The next Assassin’s Creed game could be set in Egypt and not arrive until 2017, say the latest rumours. The chatter comes via multiple sources cited by Kotaku, as well as a 4Chan poster (yeah, I know) claiming to be an Ubisoft developer.Kotaku was able to confirm via five separate sources that the game would be set in Egypt, with three sources pointing to a 2017 launch. Two sources said the game is codenamed Empire. The 4Chan poster (whose claims have been compiled by NeoGAF here) went into greater detail, outlining Ubisoft’s goals for the game as well as some info about the main character."It will be a complete revamp of the series,” said the anonymous 4Chan source. “The game is going for a Witcher feel, with player progression, freeform combat system. Horse is back, and boats too. It's made by the Black Flag team.”As for the setting, the source said, “Ancient Egypt. They want the least amount of historical documentation to get freedom. The story is set before the Assassins and Templars even existed. This is basically a prequel to all ACs.”“You play as a slave or ex-slave,” the source continued. “He looks a lot like Altair, but with a darker skin. He is not edgy, from my understanding. He's a nobody that barely speaks.“The biggest difference about this one is how colorful it looks. Like holy Flubber, blue skies, lush vegetations and desert sequences where you get mirage and Fecal Leaking. Also you have a pet eagle you can control.”This last detail makes a degree of sense. Maxime Beland’s team at Ubisoft Toronto is currently working on the animal mastery portion of Far Cry Primal, which allows you to control an owl as both an offensive and reconnaissance tool. Ubisoft is renowned for sharing tech between its flagship franchises.The source, who claims to be an Ubisoft developer remember, also said that “online (COOP) is completely cut from the series for the time being. Not sure it will ever come back, to be honest.”Kotaku claims that one of its sources said portions of the game were to be set in Rome, but these sections are rumoured to have been cut for later games in the series. The talk is that Ubisoft wants to turn Empire into its own trilogy, with sequels in Rome and Greece.The move to skip a year, which if true would be the first time the Assassin’s Creed series has done so since 2009, is said to be a reaction to Unity’s disastrously buggy launch.Ubisoft reportedly feels that the break would counteract series fatigue while giving the developers longer to polish the game.This also makes sense. While Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, which many consider to be a modest return to form for the series, enjoyed a relatively smooth launch, series fatigue is an undeniable fact.When Syndicate launched in the UK last year, the game suffered the lowest first week sales of any Assassin’s Creed game in series history. A break is needed.As with any rumour, this story should be treated with a grain of salt. We’re interested to know what you think of it all though. Would all this be a welcome shake-up to Assassin’s Creed? Let us know.
