Assassin's Creed Could Finally Get Back On Track In 2026

Criticism has become normal for the Assassin’s Creed series, with the past entries in the series becoming divisive for different reasons. Some fans have lamented the gameplay changes in the franchise, claiming it has drifted away from its stealth action roots in favor of a more generic open-world RPG style. For whatever the cast, games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows that struggled post-launch have proven that the series needs a change, which it seems to have gotten through an unexpected internal shift.

Videos by ComicBook.com

The sandbox and RPG elements of recent Assassin’s Creed games are either loved or hated by fans, with series veterans usually the most vocal about their disappointment. Improvements and updates to features in recent Assassin’s Creed games can only go so far, especially with many growing tired of the approach Ubisoft has taken with the franchise in recent years. Hopefully, lessons learned from releases like AC Shadows, Valhalla, or even Mirage or Odyssey can help drive the legendary franchise forward in 2026 and beyond.

Assassin’s Creed Gains New Leadership From Ubisoft Following Shadows’ Struggles

Many concepts in Assassin’s Creed Shadows led to the frustration of players, with many citing lackluster gameplay and uninteresting exploration in the game’s world as primary reasons why they didn’t enjoy the game. Combined with strange monetization practices that had players pay for in-game features, the title was doomed from the start. Overall, a lack of content players wanted to engage with and weak writing didn’t help the game overcome its struggles in the long run, even with consistent updates.

Following the failed commercial goals of the latest Assassin’s Creed title, development group Vantage Studios announced some big changes in the leadership behind the series. The Ubisoft subsidiary company revealed that the series would now be drive by Martin Schelling, a long-time Ubisoft producer who served in senior roles in other games from the stealth-action franchise. For example, Schelling worked on Assassin’s Creed Origins, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and the fan-favorite Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, whose remake hopes still run high among fans.

Schelling will also be joined by Jean Guesdon, a person assigned to the Head of Content role after being a designer for the franchise for quite some time. Guesdon’s personal experience comes from almost every major game in the series, giving some hope to players who wish to see someone with a strong personal connection to Assassin’s Creed in a creative direction role. Alongside Guesdon, François de Billy will be promoted to Head of Production Excellence, moving up from a prior position as Production Director on Assassin’s Creed Origins and AC Valhalla.

These promotions do come amidst some controversy surrounding Marc-Alexis Côté, another leader at Vantage Studios who has launched a lawsuit against Ubisoft following his departure from the company. Despite the questions around Côté’s allegations against Ubisoft, it seems like the leadership appointed to Assassin’s Creed bring a wealth of experience with the series. According to Ubisoft, they wanted the leadership of the series to be “aligned with its core goals,” which could help bring about change fans want to see going forward.

Long Term Designers & Series Veterans Bring Back Experience From The Series’ Beginnings

While long-serving fans of Assassin’s Creed know to distrust Ubisoft’s gaming efforts at times, it’s hard not to be optimistic when you look at the rapport the series’ new leadership brings. For starters, Jean Guesdon has been a lead designer for Assassin’s Creed ever since the first game back in 2007, meaning that every successful starting point for the series is something he had a direct hand in creating.

Similarly, Martin Schelling has overseen the evolution of Assassin’s Creed ever since the series took big risks with Black Flag in 2013. The presence of Schelling in his new role might sound the alarm for Ubisoft to finally pull the trigger on a Black Flag remake, giving players a pirating experience that performs a bit better than Ubisoft’s failed Skull and Bones project that released to middling reviews two years ago. AC Origins had some interesting ideas as well, which could easily help revitalize the series’ direction in a few ways.

Ubisoft claims to have several games in the series under development, but perhaps with a clearer vision now that some roles have shuffled to franchise veterans who understand what made the older games triumphant titles in the medium. Though this could lead to more of the same in the Assassin’s Creed series, it will be interesting to see how a new path changes future games, perhaps capturing the magic that fans remember.

What do you think about Assassin’s Creed‘s new leadership team? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!