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assassins-creed posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Assassin's Creed 2 ships 8 million, next game returns to Rome

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Feb 9th 2010 at 1:10PM }

Speaking in an investor call, following the release of Ubisoft's fiscal third-quarter financial results, company CEO Yves Guillemot made it abundantly clear as to why another Assassin's Creed will unsheathe its stabby things before April 2011. According to Guillemot, Assassin's Creed 2, which launched in November 2009 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, has shipped 8 million copies. The original Assassin's Creed had sold just as many by June 2009 -- roughly 18 months after its debut.

Although details regarding the new Assassin's Creed -- set to star Ezio and some online friends -- remain slim, Guillemot wasn't mum on milieu: "This time, [Ezio] will strike directly against the templar's order in Rome." Can this Rome be built in a year, just in time for Holiday 2010?

Ubisoft details first quarter 2010 releases; reveals Anno for iPhone

by David Hinkle { Feb 9th 2010 at 12:50PM }

Ubisoft's latest sales report details the company's proposed fourth quarter fiscal year releases -- the period beginning January 1, 2010 until March 31, 2010. It's pretty much everything we expected, with profits for Ubisoft relying on four key titles, three of which are on the PC platform: Assassin's Creed II: Director's Cut, Red Steel 2, The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom and Silent Hunter 5: Battle for the Atlantic.

However, other notable titles will also release during this window, including Racquet Sports and the upcoming Assassin's Creed 2: Multiplayer on iPhone -- oh, and a bunch of new Imagine games, obviously. Outside of detailing these games, Ubisoft also announced that its popular Anno series is coming to the iPhone. Exact details on the game haven't been revealed, but it's a safe bet that city planning and real-time strategy will somehow be involved. Head past the break for the full list of releases.

Source - Ubisoft Q3 sales report [PDF link]

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Assassin's Creed 2 MP on iPhone isn't the teased multiplayer game

by Richard Mitchell { Feb 4th 2010 at 6:10PM }

Okay, internet, deep breath. In. Out. Good. Now, the news: It turns out that the recently revealed iPhone title, Assassin's Creed II: Multiplayer, is totally, 100 percent NOT the multiplayer Assassin's Creed game that Ubisoft announced last month. While Ubisoft didn't see fit to respond to our (multiple) inquiries, the company informed MTV's Multiplayer that the two different projects are, in fact, two different projects. Specifically, when asked if the iPhone game and the multiplayer project were the same, an Ubisoft representative responded, "Nope."

Of course, that doesn't mean it's not another iPhone game. We'll just have to wait and see.

Assassin's Creed II: Multiplayer announced for ... iPhone?

by Justin McElroy { Feb 3rd 2010 at 10:00AM }

We thought that, for a change, we'd give you the facts before we got into the crazy, reactionary speculation. There is a page on Ubisoft's website announcing an odd-looking, top-down multiplayer game for the iPhone called Assassin's Creed II: Multiplayer. In it, you attempt to kill three other players across WiFi before they kill you. Last month, Ubisoft announced a new Assassin's Creed game with a multiplayer mode that would feature Assassin's Creed II star Ezio. It did not note a platform. OK, facts out of the way.

BWAH?! It's not, right? No, they can't be the same thing. At least, we're pretty sure they're not. ... You know what? We're just going to call Ubisoft. Well, it's early on the West Coast yet. We'll email. Don't you worry, dear reader, we're going to get this all sorted out.

[Via Touch Arcade; thanks, Colmiak]

Assassin's Creed II: Discovery back on iPhone

by David Hinkle { Feb 2nd 2010 at 8:15PM }

Like, for serious this time! We know the game initially snuck into the App Store, only to evade our attempts to download by vanishing into the night almost as quickly as it came, but now it's back for good. Ubisoft has announced that iPhone and iPod Touch users can now download Assassin's Creed II: Discovery for $9.99 -- around twice the cost of hiring a pack of 15th-century prostitutes to distract some guards for you. Nowadays, you don't even want to know how much that costs. Thanks, inflation!

Download Assassin's Creed II: Discovery - $9.99 Assassin's Creed II Discovery

Gallery: Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery

Assassin's Creed 2 for PC arriving in Europe on March 4

by Ben Gilbert { Jan 27th 2010 at 12:00AM }

Assassin's Creed 2 on PC will apparently land at European retailers (both digital and brick-and-mortar, presumably with both hidden blades extended) on March 4, an Ubisoft rep has told Joystiq. Like the North American iteration, AC2 on PC will have the "Battle for Forli" and "Bonfire of the Vanities" DLC packs included in the "Director's Cut" version of the game. You've got about two months to get started on building that dream PC you've always wanted to handle the game's specs -- we suggest you get crackin' immediately.

Gallery: Assassin's Creed II

Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles sneaks onto WebOS

by David Hinkle { Jan 26th 2010 at 2:30PM }

Not to be confused with Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery, Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles is now available on the WebOS platform. The previous Gameloft-developed iPhone port of the poorly received DS title was a bit easier to stomach due to a drastically reduced price, and the same applies here on WebOS -- you can download it from the App Catalog now for $6.99.

Altair's Chronicles takes place before the events of 2007's Assassin's Creed debut.

Gallery: Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles (WebOS)


  • [Thanks, Jared]

Assassin's Creed II PC specs, date revealed

by Andrew Yoon { Jan 25th 2010 at 1:30PM }

Joystiq's #2 game of 2009 is finally leaping onto PC on March 16. Ubisoft doesn't seem too apologetic about the four-month delay, pricing the game at $59.99 (a higher price usually reserved for console releases) for both retail and digital versions. However, the PC edition of Assassin's Creed II will act as a pseudo "director's cut" of the game, and it will include two upcoming DLC episodes, Battle of Forli and Bonfire of the Vanities.

In addition to the standard PC version, Ubisoft has announced a special "Black Edition" of Assassin's Creed II for $64.99. The press release is incredibly vague about what extras it may contain, simply referring to them as "additional content." An Ubisoft representative remained cryptic about the bonuses, too, promising a "reveal in February," which suggests that the content could differ from the "Black Edition" released on consoles.

Check out the PC specs after the break.

Continued →

Assassin's Creed 2 DLC 'Battle of Forli' available Jan. 28

by David Hinkle { Jan 22nd 2010 at 9:35AM }

Ubisoft has just tweeted what we've all been waiting for: the release date of the first promised bit of DLC for Assassin's Creed 2, "Battle of Forli." The add-on will be out next Thursday, January 28, for a meager sum of 320 / $3.99 on Xbox Live and PSN. We say "meager" because, well, Ubisoft could totally get away with charging us more. We very much liked that Assassin's Creed 2 game, but shh, don't tell them that! We wouldn't want to give them any ideas for pricing the "Bonfire of Vanities" DLC next month!

The "Battle of Forli" has players defending the Forli base against the attacking Orsi brothers. Ezio enlists the aid of Machiavelli and Caterina Sforza in this task across the segment of six new playable memories.

Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery pouncing onto iPhone this Feb.

by Ben Gilbert { Jan 20th 2010 at 4:30PM }

Besides that hidden blade you've fashioned for yourself out of old rollerblade bearings and a letter opener, there hasn't really been a great way to get the feeling of Assassin's Creed 2 while on the go. Sure, there's the Nintendo DS game, the first AC on iPhone, and the limited time accidental release of Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery a few weeks back, but now we've finally got an official release date of February 1 for the DS-to-iPhone port.

Like the DS game, Ezio's adventures on the iPhone will take him to 15th-century Spain where he's tasked with rescuing assassins that are "being held under the guise of the Inquisition," when he learns of "a Templar plan to sail west and discover the New World." What a bunch of discoverers those guys are -- sheesh! In preparation for the game's imminent release, we've got a handful of new screens below.

Gallery: Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery

Report: New Assassin's Creed will star Ezio, follow AC2's story

by JC Fletcher { Jan 15th 2010 at 9:30AM }

Unsurprisingly, Ubisoft is targeting its new, multiplayer-enhanced Assassin's Creed game at the six million of us who bought Assassin's Creed 2. An Ubisoft rep told CVG that the new game will "take place with the same hero, which is Ezio, and will follow-up the story that took place in Assassin's Creed 2."

This, combined with the new multiplayer, makes us believe that the new game will be a spin-off and not Assassin's Creed 3 -- since, presumably, a full-on sequel would highlight a new assassin and a new time period. Oh, and if you were worried that you weren't going to be able to pay $60 for it, you can rest easy: CEO Yves Guillemot said that the game will be sold at a "full price point".

New Assassin's Creed with 'multiplayer mode' due by April 2011

by Justin McElroy { Jan 13th 2010 at 12:10PM }

Well, this is a shock. According to a recent financial release from Ubisoft, we can expect a new "episode" of Assassin's Creed within the company's next fiscal year, starting April 2010. That includes this year. Want another shock? It's going to have an "online multiplayer mode." Considering the second in the series has already moved six million units, it's not a huge surprise, but this does seem pretty darn fast.

Now before you get too excited, this doesn't necessarily mean we'll be getting Assassin's Creed 3 by next April -- the release stops short of applying a number, and the use of the word "episode" leads us to wonder if this will be some kind of DLC add-on [Update: Gamasutra says it was told by Ubisoft that the note in the release "refers specifically to an entirely new game and not content associated with AC2."] Heck, there's not even a platform mentioned. We're contacting Ubisoft for clarification as we speak.

Analyst: Assassin's Creed 2 to sell 8.5 million by April

by David Hinkle { Jan 12th 2010 at 6:00PM }

Considering Assassin's Creed 2 managed to stab 1.6 million wallets in its opening week alone, 8.5 million units sold by March isn't that crazy of a forecast. Add star talent and some upcoming DLC to give the game a second wind, and that potential sales figure seems somewhat reasonable -- even for a titlle that doesn't feature machine guns, 'nades and nukes.

When we saw Stern Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia call that very number over on Industry Gamers, we kinda shrugged and thought, "Sure, it's possible." Bhatia says Assassin's Creed 2 was initially off to a slower-than-expected start (thanks Modern Warfare 2!), but for the December quarter, its sales expectations rose "from [roughly] 5.5 million units to 6.5 million units." Thus, Stern Agee raised its sales forecast from 7.5 million to 8.5 million units by the end of March. Hey, we told you the game was good!

Assassin's Creed fan-made film 'Initiation' available today [update]

by Ben Gilbert { Dec 28th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Update: We've added the full video after the break. Enjoy!

When the folks at The Duo Group aren't busy making short films, animations, or advertisements for various entertainment companies, they make ... short films and animations just for the fun of it. Case in point, the recent Assassin's Creed fan film "Initiation," which provides a prologue piece on Altair joining the assassin's guild.

Though the whole 10-minute shebang is set to be released sometime today, we can only provide the teaser still above and a preview after the break for the time being. We did, however, watch the entirety of "Initiation" this morning, and can assure you it'll be worth your time when it does finally arrive later today.

[Thanks, Graham C.]

Continued →

VGA 2009: Nolan North talks about Nolan North

by Kevin Kelly { Dec 18th 2009 at 2:20PM }

This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Nolan North.

You're quickly becoming one of the recognizable stars of video game voiceover acting. How did that happen?

You know ... I don't really know how that happened. I was lucky to land a lot of good roles in good games that became really popular ... Assassin's Creed, Uncharted, Prince of Persia, and they became really popular so fast and my name just happened to be attached to them. And you know, with the success of Uncharted -- the first one and then the second ... I don't know. It's just a phenomenon that I'm just lucky to be a part of.

Claudia Black told us that the motion capture sessions were the real key to making the relationship between Nathan and Chloe seem real. What do you think?

Absolutely. A lot of times we're just in a booth behind a microphone, unshaven and just ready to go ... and alone, more than anything. I mean, working with all of these actors, it's like doing theater somewhere. As a matter of fact, it's like what we used to call Black Box Theater back in college. There really wasn't much of a set ... we were just out there doing our thing, but the interaction was there and I think that's what translated so well to a video game.

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