‘Assassin’s Creed’ movie creeps on to new release date in August 2015

By Adam Rosenberg Published November 14, 2013

Assassin leaping through the air to kill a target — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ubisoft Motion Pictures’ Assassin’s Creed movie will now creep quietly past its previously announced June 19, 2015, release date to August 7, presumably to create some separation between it and that year’s onslaught of planned summer blockbusters (though no official reason was given for the delay). The news comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which also confirms new release dates for Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot (June 19), Paul Feig’s spy comedy Susan Cooper (May 22), Matthew Vaughn’s comic book adaptation Secret Service (March 6), and Brad Bird’s mysterious Disney flick Tomorrowland (May 22).

There’s still not much clarity on how Ubi’s film division intends to realize the Assassin’s Creed series as a non-interactive, big screen blockbuster. We know that Michael Fassbender occupies the film’s starring role (he’s also producing), and that his adventure in some way involves using an Animus to explore the lives of his ancestors. What we’re missing is any details outside of that. Michael Lesslie makes his feature-length debut as the movie’s writer, but there’s no word yet on the identity of the director, the supporting cast … pretty much everything else, really.

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Summer 2015 really isn’t all that far off in the world of big-budget blockbuster filmmaking. If Ubi is going to encourage people to avoid lumping in the Assassin’s movie alongside 2010’s wretched Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, it’s going to have to start gearing up the marketing machine and making with the info soon.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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"Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them," he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. "There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich."

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ blend of old and new is a recipe for success

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Assassin's Creed Shadows was officially revealed a couple of weeks ago in a beefy cinematic trailer showing off its dual protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe. It's a big moment for fans of the series, as Shadows is finally the Feudal Japan Assassin's Creed game fans have been asking for since it was teased back in the very first entry in the franchise in 2007.

Does it live up to that long wait? Ahead of today's Ubisoft Forward stream, I saw an extended gameplay presentation for Assassin's Creed Shadows that gave me a much better sense of what to expect this fall. The team behind it is looking to blend newer series entries like Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins into the more traditional Assassin's Creed titles from over a decade ago. And that seems like it could be a winning formula.
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During the presentation, I saw both of Shadows' playable characters in action -- and they're quite different from one another. Yasuke's Samurai stature and hulking physique command respect from villagers when he walks by. They bow to him, move out of his way, and clearly show signs of admiration. His combat skills also match this, giving him access to actions like a shoulder charge to break down doors or knock enemies off balance.

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Can’t wait for Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Play these games instead

Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows fighting an enemy. He's dressed in his samurai armor.

Ubisoft unveiled Assassin's Creed Shadows last week, giving us our first real glimpse at the first Assassin's Creed game to be set in Japan. Its Feudal Japan setting is something that fans of Assassin's Creed have craved for a long time, and while it's awesome that Ubisoft is finally delivering that concept, some other games did beat it to the punch. Many other developers have noticed how fruitful a historical Japan setting can be, from its feudal era all the way until the West started to intervene in the Edo period. As a result, there are quite a few games that I can recommend you check out while you're waiting for Assassin's Creed Shadows' November 15 launch.

The five games I'm recommending all range in size. Three of them are AAA action games, all set in different eras of Japanese history that immerse players in different ways. Meanwhile, the other two games I'm spotlighting are more experimental titles that, while not directly comparable to Assassin's Creed Shadows from a gameplay perspective, are still well worth your time if Japanese history and culture intrigue you.
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