The first of many! A passion project of my own to collect the news from each day in one place! Welcome to the Round-Up!
Let’s get started, shall we? We only have a single major news story for the day, which we’ll talk about right below. Hopefully, other days aren’t as dry…
Assassin’s Creed Infinity
Reported first by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, and later corroborated by Ubisoft themselves, Assassin’s Creed Infinity looks to be the next entry in the famed franchise, with an aimed release of 2024. While Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be receiving content in 2022, Ubisoft is looking ahead to cash in on the live-service genre of games.
That’s right. While it’s not explicitly stated by Ubisoft themselves, Bloomberg and Windows Central report that Assassin’s Creed Infinity will be crafted as a platform for future Assassin’s Creed experiences — as a collaborative effort between Ubisoft Montreal and Quebec, despite reports of a “rivalry” between the two studios by Bloomberg.
“Infinity” is the codename for the time being, and we don’t know much else about what it’ll look like. It’ll likely be Ubisoft’s platform going forward for introducing new Assassin’s Creed historical settings by utilizing a live-service model. “Individual games on the platform might look and feel different, but they will all be connected”, Schreier reports in his piece.
The transition is a surprising and concerning one, with some pointing out the failure of The Division as a live-service game. With Assassin’s Creed being one of the most beloved and biggest properties Ubisoft owns, it is absolutely concerning to hear that they might be trending in this direction, chasing a live-service trend in the industry that has hit a few times — but has seen so many disappointing misses. Misses such as Marvel’s Avengers and Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) at launch are notable examples from big publishers in Square Enix and Electronic Arts.
We’ll see what Assassin’s Creed “Infinity” looks to be like in the coming years. We don’t know what it’ll even look like yet. Is it multiplayer? Is it just a launcher platform for their other games? Is it one game that will be continuously updated? Will there be boats again? While the news is concerning, I can only hope for the best as someone who enjoys seeing the historical settings the series presents.
Let’s not forget either the reports of sexual misconduct at Ubisoft. Concerns that have been aired publicly and haven’t been fully addressed. Some managers accused still have positions of power in Ubisoft, which is absurd to hear. A Ubisoft spokeswoman according to Bloomberg “declined to comment on individual cases”, and then proceeded to give the PR rigmarole quote of “Any employee that had allegations and remain at Ubisoft has had their case rigorously reviewed by a third party and were either exonerated or underwent appropriate disciplinary actions”. Are we really accepting this as good enough? I don’t believe we should, and we need to demand further action from Ubisoft where we can.
Rapid-Fire Round-Up
This section will be for all the minor stories that aren’t big enough for their own section, but should be notable news for readers!
- Red Dead Redemption 2, along with Red Dead Online for PC will be receiving NVIDIA DLSS support on July 13th for all Windows users with eligible NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards.
- Following the news of NVIDIA DLSS support for Red Dead Online, a new update will be released the same day for all platforms — Red Dead Online: Blood Money. The update features new work in the forms of Crimes and Opportunities, which appear to be multi-faceted missions that players can complete solo or with a posse. The update also features the “Quick Draw Club”, a series of 4 purchasable Battle Passes that provide the players with bonus items. Players can make up the gold cost of the Battle Pass by completing it.
- Among Us has a very small update today, featuring a new vent cleaning task. Cleaning a vent will prevent Imposters from using that specific vent. If a player is in a vent when it is cleaned, it’ll boot them out, revealing who they are.
- The 2021 Call of Duty League Season will conclude with its Championship Weekend on August 22nd in Los Angeles’s Galen Center. The match will be streamed live as well via YouTube.
- Hot Wheels Unleashed got a trailer that showcases its track editor. Not into Hot Wheels, personally, but it looks cool, give it a watch!
- EA has announced the creation of a new studio — Ripple Effect Studios, which has splintered off from DICE as their own studio. Located in Los Angeles, the team is set to be working on Battlefield 2042, along with a “yet-to-be announced” project. The studio will be looked over and managed by the founder of Respawn Entertainment, Vince Zampella.
Rumor Mill
For the stuff that isn’t confirmed just yet, but is floating around. Always take rumors with a grain of salt until proven.
- Xbox Italy’s Instagram account apparently put out that FPS Boost is coming to Dark Souls III, as reported by Twitter user Miles Dompier here. Dark Souls III could absolutely use FPS Boost from everything I’ve heard about it on Xbox One, and if this is being teased, it likely means a pool of new FPS Boost titles will be announced very soon.
Today’s Releases
Game releases and game updates that are out as of today include:
- A Plague Tale: Innocence is now available on Nintendo Switch via their Cloud service for $39.99. (NS)
- Fallout 76: Steel Reign — The conclusion of the Brotherhood of Steel storyline in Fallout 76, along with the game’s 5th Season. (XB1, PS4, PC)
