An online cooperative game originally spun off from Assassin's Creed Shadows has reportedly been cancelled

There is only so big a sigh I can let out at, well, everything that Ubisoft are doing currently. Last month, the company cancelled a number of its games, notably the Price of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, later proposing up to 200 job cuts at its Paris HQ, all of which led to a call for an international strike. Now, it sounds like Ubisoft have also cancelled an online Assassin’s Creed game.

This comes from French outlet Origami (as translated by IGN), who said sources they spoke to confirm the cancellation of a project codenamed AC League that was being developed by Ubisoft Annecy. Apparently the game was originally planned as a piece of DLC for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the Japan-set most recent entry in the series. It would have seen four assassins working together on a number of missions, supposedly concluding the story that would have unfolded over the game’s season pass.

It wouldn’t have just been a one off either, as the plan was to use this to build other multiplayer experiences in future games. But directors at Ubisoft Annecy felt uncertain about League being attached to Shadows, ultimately concerned over it taking too long to develop. This resulted in the decision to turn it into a standalone game using bits of Shadows’ map, with the intention to host an invite-only alpha as soon as May of this year. Except, well, as mentioned, it’s been canned, something Ubisoft Annecy was only told last week.

According to Origami, a few Annecy staffers have been tasked with using the technical advancements the team made to make it easier to add multiplayer modes in future games. However, those left with no project to work on currently feel unsure of what is next for them, given Ubisoft’s recent actions. As always, solidarity to those affected.