14 DAY TRIAL // Ubisoft has released a new statement about the PC version of Assassin's Creed Unity, through which it doesn't rule out the possibility of seeing a delay for it, while the PS4 and Xbox One editions will respect the October date revealed earlier this month at E3 2014.
Assassin's Creed games in the past have had a notorious tradition of being delayed on PC, often for a few weeks and sometimes for a few months.
Ubisoft has now explained that, while the goal for this year's Assassin's Creed Unity is to launch it on PC, PS4, and Xbox One at the same time, on October 27, a delay is possible because of the PC's complicated nature.
While talking with RPS, Ubisoft Producer Lesley Phord-Toy mentioned that, right now, the objective is a simultaneous release, but that could change as the game gets nearer to its launch this fall.
"We’re always aiming to ship all our games on all platforms at the same time," Phord-Toy said. "I don’t have any specific news on the PC version of Assassin’s Creed Unity, but I do know we’re planning on shipping on all three [platforms]: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. I haven’t heard any news differently than that."
Even if it may seem that Ubisoft has its plate less full with Unity, as it no longer appears on PS3 or Xbox 360, this doesn't make the PC platform easier to work with.
Phord-Toy worked on the PC edition of last year's Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and mentioned that it's a whole other platform as opposed to consoles.
"It can be challenging," she revealed. "PC has a variety of different hardware configurations that you can’t necessarily predict. On a console you know what’s in the box. Every customer has the same configuration for the most part, and first-parties push firmware updates so everyone has what you’re expecting to have. PCs are nowhere near as consistent. So it can be extremely challenging to try and support as many of those permutations as possible."
Last year's Black Flag appeared first in October for PS3 and Xbox 360, and then in November for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U, once again demonstrating a few weeks delay for the PC edition, alongside a few other ones.
As such, considering Unity is scheduled for an October 27 debut, it's quite possible that the PC edition might slip to November, depending on a rumored PS3 and Xbox 360 Assassin's Creed game that could take up Ubisoft's resources.