A New 'Assassin's Creed' Games Was Canceled Before It Was Announced
The setting of the game was revealed, giving players clues towards where the sequel would have taken them.
Published Oct. 13 2025, 9:13 a.m. ET
Players know that the video game industry takes a lot of twists and turns while developing new titles. It takes years for a studio to complete a major title, with millions of dollars involved from several investors.
It's common for many years to pass between the official announcement of a game and the time when players can get their hands on it. Many things can happen during the process.
One of the biggest video game franchises in the world is Assassin's Creed. Users take control of sneaky killers in every installment of the series, with both PlayStation and Xbox users able to join the fun.
An Assassin's Creed game was canceled before it was even announced. What happened to the potential blockbuster title? What convinced the studio to move from the project before players even knew it existed?
The canceled 'Assassin's Creed' game would have taken place during the Civil War.
According to Forbes, the canceled Assassin's Creed game is the prequel that would have taken players to the American Civil War and the Reconstruction period that followed the conflict. The franchise is constantly giving players the opportunity to visit different time periods across history.
The United States' political climate is to blame for the game's cancellation. The developer believed the premise of the adventure would have been found controversial.
There is a specific reason why this Assassin's Creed game never saw the light of day. Players would have stepped into the shoes of an enslaved Black man, with the protagonist's goal being to take down Ku Klux Klan members and other enemies.
Donald Trump is the president of the United States. The politician's beliefs and comments have created a political climate in which a story centered on fighting white supremacy wouldn't have been well received by the developer's target audience.
The times change quicker than what major video games can keep up with. The Forbes report states that the Assassin's Creed title entered development before the result of the 2024 presidential election was determined.
There isn't a title available for the prequel. The project didn't reach major milestones across its development process, which is why it took a long time for players to even hear about its existence.
The developer behind 'Assasin's Creed' moved on towards different stories.
The industry can't stop because of a canceled adventure. Ubisoft is the developer behind the Assassin's Creed franchise. While this specific title was never released, the company had to move forward with the making of other games.
Assasin's Creed Shadows is the name of the video game that came out before the canceled adventure was revealed. The title follows a kunoichi and an African samurai as they are stuck in the conflict within the Assassin Brotherhood.
Ubisoft is looking forward to the future. At the time the canceled Assassin's Creed game was revealed, the company was working on Just Dance 2026 Edition, Anno 117: Pax Romana, and the future of the beloved Assassin's franchise.
The series will continue to find success. IGN reports that Assassin's Creed Shadows was the best-selling game in the United States during the month of its release.