14 DAY TRIAL // Ubisoft has confirmed that, for the first time in the history of its Assassin's Creed franchise, it will allow another studio to lead the development of a new title, in the form of Ubisoft Quebec.
The Assassin's Creed franchise made its debut back in 2007 as the first all-new title coming from the company's Montreal studio. Since then, lots of new games have been released in the series, all led by the Montreal team but with help from the French publisher's many other global studios.
What's more, the Montreal team expanded to include thousands of employees and has since taken on many other franchises and new projects, from Watch Dogs to Child of Light or Far Cry 4.
Now, CVG confirms that Ubisoft is keen on handing the reins of a new Assassin's Creed game to another one of its major studios, in the form of the Quebec division.
Apparently, Ubisoft Quebec, which contributed on portions of recent titles like Assassin's Creed 3 or 4, will lead the development of a future game in the series.
According to Quebec's Executive Director of Development, Francois Pelland, the series lends itself quite well to reinvention and his team is eager to lead the development.
"For many years I've been saying that the Assassin's Creed franchise allows teams to approach each game as a new IP," he said. "For sure, the Quebec team is absolutely going to bring something new and something creative. That's a guarantee."
"The basis and the pillars are the same, but each installment brings new context, new story, new characters and all of those things. Each Assassin's Creed team you've seen in the past has had that creative and editorial freedom."
However, the new leadership role doesn't mean that Quebec won't consult with Ubisoft's Montreal studio or with other divisions from around the world. Apparently, the new strategy covers a single game for now but might include others in the future, depending on its success.
"Montreal studio is a big, mature studio which we've learned so much from and we want to work with - it's a true partnership. We've obviously established over the years a relationship with key people there and we feel like it's the right time to take on leadership of a title in that franchise."
"It doesn't mean Assassin's Creed is now in Quebec forever, it means we'll take one game in a leadership role and continue to work closely with Montreal. As you've seen before, the collaboration between studios is key for the success of Assassin's Creed."
As of yet, however, it's unclear when Quebec's game will debut. Seeing as how the series is on a possible one or two-year development cycle, it could launch in 2015 or 2016.