Ubisoft has released its post-launch plans for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, including journeys to both Ireland and France, as well as an extensive selection of free seasonal content. The hotly anticipated title brings the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise into the age of the Vikings, and has officially gone gold ahead of a November 10th release.
The Assassin’s Creed series has always had a strong focus on history, and its recent installments have given players the chance to play through numerous major historical events. In Valhalla‘s predecessor, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, players took control of a mercenary in the Peloponnesian War, navigating the legendary conflict between Athens and Sparta. The series has never shied away from putting major historical figures like Cleopatra, Leonardo da Vinci, and Leonidas front and center, and that’s not likely to change in Valhalla. Speculation has already begun about what sorts of legendary figures players might encounter in the new game.
As players gear up for their English raids, Ubisoft already has its eye on the future of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Earlier today, a video was posted to the Assassin’s Creed UK YouTube channel to introduce prospective Vikings to the game’s post-launch content and season pass. The season pass includes two major expansions and a bonus quest. The first expansion, Wrath of the Druids, releases in Spring 2021 and brings players to Ireland to fight a druidic cult and conquer authentic Irish ring forts. This expansion will likely have a heavy emphasis on the supernatural, with creatures straight out of English myth. The second expansion, the Siege of Paris, launches in summer next year. It will bring players to the legendary siege and task them with infiltrating the famous city in an attempt to conquer it from within. The bonus mission, the Legend of Beowulf, will be available at the launch of the game.
Ubisoft is also offering free seasonal content to all players. The first one, taking place late in 2020, is a Yule festival, likely set to coincide with real-life Christmas festivities. New game modes like River Raid will also be added, as well as a Discovery Tour. Discovery Tours are a special Assassin’s Creed feature that debuted in Assassin’s Creed Origins. They show players the historical world of the game without any of the story or combat, allowing players to immerse themselves in the setting and learn real-life facts about the past. It’s been billed as an educational mode and learning tool. Ubisoft’s commitment to the history of its games has already been demonstrated through a recent documentary podcast released on Spotify called Echoes of Valhalla, which is meant to educate fans about the historical context of the game before it launches.
Announcing the post-launch schedule for a game before it launches is a pretty ambitious thing to do. If the base game turns out to be poorly designed, no one’s going to care that Ubisoft already has plans to expand it. And fans do have multiple reasons to doubt the company. Numerous higher-ups have been accused of abusing or otherwise mistreating their employees, and a recent survey found that 25% of all employees at Ubisoft have experienced some form of misconduct. These kinds of accusations are very serious, and definitely not something Ubisoft should take likely. There’s a lot about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to get excited for, and these DLCs do look like a lot of fun. But all the same, Ubisoft should definitely spend less time looking forward and more time looking into its own working conditions.
