Assassin’s Creed Mirage has been officially confirmed by Ubisoft, and while details are thin on the ground, the title has sprung a hefty amount of leaks.
Set to be the follow-up to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the next entry in the decades-spanning franchise is rumored to take the series back to its roots. Ubisoft has shared the artwork, featuring Valhalla’s Basim, but that alone has been enough of a crumb to seemingly support the leaks and rumors surrounding the title.
We’ll undoubtedly get some concrete details during this week’s Ubisoft Forward digital showcase. The publisher teased fans with a tweet (opens in new tab) last week saying as much, as well as confirming that Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the title of the series’ next game.
So what can we expect from a ‘series reset’? Here’s everything we’ve heard so far.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage: cut to the chase
- What is it? A new Assassin’s Creed game set to take the series back to its roots
- When can I play it? TBC
- What can I play it on? TBC
Assassin’s Creed Mirage: release date and platforms
Assassin’s Creed Mirage has only recently been officially confirmed by Ubisoft, with more details being teased for this week’s reveal event. So there’s no word on a release date just yet.
That being said, there have been a ton of leaks around the upcoming title, including whispers of a 2023 release date. Or a possible launch later this year. This is all pure speculation at this stage, so it’s worth waiting for more info this weekend.
In terms of platforms, we’d make an educated guess that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be coming to PC and get a cross-gen console release. And that seems to be supported by a fresh leak from frequent Twitter leaker Tom Henderson.
He’s shared (opens in new tab) what he claims to be the official product description for the game from the PlayStation Store. The copy confirms the leaked Baghdad setting, as well as protagonist Basim, and the renewed focus on stealth. It also says Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be available on PS4 and PS5, suggesting it’ll be coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. And the best part? The PS5 digital version is available at no extra cost if you have the PS4 version of the game.
There’s one catch, though. If you have Assassin’s Creed Mirage on disc for PS4, and own the PS5 Digital Edition console, you won’t be able to pop the disc in and get the PS5 upgrade. So you’ll have to fork out for the PS5 version.
We may see a Nintendo Switch release, given Assassin’s Creed Odyssey came to the handheld hybrid via cloud streaming. It’s worth noting that was limited to the Japanese market, so we can’t say for certain one way or the other.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage: gameplay and setting
The leaks around Assassin’s Creed Mirage have been pretty consistent with one another so far. They paint a picture of a series reset that will see the franchise return to its stealth roots. We can cobble together a reasonable idea of what to expect – providing the rumors are close to being accurate. Ubisoft’s key art further cements everything we’ve heard so far, but until we get official confirmation, don’t put too much stock in the rumors.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is taking the series back to basics: set in Baghdad, we already know Basim will take center stage. Introduced in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Basim is part of the first Assassin Brotherhood, and Mirage will take us along on his earlier adventures. According to reports, the impending Mirage started off as a spin-off to the Viking-themed title before escalating into its own fully fledged entry into the franchise.
Rather than the open-world RPG gameplay of more recent years, Assassin’s Creed Mirage looks set to slough off the bloated trappings that come with the larger scope of those games. Instead, there appears to be a focus on stealth and a smaller experience overall. Fans pining for a return to the good old days of Assassin’s Creed should be happy.
According to leaker j0hnathan, via @Mr_Rebs (opens in new tab), Baghdad will be the only city in the game, but it’ll be split into four zones. Each one contains a boss ready to be thwarted, but it’s unclear how that unfolds in-game progression.
In keeping with the return to roots, leakers claim throwing knives are back, along with rooftop hidey holes. Assassin’s Creed has always embraced parkour, but Mirage is doubling down on it. The leaker says there will be significantly more environmental opportunities to stretch those limber muscles. That includes lanterns “to turn around the corner of a wall” and poles to access “distant buildings.”
Following in the footsteps of Assassin’s Creed Unity, it’s said the streets of Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be bristling with NPCs. That first attempt didn’t pan out well for Ubisoft, and we’ve not seen subsequent series installments try to reach such an ambitious goal since.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage: news and rumors
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set to be unveiled this weekend at Ubisoft Forward. The event will feature a “very special Assassin’s Creed showcase” according to the latest blog post (opens in new tab) on the publisher’s website.
First official details coming this week
Ubisoft’s tweet about Mirage confirms that we’ll hear all about Assassin’s Creed Mirage this weekend. With the 15th anniversary of the series and rumors of multiple games on the horizon, it should be quite the treat for franchise fans.
Assassin’s Creed Infinity, and the rumored Project Red and Project Hexe are also supposedly to be unveiled, according to Tom Henderson (via Try Hard Guides (opens in new tab)). Project Red will reportedly be set in Japan with a samurai-esque assassin. Project Hexe meanwhile is apparently going to be the “darkest Assassin’s Creed game ever”. It sounds the most interesting of the three, honestly, set against the backdrop of the witch hunts in 16th-century Europe.