Yesterday, Ubisoft announced that it delayed a "smaller unannounced premium game," though the title of the game was unknown. Now, a source has revealed that this game was Rift, the codename for an upcoming Assassin's Creed title.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Assassin's Creed Rift was delayed from February to May or June because development was running behind schedule.
Rift was originally planned as an expansion for the 2020 title Assassin's Creed Valhalla, though the project became a standalone game in late 2021 to add to the company's thin release schedule. While not much is known about the game, it's reportedly set in the Middle East and features a smaller scope with a focus on stealth gameplay.
As pointed out by Bloomberg, the delay of Rift leaves Ubisoft with an especially thin fiscal year.
This isn't the only major change to Ubisoft's release schedule that occurred this week. Yesterday, the company revealed that it fully stopped development on four titles, including Ghost Recon Frontline. It also announced that it is delaying Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to at least 2023, adding yet another Ubisoft title to the massive list of games delayed this year, many of which have been delayed due to the pandemic and political conflicts.
Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.