Creed has been a highly successful licensing property since the first game was released in 2007, while the Immortals is being hyped as Ubisoft’s next major franchise.
Thus far, Ubisoft’s prediction on the new Assassin’s Creed release have been right on the mark. Ubisoft announced on Nov. 17 that the early sales for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla sold more units in its first week than any previous Assassin’s Creed game for the same time period, which is saying a lot considering the franchise has been among the best selling in the entire video game industry. Even better, the company says, “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla also has become the top-selling Ubisoft PC launch ever, driven by all-time record Ubisoft Store sales performance.”
In this installment of Assassin’s Creed players take on the role of Eivor, a legendary Viking warrior, driven from Norway by endless wars and dwindling resources in ninth century AD. Players can relive the ruthless fighting style of Viking warriors with a revamped dual-wielding combat system and experience new gameplay features such as raids, assaults, and the settlement, as well as a revamped progression and gear upgrade system. Political alliances, combat decisions and dialogue choices can influence the world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, so players must choose wisely to protect their clan’s home and their future.
Already, players have logged four million kilometres of travel, built more than 55 million structures, and more than 1.8 million players have won digital drinking games since the game was launched. Sales of Valhalla branded merchandise is also doing brisk business, with the Ubisoft Store launching sales on Nov. 10.
“We are truly delighted by the enthusiastic response from players and want to thank the fans for their incredible support. Delivering this game amid a global pandemic was a true tour de force by our teams and it’s fantastic to see players enjoying the game so much,” said Julien Laferrière, producer on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. “Launch is only the beginning and we have robust content plans for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla that will keep players immersed in their epic Viking saga for a long time to come.”
Also on Nov. 17 the company previewed the post-launch plan for its new game Immortals Fenyx Rising, which it hopes will become a major franchise in its own right.
Developed by the team at Ubisoft Quebec, developers of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Immortals Fenyx Rising is an exciting new IP that takes grand mythological adventure to new heights. Players will embody Fenyx, a winged demigod, on a quest to save the Greek gods and their home from a dark curse. Players gradually master the powers of the gods, overcome a series of trials, and eventually the playable character Fenyx takes on Typhon, a deadly Titan in Greek mythology.
The game launches on Dec. 3 for Stadia, the Xbox family of devices, PlayStation5, PlayStation4, PC, Luna and the Nintendo Switch system.