Cover-Credits:
First unveiled during the Ubisoft Forward event in September 2022, Assassin’s Creed (AC) Jade is one of the major titles in the AC franchise that is entirely dedicated to a mobile platform. The game has supposedly been in development for four years with fans getting a glimpse of its gameplay through trailers and a closed beta playtest in October 2023.
While many anticipated the game to be released by the end of this year, new reports suggest that Tencent has redeployed its developers at Level Infinite, the team behind AC Jade, to prioritize their recently released DreamStar party game.
Tencent Will Reportedly Move Away From Developing Western Franchises Due to Thin Profit Margins
According to a report by Reuters, the Chinese gaming giant Tencent has redirected the efforts of hundreds of developers working on Assassin’s Creed Jade, to prioritize their DreamStar party game that was released in December 2023. This strategic move aims to take the market share from NetEase’s Egg Party, which has captivated millions of casual gamers who are looking to socialize by playing its simple mini-games and accessing its chat features.
As a result, Assassin’s Creed Jade which was scheduled to launch before the end of this year, has been delayed to 2025. The action-adventure game set in third-century BCE China has apparently been in co-development with Ubisoft for at least four years and the postponement has been disappointing news for mobile gamers who hoped to experience a complete AC experience on their devices.
This strategic shift at Tencent seems to be motivated by the monumental success of games like miHoYo’s Genshin Impact and NetEase’s Egg Party, both of which were developed in-house by the respective studios, meaning that all profits made were theirs to keep. Additionally, Tencent is also aware of the thin margins that big-name Western franchises yield, as they have to pay Royalties to studios like Activision for Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) and Krafton for PUBG Mobile.
In a recent earnings call, Tencent’s Chief Strategy Officer James Mitchell stated the following:
”We're focusing on fewer bigger-budget games. Typically, we're seeking to make the biggest bets around games that either iterate on a successful IP ... or games that are iterating around proven gameplay success within a niche and taking those to a more mass market”
Besides mobile spin-offs like PUBG, CODM, and AC Jade, Tencent is also reportedly working on an Elden Ring adaptation for mobile. However, its announcement and development remain unknown. With Assassin’s Creed Jade now delayed to 2025, the spotlight now shines on Ubisoft’s AC: Codename Red which is expected to be announced this year.
