Assassin’s Creed Shadows has once again brought this series back to fans’ good graces, proving that great gameplay can overcome pointless controversies. While fans are happy with the game, they are wondering how Ubisoft will outdo itself and if the series will just coast on regular releases again.
Yearly releases are rarely good for games, preventing too much innovation because another entry will be released in the following year. Fans of the series are aware of how stale things can get if these games get released too consistently. Sometimes, these yearly releases can be so similar that fans can’t appreciate what each entry has to offer.
However, for all the faults Assassin’s Creed gets rightfully criticized for, the yearly release formula wasn’t all bad.
One of the best things about these games getting regular releases was how each entry built anticipation for the next. When Desmond was still a major part of the Animus story, fans were always interested in seeing how the stories of his ancestors affected him. Granted, Ubisoft did ruin that story and made the Animus feel pointless, but that buildup was good for a while.
Still, waiting every year to see what happens next in Assassin’s Creed was fun for fans of the lore. We know some of Sony’s franchises would benefit from a yearly or bi-yearly release, as PlayStation loves being the “cinematic” publisher. Marvel’s Spider-Man, for example, would benefit from having smaller releases like Miles Morales come out more regularly as a way to continue the plot threads they keep building up.
Xbox wishes it had a yearly franchise to release like Ubisoft used to. Microsoft has bought so many developers just to build some original IP they can boast about. Then again, even when they have successes like Hi-Fi Rush, that’s not always enough to please the Microsoft bigwigs.
Knowing that a franchise you like will come every year to satisfy your gaming itch also adds a sense of comfort to these titles. Whether it’s the open-world stealth shenanigans of Assassin’s Creed, gunning down trolls in Call of Duty, or even slamming dudes in WWE 2K, yearly game releases can be good junk food.
Just to be clear, the yearly releases for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed weren’t good in the long run. Things went downhill once Ezio’s story reached its end, as the company didn’t know how to keep the Animus lore going. Despite having plenty of fun protagonists in other games, they were relegated to one-off roles and not much else. The lack of story care made these titles feel even more repetitive than they already were.
Even if yearly games shouldn’t be a thing, they can work if given the right circumstances. Ubisoft made it work for a bit, but their hubris cost them.