It's Official, No "New Assassin’s Creed Game in 2016"

Of course, there is the movie.

The consensus is that 2015's 'Assassin's Creed Syndicate' was a masive improvement over the troublesome 'Unity.' But in general, many fans of the franchise, have wondered at the rapid pace of release for both mainline 'Assassin's Creed' games and spin-offs. As had been rumored earlier in the year, there will be no new 'Assassin's Creed' this year.

Ubisoft made the decision official today as part of their Third-Quarter Sales Report. Citing success with other titles, CEO Yves Guillemot stated:  

We are now in a position to take the decision not to release a new Assassin’s Creed game in 2016-17, in order to give the brand a new dimension, while still presenting very solid targets for the fiscal year. These targets reflect the measures we have been putting in place over the past few years to transform our business model. Our portfolio of powerful franchises is solid and balanced and our global audience is growing steadily. At the same time, the digital segment is playing an increasingly important role and we are making a strong comeback in multiplayer. We now create experiences that accompany players throughout the year so we can enhance their long-term engagement. Each of these positive factors testifies to the change in Ubisoft’s profile and has a favorable impact on our financial performance.

Over on the Ubiblog, the word is:

This year, we also are stepping back and re-examining the Assassin’s Creed franchise. As a result, we’ve decided that there will not be a new Assassin’s Creed game in 2016. Since the release of Assassin’s Creed Unity, we’ve learned a lot based on your feedback. We’ve also updated our development processes and recommitted to making Assassin’s Creed a premier open-world franchise. We’re taking this year to evolve the game mechanics and to make sure we’re delivering on the promise of Assassin’s Creed offering unique and memorable gameplay experiences that make history everyone’s playground.

Ubisoft did state that the launch of 'Syndicate' was slower than expected in "an exceptionally fierce competitive environment." This, even with a good reputation for the game. While Ubisoft is expecting to have a great quarter with 'Tom Clancy's The Division,' 'Far Cry Primal,' and 'Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Operation Black Ice' expansion, the overall year's target income has been lowered from $200 million to $150 million.

Source: Ubisoft