The Drive Towards Role-Playing
Alex Hutchinson, a seasoned game director known for his work on Assassin's Creed III and Far Cry 4, recently shed light on a pivotal shift in the Assassin's Creed series. In a candid interview with GamesRadar+, Hutchinson explained that Ubisoft's decision to transform the historical action-adventure franchise into an RPG wasn't solely driven by creative vision. Instead, significant pressure from the publisher to increase game length played a crucial role, primarily to counteract the financial impact of used game sales.
GameStop and the "Keep the Disc" Mandate
During that period, Ubisoft faced a considerable challenge from the secondary market, especially GameStop. When players resold their physical game discs, Ubisoft received no revenue from those transactions, with GameStop being the sole beneficiary. To combat this, Hutchinson revealed that there was immense internal pressure at Ubisoft to make games longer, effectively encouraging players to "leave the disc in the console" for as long as possible, thereby delaying or preventing resale.
"There was a lot of pressure inside Ubisoft at the time to 'keep the disc in the console,' so that people would not re-sell the disc, because the money would just go to GameStop."
— Alex Hutchinson
The Cost-Benefit of RPG Elements
Hutchinson pointed out that traditional action-adventure games were inherently expensive to develop, with a high cost-per-hour of gameplay. Introducing progression systems and role-playing mechanics offered a cost-effective and efficient solution to expand game volume. These mechanics provided a relatively inexpensive way to add many hours of content, as players would spend time leveling up, acquiring new gear, and engaging in repetitive tasks to progress, rather than requiring extensive, unique narrative or environmental content.
A Director's Reflection on a Genre Shift
While acknowledging the risky nature of such a drastic genre change, Hutchinson believes the Assassin's Creed series uniquely managed to retain its audience. He attributes this success to the franchise's consistent refresh through radical changes in historical settings and protagonists. This constant novelty helped keep the games feeling fresh, even as their length ballooned.
"I worried if a player just spent 200 hours in Assassin’s Creed, would they want to dive back in again just a year later?" Hutchinson mused. "I think, fortunately, the radical change of setting and the frequent change of protagonists make the games fresher compared to other series, so Ubisoft succeeded."
— Alex Hutchinson
However, Hutchinson personally misses the franchise's roots as a pure action-adventure experience. He expressed a preference for the older style over what he describes as "juggling stats," highlighting his own heart remains with the genre that prioritizes exploration and fluid combat over extensive character builds.
What This Means for Assassin's Creed
Hutchinson's insights offer a revealing look into the complex business decisions that can shape game development and genre evolution. The move to RPG mechanics, while driven by financial concerns, ultimately redefined Assassin's Creed, making it one of the few long-running series to successfully pivot genres while maintaining a dedicated player base. For players, this has meant longer, more expansive worlds, though sometimes at the cost of the tighter, more focused narrative experiences of earlier titles. The upcoming Claws of Awaji DLC for Assassin's Creed Shadows, set to release on September 16th, promises even more content, including a new storyline, island, weapons, and skills, further embracing the expansive design philosophy.
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