Ubi "working hard" on Assassin's Creed 2

By Oli Welsh Published 27 November, 2008

Rumours suggest French Revolution setting.

Ubisoft refused to give even a vague release date for a sequel for Assassin's Creed 2 yesterday - but confirmed the title was in development.

During a conference call with investors, an analyst asked if the game would be released in the company's fiscal 2010. Ubi chief Yves Guillemot didn't rise to the bait, according to GameSpot.

"We're not answering that question," Guillemot said. "What we just can say is that we are working hard on the product."

It seems, however, that Ubisoft has been a little more loose-lipped when talking to another analyst - Wedbush Morgan's quote machine Michael Pachter, friend to videogame news writers everywhere.

According to GameSpot's Rumour Control blog, Pachter has let slip that Assassin''s Creed 2 will be set "several hundred years" after the first game's medieval Crusades backdrop. He pinned it down to a century: "sometime in the 1700s".

Pachter then speculated that this could mean a French Revolution setting for the game, and the pieces certainly do fit: a famous and bloody conflict in a city, with large helpings of political intrigue.

The science-fiction framing for Assassin's Creed's historical stealth action may have jarred somewhat in the original, but it does mean that Ubisoft can set its sequel whenever it likes.

Incidentally, Guillemot also told investors that the publisher's operating income in the first half of its fiscal year (the six months up to September) was nearly double that of the same time period last year, so things have clearly been going well at the house of Ubi.

Of course, this doesn't include the critical end-of-year sales period when Ubisoft releases its biggest titles of the year - the likes of Far Cry 2 and Tom Clancy's EndWar, not to mention next week's return of Prince of Persia.

Edge reports that Guillemot told investors he was looking forward to high marks for that game.

"Already, there's a number of good marks. We have 8s, some 9s and one 10," he said, although he knows better than us, or Metacritic.

"But we're still waiting for a lot of marks to come. So altogether, at the moment [scores are around] high 8s. We hope it can be in the 9s, but [we expect] it to be 8.5 and 9.2 or 3." He said.

Look out for our review soon.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (47) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • oupe #1 3 years ago

    Do repetitive tasks in Paris, Lille and Marseille!

  • Les #2 3 years ago

    I f they drop the pseudo-SF setting I might be willing to consider considering it...

  • the_dudefather #3 3 years ago

    Sounds like an interesting setting, hopefully they will learn from the mistakes of the first game

    quite liked the first game, hope they actually put in an ending this time

  • rashes #4 3 years ago

    That setting appeals to me.... if they vary the action a bit more I'd be all on for it. I don't mind the sci-fi conceit, it means that they can keep different historical locations connected in the story.

  • malmer #5 3 years ago

    Loved the first one. Please bring me more!

  • joephish #6 3 years ago

    Scarlet Pimpernel: The Game!!!

  • The-Bodybuilder #7 3 years ago

    WHERE IS SC: CONVICTION?

  • Vice.Destroyer #8 3 years ago

    If Assassin's Creed is responsible for the continued non-appearance of Splinter Cell, that is another reason why I love Jade Raymond.

  • [TR] #9 3 years ago

    I'm eagerly waiting for this one. Really enjoyed the first on PC. Repetitive and simple, but I enjoyed it despite that.

  • TheBoyChris #10 3 years ago

    Even though the first game had repeatative tasks, on the whole I found it highly enjoyable. Will be getting this one too :)

  • andywilkie35 #11 3 years ago

    "Repetitive and simple, but I enjoyed it despite that."

    Actually I agree, it was pretty much the same stuff over and over but I loved every second of it. Graphically it was great as well

  • kangarootoo #12 3 years ago

    The first one was pretty good, with a few issues. I expect those issues to be sorted, and hopefully not too many new ones will be introduced in the name of change.


    "WHERE IS SC: CONVICTION?"
    "If Assassin's Creed is responsible for the continued non-appearance of Splinter Cell"

    A completely different team will be working on SC, probably on a different continent. There won't be any connection.

  • HolyJebus #13 3 years ago

    "If Assassin's Creed is responsible for the continued non-appearance of Splinter Cell, that is another reason why I love Jade Raymond."

    Why would you care that much for a game NOT to come out. It's just a game, who cares.

    As for AC, I too thought the Sci-Fi bit was balls but the fact that it allows them to have the game in a different setting now is definitely a plus.

  • kangarootoo #14 3 years ago

    The first time I played AC I resented the scifi stuff and avoided it, skipping through those sections as quickly as possible.

    The second time I took and interest, explored the conversations and tried to make whatever discoveries could be made. It honestly made the experience a lot more enjoyable.

    I am an old school Thief fan, and the idea of someone jamming their time memory waffle into the side of the game setting I had been waiting 8 years for annoyed me as much as I'm sure it annoyed a whole bunch of gamers out there. But if you give it a try, despite the cries from your nose asking to be severed, I think you might find the game more fun overall.

  • PanStre #15 3 years ago

    2010? 2009 would be better.

    AC2'd have to be quite special to be a game you 'wait' three years for (2007 - 2010)

  • SteveB #16 3 years ago

    Worst game I've played this generation.

    Boring repetitive tasks, book ended with tedious Sci-Fi story elements, meant I gave up halfway through the 2nd city. I thought the graphics were overrated too, quite glitchy and tearing on the 360 version (PS3 supposedly worse). And don’t get me started on the sound, with those endlessly repeating comments from the cities populous, arrrghh.

    Jade Raymond was attractive though.

  • zombies #17 3 years ago

    Why did someone think up the stupid plot idea for the first. They can't escape it now.
    Edited by 2 at 27/11/08 @ 10:32

  • kangarootoo #18 3 years ago

    "AC2'd have to be quite special to be a game you 'wait' three years for"

    What does that really mean though? Its not like we get to choose whether to wait or not. If 2010 is when it comes out, we are all 'waiting' till then whether we like it or not. And if when it turns up it happens to be great, who is going to turn around and say "well it might be awesome and a joy to play, but I wanted it a year ago so no deal"?

    This whole concept of people not wanting to wait for games seems bizarre to me (just like people whining about other countries getting a game sooner, which is nothing but nothing but childish). There is always something else to do in the mean time. If it makes it any easier, just pretend they aren't making a sequel and then it will be a lovely surprise when it eventually surfaces :)

  • WJRA3561 #19 3 years ago

    Brilliant I loved the first one! i'll be there on release day to buy my copy

  • mkreku #20 3 years ago

    I know I'm getting this one. I just need to see what happens after the frustrating ending to the first game.

    Let's hope they've read a few of the complaints on the Internet before making this game though! Repetition is bad, mkay? And I hated how there were an endless stream of soldiers in every town! Make it like Dead Rising, where there are PLENTY of zombies but not endless amounts! Let the ranks thin out after I've killed the hundredth cloned guard!

    Anyhow.. Still looking forward to this.

  • muscleblade #21 3 years ago

    @kangarootoo

    Some people like new things. I prefer the cinema to watch the films when they are new. I always buy games on release and so on.

  • SL33PY #22 3 years ago

    I knew this fact already in July. I bought the first one and loved it. I'll definitly buy the second one also for the PS3 (I'm such a Sony whore :p)

  • onyxbox #23 3 years ago

    sometimes when I boot my 360 the screen is blank and the telly says 'no signal' that happens with Component and VGA. If I re-start the 360 everything works fine and I can't recreate the problem until 1 or 2 days later.

    The TV is Switched on before powering on the 360 and it makes no odds whether I'm already on the right output or not. Turning the telly off and back on again doesn't make any difference.

    Anyone else had this?

    (it's a new 60GB 65nm version of 360)

  • Eraysor #24 3 years ago

    Curses, I wanted to be a ninja in feudal Japan. Still, the first one had epic potential, and the later setting means guns! Useless guns, but guns all the same. I really like the storyline though, I hope they carry on with the sci-fi elements.

    Onyxbox, I have a very similar problem. It's a GPU thing, I get a single red ring section every now and again and a certain error code I can't remember on occasion, but most of the time I just get no signal until I restart the console.
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/08 @ 11:02

  • Vice.Destroyer #25 3 years ago

    RE: My comment about SC being delayed and therefore being grateful to Jade. Just a joke, folks. Just a joke. A crap one, I grant you, but just a joke.

  • HolyJebus #26 3 years ago

    Yeah and Metal Gear Solid is Mario with guns, do a few things over and over again until the game ends.

  • illusiondance #27 3 years ago


    hmm, I like the sound of the setting (even though its clearly tentative).
    On the point Kangerootoo raised, im inclined to agree. mainly because my approach to entertainment is often, 'wait and see' so after all the smoke of hype has cleared i can get a better idea of whether a game is worth some time.
    (this saves me ALOT of money)
    if a game is as great as its advertising suggests it will be just as great 6 months later
    ....though avoiding story spoilers from the 'must be 1st' crowd is quite a challenge. -_-

  • penhalion #28 3 years ago

    "Already, there's a number of good marks. We have 8s, some 9s and one 10,"

    I'll say it again for the benefit of those who really don't know the reality of game scores. Developers get advanced copy of all reviews. They also get to dictate when said reviews go live to the public. In extreme cases i.e. a crap game. They will release the game before giving permission for the reviews to go live.

    This is why you should never take review scores seriously. It's a borderline corrupt review process with none let me repeat NONE of the ethics of the legitimate media.

  • PanStre #29 3 years ago

    @ kangarootoo

    'What does that really mean though?'

    The game engine's already done, the original had extremely good sales plus they were supposedly planning it as a trilogy which means they were primed to be working on a sequel straightaway. Those are other reasons why 2009 makes more sense than 2010 with its 3 year dev time for a game that (I repeat) already has a game engine.

  • Razorus #30 3 years ago

    Ah man, I can't stand French accents. All I know is that Philip Shahbaz (Altair's voice) is listed on IMDB as working on Assassin's Creed 2, which indicates that Altair is involved. The Crusader's setting was so inspired and the story was intriguing but the experience was let down with odd decisions and repetitive gameplay elements.
    Let's hope they listened to criticism and sort all that crap out.
    I'm still not interested in France though.
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/08 @ 12:33

  • kangarootoo #31 3 years ago

    @muscleblade

    There is nothing wrong with liking new things, but why does it matter how long youy have to wait for new things? There is always something new out there.

    If you didn't know that a game even existed, you would still be 'waiting' for its release, you just wouldn't know it. I just find it odd the way people act all outraged because they have to wait. We ALWAYS have to wait for things, that is kind of how physics works.

  • kangarootoo #32 3 years ago

    @PanStre

    Whether the game should or shouldn't be ready in 2009 is a different issue. I was just raising a point about the suggestion that a game would or wouldn't be worth waiting for, as if there is any other alternative than to wait.

    Anyway, quality games take time to make. A decent sequel to AC should take a couple of years really. Its not (or shouldn't be) just a matter of bunging new assets into the same engine. The engine would look dated if they did nothing to it, even by the end of 2009. And they probably want to wait until they can collate good feedback about AC1 before setting the final concept for AC2 in stone.

    Its always a balancing act, but Ubi are pretty experienced, so if they say 2010 its reasonably safe to assume there are good reasons for not releasing sooner.

  • glaeken #33 3 years ago

    I hope they put some game play in this time around.

    I thought the game engine was very nice but the repetion and the fact the things you have to repeat were not remotely enjoyable killed the game for me after a couple of hours play.
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/08 @ 13:08

  • photoboy #34 3 years ago

    I hope they resolve the ending satisfactorily for the first one. If it's a different time period it could mean a new character in the animus. I was pissed off the way the first one just ended without any sort of conclusion, especially since I'd enjoyed the game so much up to that point.

  • Apologie #35 3 years ago

    the 1st one was a pretty game, but boring as hell... after the first 4 missions i was bored to death.

  • el_pollo_diablo #36 3 years ago

    ""Already, there's a number of good marks. We have 8s, some 9s and one 10," he said, although he knows better than us, or Metacritic."

    heheheh. Nice!

  • Thunderbolt #37 3 years ago

    I imagine that if they are going to do the 2nd then then plan on making a trilogy so I wouldnt expect the 2nd to offer much in the way resolutions only more questions.

    And if they insist on having the story happen in the future then more effort be made to make it more enjoyable and immersive

  • wewillselfdestruct #38 3 years ago

    I'd just like to give a shit about the characters. Altair was such a surly mofo, most of the time I was glad to see him die.

    And obviously I'd like more than one mission set to lather, rinse, repeat throughout the game.

  • UncleLou #39 3 years ago

    Couldn't stand the game at all - its formulaic "achievement" structure, its lack of imagination in the mission design, etc. - how great this could have been with just a small injection of Hitman, or Thief.

    I really hope they change this radically, because the game's style and engine were great.

  • SEVQA #40 3 years ago

    I don’t mind the time travelling plot as long as you can actually feel time travel when in the game world going from morning to night at least for god sake!

  • Kill_Crazy #41 3 years ago

    Hopefully it'll be in the late 1700's and incorperate the French, Spanish and English naval wars of the time. Plenty of scope in that period for a variety of missions and tasks so hopefully the repetitiveness will be less. Nelson V Bonaparte FTW.

  • qoobah #42 3 years ago

    Thing is, this whole story could work without the sci-fi bollocks. Base the first game in medieval times, the second in 18th century and the last one in modern times (as I'm sure it will be) and tell the already shitty story without adding the ridiculous "genetic memory lolz" thing, which made it for me the most idiotic game story ever.

  • bad09 #43 3 years ago

    AC was my favourite game of last year! Sure it had problems with repetive missions, FAR to many flags to look for, a seriously low amount of phrases (in cockney accents) for the NPCs and of course the silly blue walls.

    Still it was one of those GTA-like games where you "experience" the game rather than play it and for all it's problems I loved it all the way through, every second and cannot wait for the sequel.
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/08 @ 19:18

  • HermitArcader #44 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • Les #45 3 years ago

    "Still it was one of those GTA-like games where you "experience" the game rather than play it"

    Brilliant summary of why I hate sandbox games! ;)

  • kangarootoo #46 3 years ago

    "Give the game engine to the Thief developers and let them make a proper game"

    The devs of Thief 1 and 2 aren't aorund anymore (not as a team anyway, I don't mean they all drowned). Thief 3 was Ion Storm Austin, and I'm not sure if they are even still doing their thing (Warren Spector isn't there anymore, but that may not make much difference tbh as there were a lot of talented people there besides just him).

  • Slipstream #47 3 years ago

    Nice way to de-attach yourself from your 'Product'...nob