All Assassin's Creed Red leaks and rumors explored

Despite being expected to release later this year, Assassin's Creed Red aka "Codename Red" remains under a shroud of mystery and speculation. Although Ubisoft did announce the title's existence back in 2022 during the Ubisoft Forward event, while revealing Assassin's Creed Mirage, there's still barely any information out regarding the game.

However, after the recent Assassin's Creed Infinity breakdown, courtesy of Insider Gaming, we finally know a few key details regarding the next mainline Assassin's Creed title, Assassin's Creed Red. Although the details are minimal, they still provide a rough idea of what the upcoming title is shaping up to be.

From the game's dual protagonists, i.e., Naoe and Yasuke, to the brand new engine that it's being developed on, here's everything we could find so far on Assassin's Creed Red. Do note that most of the information mentioned here comes from unofficial sources, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.

Note: Aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the author's opinions.

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Everything we know so far about Assassin's Creed Red

Firstly, the only things Ubisoft has officially revealed about the upcoming Assassin's Creed game are that the development is being heralded by Ubisoft Quebec and that the title features the highly-requested ancient Japanese setting. This information was revealed alongside a teaser trailer and a first look at the game's official logo.

However, following that announcement back in 2022, a bunch of rumors and leaks surfaced online, hinting at several key details regarding the title. Moreover, Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming came out with their exclusive coverage of Assassin's Creed Infinity recently, shedding more light on Assassin's Creed Red.

"Codename Red" will be the first title in the Assassin's Creed franchise to be developed exclusively for the current-gen systems. As such, expectations from the title, especially from fans who have been with the franchise- starting with Altair during the Third Crusade, to Basim during the 9th Century-Baghdad, are at an all-time high.

That said, here's everything we know so far about Assassin's Creed Shadows from all the leaks and rumors:

• According to the numerous leaks that surfaced online, mostly on Reddit and 4chan, right around the time Assassin's Creed Red was first announced, the game will allegedly feature two playable protagonists, a male, named Yasuke, and a female, named Naoe.
• Unlike many previous Assassin's Creed games that gave players a choice between the male and female protagonists, Assassin's Creed Red will have both of these characters playable simultaneously and be canon to the story, similar to the gameplay of Assassin's Creed Syndicate.
• According to the Insider Gaming's report, both Naoe and Yasuke will have distinct sets of skills and playstyles, with Naoe being a more agile "ninja-like" assassin, and Yasuke taking a more "samurai-like" approach to combat, focusing more on clashing swords than outright stealth.
• Stealth plays a vital role in the game's combat system, with players having the ability to use tall grass and bushes to avoid detection, go prone, and use tools to extinguish torches, akin to the original Thief games.
• The game is also confirmed to be following an RPG progression system, similar to Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. However, it will still feature the basic structure of a traditional Assassin's Creed game, with most missions being focused around stealth while giving players multiple ways to tackle them.
• Insider Gaming also mentioned that the game is allegedly being built using a newer engine. Leaks recently hinted at this engine to be a newer and more improved version of the AnvilNext engine, dubbed the "Anvil Pipeline." While it's not entirely a new engine, per se, it will include massive improvements over the existing iteration of Anvil, featuring new animations for parkour, assassinations, and finishers.
• Assassin's Creed Red will be the first title to be released on Assassin's Creed Infinity, which serves as a hub for all future Assassin's Creed projects. This will make the title somewhat similar to the Call of Duty HQ.

Additionally, Codename Red's lead writer, Pierre Boudreau, accidentally revealed one of the game's lead protagonists on their LinkedIn profile.

Update (May 13, 2024): Ubisoft has officially unveiled the final title for the Codename Red - Assassin's Creed Shadows. The game is also scheduled to get a "cinematic" reveal trailer (akin to most mainline Assassin's Creed games) on May 15, 2024, at 9AM PT, 11AM CEST, 12PM ET. Apart from the game's official title, a few more details have leaked within the same hour.

The most prominent of these leaks is the official release date for the game - November 15, 2024, which showed up on Ubisoft's official YouTube account briefly, before getting removed. Other leaked details include information on the game's post-launch plans, DLCs, and monetization.

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Assassin's Creed Red and the pitfalls of being a modern Ubisoft game

Assassin's Creed Red does look like something that should be a fun open-world title, that also stays true to the core Assassin's Creed experience, with its gameplay focused more towards stealth. However, some of the elements have caused concern among fans, especially the ones tying the game to Assassin's Creed Infinity.

At least for the time being, the way Ubisoft has built and marketed Assassin's Creed Infinity makes it look like nothing more than a glorified microtransaction store. Furthermore, while Ubisoft Quebec are capable developers, they do fumble quite a bit in the narrative department, especially when it comes to Assassin's Creed.

Despite both Assassin's Creed Syndicate and Assassin's Creed Odyssey being beloved by fans of the franchise, it is undeniable that both games are flawed in terms of their narrative. While it is beyond exciting to finally get an Assassin's Creed game set in a Japanese backdrop, it is wiser for fans to keep their expectations in check.

Finally, Ubisoft has been aggressive with monetizing their games, especially after the success of Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey's live service model, take Skull and Bones and Assassin's Creed Mirage for example. So, it would not be surprising to see a similar, if not even more egregious monetization system in "Codename Red".