Ubisoft Reportedly Cancelled a 19th Century Post-Civil War Assassin’s Creed Game in 2024
A new report from Stephen Totilo at Game File reveals that Ubisoft cancelled an Assassin’s Creed game in 2024 that would have been set in the 19th century, following the American Civil War. According to multiple anonymous sources cited in the report, the game would have starred a Black protagonist who had been enslaved in the American South before the war and was now trying to rebuild his life in the western United States.
The narrative reportedly would have followed the character’s recruitment by the Order of Assassins, sending him back to the South to face a new and growing Templar threat. One of the central conflicts would have involved confronting the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, setting up what could have been one of the series’ most politically charged and emotionally resonant stories.
Totilo’s report, based on interviews with five current and former Ubisoft employees, states that the game was cancelled for two key reasons.
The first was Ubisoft’s internal concern about facing another wave of online controversy similar to the one surrounding Yasuke’s inclusion in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Despite the fact that Shadows went on to become both a critical and commercial success, Ubisoft reportedly wanted to avoid further public debates over race and historical representation.
The second reason cited was a management-level belief that releasing a game centered on slavery and racial tensions in the United States would be “too political” for the current climate. One source told Game File that the project was seen as “too political in a country too unstable, to make it short.” Another source added, “I was terribly disappointed but not surprised by leadership. They are making more and more decisions to maintain the political status quo and take no stand, no risk, even creative.”
The reported cancellation has drawn comparisons to Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry, a 2013 spin-off of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag that featured Adéwalé, a former slave from Trinidad who fought to liberate others from bondage. Freedom Cry tackled the horrors of slavery directly and was widely praised for its emotional weight and historical grounding.
If the cancelled project had moved forward, it could have represented a natural evolution of those themes, exploring how a freed Black Assassin confronted both personal trauma and systemic hatred during one of the most turbulent periods in American history.
However, Ubisoft leadership’s alleged reluctance to take creative risks has sparked discussion among fans and industry watchers about the company’s current philosophy. Some view the decision as a missed opportunity for the Assassin’s Creed franchise to tell a powerful and relevant story rooted in truth, while others point to the potential challenges of executing such a sensitive narrative responsibly.
Regardless, Totilo’s report paints a picture of a studio increasingly hesitant to engage with historical realities that could invite controversy, even as audiences continue to embrace more diverse and challenging storytelling.
Do you think Ubisoft made the right call cancelling this Assassin’s Creed project, or was it a missed opportunity to tell an important story through the series’ lens? Share your thoughts below.
