There is a negative correlation between the annual release of Assassin’s Creed games and review scores. Some quick research on Metacritic(used media outlet scores) shows the series’ original high scores have begun to slide with each release. Media outlets, who praised Ubisoft after the release AC2, have slowly changed their tune. It didn’t help when the reviews for AC3 weren’t up to gamers’ expectations. With AC4, it seems the company is grasping at straws to find the “trick” for their cash cow. Pirates…they are going to make a game about pirates. Why not let the series rest so the team can spend time coming up with fresh ideas and new mechanics. Will gamers enjoy climbing to the top of a mast only to climb up another mast to open the world around them? Do you feel like Ubisoft is making a mistake releasing the next game this October? Or am I the only one?
Review scores make no difference to gamers. It’s a poor show when publishers give bonuses based on metacritic scores – but that’s not our problem.
I’ve enjoyed each AC game, although 3 was very slow it’s good to see them going back to a more entertaining character (like Ezio) and bringing back more proper Assassination missions (like AC1)
Honestly I think this game is looking like the best of them all – everything they’ve shown is a culmination of all the bits the fans love.
Annual releases will get tiring on the consumer, but they spend years making them behind the scenes so it doesn’t affect the quality (AC4 has been in the works almost as long as 3 was)
While review scores aren’t the end all be all, they do give some insight into the performance of a game within the marketplace. With Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft will run the risk of over saturation. If this game proves to be the best would you want another one in 2014? I prefer it when a company gives me time between games so I can build up the desire for another one.
It’s a classic business issue: how Ubisoft can manage to profit from all the fever around a cashcow such as the Assassin’s Creed series in order to invest into new projects.
Basically, that’s why Assassin’s Creed 4 was announced recently. And on another side, Watch Dogs was also announced a while ago.
Yet, I have to agree that they main run into the big issue of oversaturating people with AC. AC4 is supposed to be released at the end of the year, just one year after the 3rd AC! Even though, one might argue that since the PS4 is announed for the end of 2013 / early 2014, so we are already engaged in the last stage of the lifecycle of the 7th generation consoles. This must be one of the causes that would drive the release of a whole new game in this short amount of time.
Let’s just hope that it’s not just a Assassin’s Creed 3.5…
If you look at the track record there is a good chance that the game will be 3.5. If you remember after AC2 we got Brotherhood and Revelations.
You are right about the AC series funding other games. I am willing to put up with AC4 in exchange for Watch Dogs.
This to me the AC franchise has become the new madden, I like that they change it up every year, the ratings don’t really sway me too much but I like that Ubisoft keeps in what I like, AC 3 was slow and to me relied more on stealth attacks the the previous AC releases and that caused me to be a better player. AC 4 looks very interesting mainly because am curious to see how the Pirate story line plays into being an assassin