Ubisoft Dives Into Free-To-Play Gaming: New IP & Assassin’s Involved

September 9, 2012

During its Digital Days event in Paris, Ubisoft were eager to show off their new free-to-play titles, and they’re looking set to pack a punch. Alongside their previously announced Ghost Recon Online, they showed off Assassin’s Creed: Utopia. AC: Utopia is a game formed from a collaboration between Ubisoft and the huge Japanese mobile gaming company GREE, who are also currently working on Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops for Konami. AC: Utopia is an iOS and Android game, where players take on the task of creating colonies in America during the 16th century.

Using their colony’s wealth, players are able to pay for and build their very own assassin guild. The creation of the guild will lead into the story of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed III. AC: Utopia will be free to download and play, but players will be given the opportunity to pay in order to speed up the development of their colony, add new guards to defend it, and purchase new weapons. Ubisoft stated that the game will be released later this year, but no specific release date was given for either version.

Meanwhile, Ubisoft were showing off their brand new IP, The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot. This game will also be free-to-play, but what makes it especially interesting is that it will be developed by Ubisoft’s Montreal studio. This is the same team who have developed every non-mobile Assassin’s Creed game so far, along with the upcoming Watch_Dogs game. The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot is coming to PC, and will be their first free-to-play title, challenging players to create a trap-laden castle to protect their treasure, while simultaneously attacking castles designed by the developers and other players to steal their loot.

The fact that a huge studio like Montreal is being assigned to a free-to-play game is a strong sign that Ubisoft are taking this market very seriously. With the Assassin’s Creed series becoming a powerful force in the industry, it’ll be interesting to see whether its current success will be replicated in this new format.