Summary
- Assassin's Creed Red will venture to Feudal Japan and is tied to Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Infinity launcher.
- The Anvil Pipeline is reportedly getting studios to revamp core elements in Assassin's Creed Red, offering evolved combat like Valhalla's and emphasizing stealth.
- Assassin's Creed Red is rumored to be introducing fully customizable hideouts with armories, dojos, and alters, offering a tranquil break from the main heroes' storylines.
The next mainline Assassin's Creed title, Assassin's Creed Red is due to release sometime in the coming year. Whereas last year's Assassin's Creed Mirage took the series back to its smaller, stealth-based roots, Assassin's Creed Red seems to be building upon the larger, Action RPG entries that started with 2017 Assassin's Creed Origins and were last seen in 2020's Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Assassin's Creed Red will see the series venturing to Feudal Japan, a location that has long been teased throughout the series through a variety of Easter eggs, clues, and hints. Despite fans expressing their desire for an entry in the series, it seemed unlikely when the Assassin's Creed 3's creative director, Alex Hutchinson, stated in 2012 that a Feudal Japan would be one of the most "boring settings" for a series always trying to do something new (via. VG247).
Japanese Mythology Assassin's Creed Red Could Use
The Assassin's Creed franchise is finally heading to feudal Japan soon, and there are some essential myths and folklore that Ubisoft should include.
New Leaks Have Revealed More About Assassin's Creed Red's Characters And Gameplay
The Anvil Pipeline Has Overhauled Several Of The Series' Core Elements
Not much has been officially revealed about Assassin's Creed Red other than the location, time period, and the fact it will be connected to Ubisoft's new Assassin's Creed Infinity launcher. Previous reports suggest that there will be two protagonists in , a Black samurai named Yasuke - who is reportedly based upon a real historical figure - and a Japanese woman named Naoe on a quest for revenge.
A new report from Insider Gaming states that while the Assassin’s Creed franchise isn’t moving to a new engine necessarily, it will be using a substantial evolution of it named the ‘Anvil Pipeline’ to unify all the various studios working on the series. As a result, the teams have had to completely overhaul everything in the series, including animations, its parkour system, dynamic weather, and more.
This seems to have resulted in Assassin's Creed Red not only building upon and evolving what came before, with combat similar to Assassin's Creed Valhalla - albeit with more gore, including blood, and decapitations - but also taking from other Ubisoft IPs. Whereas some of the Assassin's Creed RPG titles focused more on combat over the series' stealthy roots, stealth seems to be playing a major role in Assassin's Creed Red.
Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla all used tall grass and bushes to sneak around locations, and seen in Splinter Cell in which the player can manipulate light and create shadows by extinguishing torches, and Ghost Recon where the characters can go prone to reduce visibility.
Assassin's Creed's Most Obvious Missed Era Can Revitalize Its Stealth
The Assassin’s Creed series has so far avoided a particular period of time, but embracing this setting could make stealth more important than ever.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Settlements Have Been Evolved
Assassin's Creed Red's Hideout Has More Customization
Insider Gaming's report stated that its team had been shown footage from Assassin's Creed Red in which players were able to build a settlement, much like they could in Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Ravensthorpe. The Ravensthorpe settlement served as a base of operations for Eivor and their clan that could be invested in over time.
Most of Assassin's Creed Valhalla's settlement started with very basic tents, but as players progressed in Eivor's journey, they were able to allocate resources and materials earned from raiding the countryside to unlock Ravensthorpe's full potential. This included building a Longhouse in which the clan could have lavish feasts and form alliances, a barracks for the customizable warriors and raiding party to reside, a blacksmith's building run by Gunnar where players could upgrade weapons and other gear found in the open world, a Shipyard to tend to the clan's longboat, and more listed below.
Building |
Purpose and Perks |
|---|---|
Longhouse |
Eivor's personal quarters, central feasting hall, throne room, and strategy room. Can be used to form alliances and plan attacks, and holding feasts can grant a temporary buff for Eivor. |
Barracks |
Residence of customizable warriors and Eivor's personal raiding party. |
Blacksmith |
Gunnar's residence. Used to upgrade weapons and other gear found in the open world. |
Shipyard |
Can be used to customize the look of the Viking Longboat, and upgrade its capabilities. |
Stable and Aviary |
Can customize the look of Eivor's horse and raven, and increase their abilities, making the horse stronger and able to swim. |
Hidden Ones Bureau |
Residence of the Hidden Ones. Once built, players can accept assassination requests from them. |
Seer's Hut |
Residence of Velka the Seer. Let's Eivorsee visions of and visit Norse mythological locations such as Asgard and Jotunheim. |
Trading Pot |
Used for buying and selling various goods, such as weapons and cosmetic items. |
Fishing Hut |
Unlocks the fishing line and a fishing minigame at any river across the open world map. |
Hunter's Hut |
Unlocks the ability to go on Legendary hunts and gather items from defeated animals in exchange for rewards. |
Tattoo and Barber Shop |
Unlocks several cosmetic options for Eivor. |
Cartographer |
Grants access to special maps and reveals secrets across the open world. |
Octavian's Museum |
Residence of Octavian. Finding and giving Octavian artifacts from the Roman Empire will unlock new rewards. |
Bakery |
Increases food production and boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional health. |
Brewery |
Increases food production and boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional health. |
Cattle Farm |
Increases food production and boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional ranged damage. |
Grain Farm |
Increases food production and boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional armor. |
Fowl Farm |
Increases food production and boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional melee damage. |
Avis and Holger's House |
Residence of Avis and Holger. Boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional assassination damage. |
Hunwald and Swanburrow's House |
Residence of Hunwald and Swanburrow. Boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional assassination damage. |
Kari's Woodshop |
Residence of Kari. Helps fortify the settlement. Boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional assassination damage. |
Mayda's House |
Residence of Mayda. Boosts perks from any feasts held in the Longhouse, granting additional assassination damage. |
Reda's Hut - Thousand Eyes |
Residence of Reda, the leader of the Thousand Eyes group. Sells mythical mounts, weapons, gear pieces, and more in exchange for Opal. |
As this list shows, the Ravensthorpe settlement could grow to be an expansive, powerful base, but Assassin's Creed Red could have something even more impressive in store for players. Insider Gaming's report states that the settlement feature seems to have evolved too, with Assassin's Creed Red's "Hideout" being far more customizable.
When in the Hideout, players can build armories to display their weapons and armor, a dojo, alters, and more at their own will, much as they could with Assassin's Creed Valhalla's settlement. Whereas Aitor's clan set up its base in one spot during the story, players will be able to pick the specific location of their Hideout in Assassin's Creed Red, before tailoring everything from its roof design to the interior layout to make it unique to them.
Assassin's Creed Red: 10 Locations That Could Appear
Assassin's Creed Red is finally taking players to Feudal Japan, and the country's rich history gives plenty of opportunity to visit iconic locations.
More Customization Features Could Easily Be Exploited
Such A Mechanic Is An Easy Way To Incorporate Microtransactions
This kind of detailed building mechanic is certainly a change for the Assassin's Creed franchise, letting players take a break from the blood-soaked tales of its main protagonists in exchange for something more tranquil. While Insider Gaming's report didn't state exactly how the customization features would work, with Ubisoft having put virtual currency in many of its games over the years, it does also seem like something that can be exploited to get more money from players - with microtransactions akin to The Sims games' various item packs being an easy comparison to make - rather than letting them earn these items through playing the game.
Whether this is the case or not, from what the leaks have suggested so far there should be plenty for players to look forward to when Assassin's Creed's long awaited Japan-set title arrives. Hopefully, with Ubisoft confirming that Assassin's Creed Red is targeting a release during the 2025 fiscal year - which runs from April 2024 to March 2025 - players shouldn't have to wait too much longer to get a first proper look at the game and how these mechanics will work in action.
Sources: Insider Gaming, VG247, Ubisoft
