Summary
Much like the rest of the entertainment industry, franchises are an integral part of the video game landscape. While new IPs are often the projects with the most intriguing and creative ideas, they have a lot more to prove than an already-established AAA franchise, and as such, it’s harder for them to succeed. Once an IP has gotten to that franchise stage, it’s usually smooth sailing from there, with fans being likely to pick up just about every new installment in the series from there on out. When it comes to video game franchises, there’s none quite as popular asCall of Duty.
Debuting in 2003,Call of Dutywas a fairly successful series from the get-go, but it reached astronomical heights with the release of2007’sCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Since then, just about everyCall of Dutyrelease has landed a top spot on the year’s bestseller lists, and with another huge entry just being confirmed to release this year, the franchise shows absolutely no signs of stopping. Another franchise that’s been around for quite some time and also shows no signs of backing down is Ubisoft’sAssassin’s Creedseries, and while it andCall of Dutydon’t have too much in common right now, they’re about to get a lot more similar.
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Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty Might Start to Share Some Big Similarities
Call of Duty, for better and for worse, has been an annual franchise sinceCall of Duty 2’s release in 2005. On one hand, the regularity ofCall of Dutycan be viewed as a positive thing, giving fans a new experience to look forward to and enjoy every year. On the other hand,Call of Duty’s annual release schedulehas proven to be quite controversial in recent years, with many recent entries suffering from rushed development cycles, resulting in disappointing, half-baked game modes and mechanics.
For the longest time,theAssassin’s Creedfranchisewas also an annual series. Beginning withAssassin’s Creed 2in 2009, a new entry in the franchise released consistently every year until 2015. But with franchise fatigue severely impacting sales, Ubisoft tookAssassin’s Creedback to the drawing board and took the time to create a new RPG-focused era for the franchise. Since then, theAssassin’s Creedseries has been given a greater chance to breathe, with at least two years coming between each entry sinceOdyssey.
Things are about to change for theAssassin’s Creedfranchise. Ubisoft is currently undergoing a bit of an identity crisis; in the aftermath of a brutal cull of unannounced projects, the publisher has stated that it’s focusing on only its most prominent IPs, andAssassin’s Creedseems to be its flagship property. Back in May of this year, Ubisoft announced that it would be increasing theAssassin’s Creeddevelopment team by a whopping 40% in the “coming years,” which implies that fans are about to get a lot moreAssassin’s Creedgames, maybe even more than they ever did before. Fans can probably expect to see aCall of Duty-like annual release schedule return forAssassin’s Creed, along with mobile ports and various spinoffs.
That’s not the only big similarityAssassin’s CreedandCall of Dutyare about to share though. Coinciding withthe upcoming release ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Activision will put out a new hub platform calledCall of Duty HQ. This title will essentially bring together all recent and upcomingCall of Dutygames, and act as a platform where players can instantly access each one.
This sounds a lot likeAssassin’s Creed Infinity, a hub/platform game that Ubisoft is allegedly still developing for theAssassin’s Creedfranchise. IfCall of Duty HQandAssassin’s Creed Infinityare successful, then this could just be the start of a new trend for big gaming franchises.
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