This Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Surprise Has One Big Omission
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, the latest entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise, is fast approaching. Today, fans were surprised when the official Assassin's Creed Twitter account announced that the next game in the series was given a new release date. However, there was one particular detail in the announcement that has caused a bit of alarm for some gaming fans.
"Assassin's Creed Valhalla launches with Xbox Series X | S on 10th November, 2020," read the announcement. "Build the legend of a Viking raider on any console. Upgrade from Xbox One to Xbox Series X at no additional cost." This moves up the original release date for Valhalla by a full week. The accompanying image lists the platforms the game will be available on, which are Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and PC.
If you've noticed a glaring omission in that list of platforms, you are not the only one. In the replies to this announcement, some fans have begun to express their concerns regarding the other big console coming out later this year. As some have pointed out, the announcement makes no mention at all of the PlayStation 5, or any kind of release window for the game on that console.
However, there may not be any need for Assassin's Creed fans to panic just yet. There are a few reasons why the PlayStation 5 was not mentioned as part of the big announcement. The most obvious one is the fact that the release date for the PlayStation 5 and PS5 Digital Edition has not been announced yet. Following this week's announcement of the release date and price point for the Xbox Series X and Series S, it's natural that Ubisoft would want to piggyback off of some of that hype. This is the most likely reason, particularly given the timing of the announcement.
There's also the fact that Xbox has been very upfront about its strategy involving cross-generation video game releases. Through its Smart Delivery system, Xbox wants gamers to be able to easily upgrade their Xbox One games to the higher-quality Xbox Series X versions. According to recent reports, Xbox has been in contact with every major publisher and has been encouraging them to make these next-gen upgrades free and easy to obtain for prior owners of these games. That hasn't been an easy task so far, if the confusing upgrade path for Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War is any indication, but it seems like some companies are fully on board with the concept.
PlayStation also hasn't completely explained the company's approach to game upgrades, basically leaving it up to the publisher whether or not to offer a free upgrade or to charge a fee. However, since Ubisoft seems to be fully embracing Smart Delivery, it makes sense that the company would make a joint announcement with Xbox regarding Assassin's Creed: Valhalla.
Basically, don't worry about the PlayStation 5 not being mentioned in the Assassin's Creed: Valhalla announcement. It's very likely that the game will still be available for both the PS4 and the PS5, along with some kind of upgrade plan in the works. At this point, upgrade paths and backwards compatibility for the PS5 have continued to be very confusing. Hopefully that will be cleared up in the near future.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is poised to be a new evolution in the franchise. However, there are some concerns about the new direction the series is taking, as it seems to be placing a much heavier emphasis on action and RPG elements, rather than the stealth gameplay that fans have come to know and love. There is also the recent news that Assassin's Creed Valhalla: will be running at a much lower frame rate than previously expected, which has soured some fans on the new title. Still, there's plenty about the game that has not been revealed, and fans can probably expect more info on the upcoming sequel during the Ubisoft Forward livestream presentation on September 10.
In the meantime, the hype for the upcoming console generation continues to grow. The Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S will be released on November 10, 2020. The PlayStation 5 has not yet received an official release date, but with these latest announcements from the competition, it's probably only a matter of time. After that release date is locked in, fans probably will not have to wait too long to get an official release date for that version of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla.