TheAssassin’s Creedfranchise continues to be one of Ubisoft’s biggest IPs, and the next couple of years will see the studio go all in on the concept. Not only is it working on multiple new mainline entries includingAssassin’s Creed MirageandAssassin’s Creed Codename Red, but it is also bringing the franchise to mobile withAssassin’s Creed Codename Jade. While not much is known about the project, it may be facing an uphill battle with the fanbase as its release date nears.
Mobile games do not have the best reputation with the gaming community, and Ubisoft has garnered a bit of controversy with its handling of microtransactions. On top of that,Assassin’s Creed Codename Jadewill feature a setting that fans have been requesting for years, and that has created some lofty expectations for the title. Expectations that it will likely fail to meet, and only diehardAssassin’s Creedfans may be willing to give this game a shot when it launches.
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Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade Has a Lot to Prove
Assassin’s Creed Codename Jadewas announced alongsidemultiple newAssassin’s Creedprojects, and it is being penned as the first fully-fledged mobile title in the franchise. The brief gameplay that Ubisoft has shown looks promising, and fans are excited to finally step foot in ancient China, However, there is so much stacked up against this experience that it may be dead on arrival. While that remains to be seen, some fans have already delivered their verdict.
Players have been clamoring for a massiveAssassin’s Creedadventure set in ancient China for years now, but Ubisoft has never delivered on that potential. Beforethe studio announcedCodename Jade, rumors suggested that it was finally going to explore the setting. Players were very excited to see what it would deliver, but those hopes were quickly dashed when it was revealed to be a mobile game. Mobile titles cannot be as vast as games likeAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, andJademay not be able to fully realize this impressive setting.
Locking ancient China on mobile platforms has been a bit controversial with the fanbase and seems like a really strange choice. While it will get some diehard players to check it out, it may also prevent the studio from ever exploring the setting ina massiveAssassin’s CreedRPG. The studio seldom revisits the same time period, and most of the spin-offs have only explored settings the mainline series has not. This means that ancient China may only ever be a mobile title and that heavily limits what Ubisoft could have done with the setting.
Mobile titles also have an awfully bad reputation with gamers these days as they are filled to the brim with microtransactions.Assassin’s Creed Codename Jadewill be a free-to-play mobile title, and that likely means it will have microtransactions around every single corner. While Ubisoft has not unveiled what that will look like just yet, the fanbase is very weary of what that means. The studio will want to make money somehow, and that could mean that this free-to-play game quicklyfollows in the footsteps of games likeDiablo Immortal.
The setting may win some fans over, but everything aboutAssassin’s Creed Codename Jademay push more players away. The fanbase wants a massiveclassicAssassin’s Creedin ancient China,and it will be hard for a mobile game to meet those expectations. There may also be countless forms of microtransactions, and this could make it feel like it exists just to get as much money from the fanbase as possible. There is a chance thatCodename Jadewill surprise everyone, but that may prove impossible given the circumstances.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Jadeis currently in development for mobile devices.
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