Assassin's Creed II Has More Pre-Orders than the Original

It seems that Ubisoft has a hit on its hands with Assassin's Creed II if current pre-order levels are to be believed. Mike Hickey, who is an analyst watching the videogame market for Janco Partners, has notified investors that the sequel is estimated to have between 10 and 20% more gamers interested in paying for it even before it is released than its predecessor.

The original Assassin's Creed, starring the mysterious Altair and taking place in the unforgiving Middle East, was one of the biggest games of 2007, managing to sell about 8 million copies since release, even if Ubisoft only estimated that it could move about 3 million during its lifetime.

Sales for the first month counted 2.5 million and the French publisher is surely hoping that the sequel manages to sell the same number of units in the same time frame when it comes out on November 17 in North America and three days later in Europe.

Ubisoft has already lowered profit forecasts for 2010 so it needs Assassin's Creed 2 to have a big impact. Pre-order numbers are a good indication of performance but overall sales might be affected by its proximity to the release date of Modern Warfare 2, from Infinity Ward and Activision, which is set to arrive on November 10 and be a direct competitor.

Assassin's Creed 2 is set to change protagonist and move the action to the Renaissance period in Italy. Enzio, the main character, will be much more agile than Altair and will have more options when it comes to combat. Ubisoft has also promised more varied missions, less frustrating assassination missions and a better looking game overall. Players can also expect more action outside of the past and of the Animus, with more of the overarching plot of the series unveiled.