An alleged prototype for a cancelled Assassin’s Creed mainline entry has been leaked online, in the form of online footage depicting the contents of a prototype for an Assassin’s Creed game set in ancient China. The leaking of this prototype project has given fans of the series, and those curious about the history of the Qin Dynasty, a rare opportunity to glimpse a game that was ultimately cut from development by Ubisoft. It’s a fascinating look at how development priorities at Ubisoft have changed.
Leaked footage shows prototype for cancelled Assassin's Creed Destiny set in ancient China
The footage depicts a prototype for a game tentatively called Assassin’s Creed Destiny. Leaked information from sources indicates that the game was originally being worked on by Tencent’s TiMi Studio Group, the team responsible for the Assassin’s Creed Jade mobile game. This is an unusual collaboration, a move away from the kind of typical internal development Ubisoft would go through on large console/PC releases.
The footage of this prototype shows some familiar gameplay elements for longtime Assassin’s Creed fans, like stealth kills, and the iconic leap of faith move. In one sequence, a player can engage in a boss battle with historical character Xiang Yu, bringing the action back to the game’s setting in the Qin Dynasty. These elements help to show that Ubisoft’s team was trying to balance history and the classic Assassin’s Creed action/adventure experience.
Franchise head at Ubisoft Jean Guesdon commented on the status of this particular project earlier this year. “While we have recently opted to change direction on an early project, we are already applying insights from that work to inform our future plans,” he explained. Guesdon made it clear that it’s more important to Ubisoft to give things the time they need, and not rush out a game. This seems to confirm what has been suggested about this likely cancellation by Tencent’s change of direction in 2024 on Western properties.
Assassin’s Creed Jade is still being developed as a mobile game separate from this Destiny prototype. The fact that this prototype even existed shows just how difficult it can be to make these huge collaborations work between Western publishers and Eastern developers. For now, this leaked footage is all we’ve got to see of this particular development effort.
Source: VideoGameChronicles
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