Debuting in November 2007, theAssassin’s Creedfranchise is approaching its 16th birthday, and what a journey those 16 years have been. Originally conceived asaPrince of Persiaspinoff,Assassin’s Creedquickly took on a life of its own. Over the last decade and a half, it’s become one of the most popular franchises in all of gaming, offering a great blend of action-adventure, stealth, and RPG gameplay all wrapped up in a fascinating historical package. WhileAssassin’s Creed Miragelooks to be a smaller entry in the long-running franchise, it’s still turning plenty of heads.
Announced back in September of last year following some leaks,Assassin’s Creed Mirageis said to be a smaller-scale adventure set in 9th-century Baghdad, followingBasim Ibn Ishaq, a character first introduced inAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. ThoughAssassin’s Creed Mirageis designed to be the next main entry in the franchise, it’s not really pushing the series forward in terms of mechanics or setting, and instead is acting like a return to basics, which many fans seem incredibly excited for. If a return to basics is what fans are asking for, then a remake of the firstAssassin’s Creedseems like a no-brainer.
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Assassin’s Creed Mirage Shows Fans Want a Return to Basics
After 2007’sAssassin’s Creedwas a massive hit, Ubisoft doubled down on the stealth-action gameplay forAssassin’s Creed 2, and that formula received even further refinement withAssassin’s Creed Brotherhood. Then, for the next five years and six mainline entries,Assassin’s Creed’s gameplay formulastayed largely the same. By the timeAssassin’s Creed Syndicaterolled around in 2015, many fans had grown tired of that formula, and seeing the numbers dip pretty significantly, Ubisoft took the franchise back to the drawing board for a few years.
Released in 2017,Assassin’s Creed Originsmarked the next phase of the franchise’s life, taking the stealth/action-adventure elements of previous entries and applying them to a grander open-world, and adding some major RPG features for good measure. While a big portion of the fan base wasn’t too happy with the big changes, for a general market it seemed to do the job, withAssassin’s Creed Originsmanaging to breathe new life into the franchise, and create a formula that’s been used ever since. But as time’s gone on, that new formula has itself become stale, and fans are looking for another shake-up.
Ubisoft is marketingAssassin’s Creed Mirageas that franchise shake-up. As soon as press releases started to drop forAssassin’s Creed Mirage, it’s been clear that Ubisoft wants to claim this game as a return to the series' simpler roots. A smaller setting, an increased focus on stealth, classic styles of parkour, and fully-fledged assassination missions all hearken back toAssassin’s Creed’s first few entries and that classic formula. While many fans were desperately pleading for a formula change back in 2015, nostalgia is a powerful thing, and many of those same fans are desperate for a return to those days.
The general reception toAssassin’s Creed Mirage’s marketinghas been pretty positive so far, with the vast majority of fans praising the game’s decision to return to the series' roots. Though it’s still a little ways off, it seems likely thatAssassin’s Creed Miragewill perform fairly well in the sales department. If that is the case, then Ubisoft should waste no time in producing a remake of the originalAssassin’s Creed, with all the new bells and whistles carried over fromMirage. The desire for a return to that original formula is clearly there, and if Ubisoft didn’t seize that opportunity then it’d be leaving money on the table.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis set to release on June 24, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
