Ubisoft has officially confirmed that previous rumors regarding Assassin’s Creed skipping 2016 are indeed true.

The news broke earlier today via a blog post where Ubisoft stated the franchise will be “re-evaluated” during this brief hiatus. That’s not the only news announced by the publisher/developer, though – Watch Dogs 2 is set to launch some time before April 2017. Though there isn’t a specific date set for the sequel, I think it’s a possibility that it’ll fill AC‘s usual launch spot at the end of 2016, but at this point it’s just speculation.

I, for one, am glad Ubisoft has decided to give their highly coveted franchise a year off. The blog post also mentioned that the team will be taking this time to evolve the gamemplay mechanics, which is a relief to hear. Fatigue was starting to set in for long-time fans (including myself) and the stealth and climbing mechanics could definitely use a major overhaul. Do you know how annoying it is when your character sticks to every possible surface?

Even with the absence of an AC installment this year, the franchise will still have a presence in 2016, thanks to the launch of the film adaptation, featuring Michael Fassbender as the lead assassin, debuting on December 21.

As for the Watch Dogs 2 news, it’s honestly not much of a surprise. It’s an IP that Ubisoft clearly wants to become popular. As I already mentioned above, it wouldn’t be completely unexpected if it launched as the company’s main holiday title. It just makes sense to have Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs alternate launch years. That would give each developer plenty of time to create something more polished and as a result, makes it less likely we’ll ever see another hot mess like AC: Unity.

What do you guys think about this news? Will you miss the assassin action this year? Are you excited about the sequel to the tech-centered third-person shooter? Let us know in the comments below!

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HT: Ubisoft