THE ANIMUS HUB - INTERVIEW WITH THE TEAM
Assassin's Creed Shadows

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Q: What is the philosophy behind creating the Animus Hub? What are you trying to achieve with setting this infrastructure outside of the games?

A: The goal of the Animus Hub was to create an immersive Animus experience that will tie together the Assassin’s Creed games and universe. First and foremost, we want our players to get into their games fast through a seamless experience. Second, we want to shine a light on the Animus itself and explore what makes it such a powerful and immersive storytelling device within our universe. And third, we want to reward our players simply for playing.


Q: In the presentation you mentioned that the Animus Hub is not a standalone launcher but it’s embedded in Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ executable. Does this mean that to access the Hub players will have to launch Shadows from their console / PC in order to access the Hub?

A: Yes, the Animus Hub is fully integrated into Assassin’s Creed Shadows; it is not a stand-alone launcher. The Animus Hub will launch on all versions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows (PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S, Ubisoft+, Amazon Luna, Windows PC and Mac).


Q: Will the Hub only be available through the games’ executables or will it also be available as a web page or companion app for smartphones and tablets, in case players want to experience some of the content from outside the gaming space?

A: The Animus Hub is integrated into Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It is not currently supported as a web page or companion app.

_____________________

OLDER GAMES

Q: In the presentation you mentioned that through the Hub players will be able to launch the so-called “Period 2 titles” (AC Origins to Mirage) if they are already installed on their system. Will this be available at launch? Does this mean that players will have to access Shadows to access the Hub in order to access their old games? Is there a value added for players to access their old games from the Hub and not directly from their consoles / PC? Does this in fact replace the functionality of platforms like Ubisoft Connect or Steam?

A: At launch, players will be able to access their Period 2 titles (Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins) if installed on the system, and they can be launched directly from the Hub. Players can access these games via their preferred access points (the Animus Hub or by directly launching from their platforms). The Hub does not replace the functionality of Ubisoft Connect or Steam. The Hub will evolve with new features and content in the future, so stay tuned.


Q: Will there be Projects / Anomalies / Rewards also tied to the old games supported by the Hub (AC Origins to Mirage) in order to boost replayability?

A: Projects, Anomalies, and Rewards are currently only available for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.


Q: Will the Hub also recognize the outfits and current questline / story recap for the older games?

A: These features are currently only available for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.


Q: Within the hacked “Dark Animus”, is there any chance players can expect new updates or new content for older titles, like alternate / additional cutscenes etc.?
A: There are currently no plans to update previous titles within the Animus Hub.

_____________________

FUTURE GAMES AND TRANSMEDIA

Q: How will it work where more new games like Codename Hexe or Codename Invictus are going to release? Will players be able to launch the Animus Hub from Hexe’s or Invictus’ executables? If that’s the case, can we assume that the Animus Hub platform we are seeing by launching Shadows or Hexe or Invictus will be the exact same? Or will there be differences in that regard?

A: Yes, the Animus Hub will be embedded within the executable for each new release. The Hub will continue to evolve in the future years and each new title launched will feature its own exclusive visual look and details (with animated characters/backgrounds, active mission details, etc…) in the “Memories” section.


Q: Back in 2022 Marc-Alexis Coté mentioned in interviews that it’ll be possible to purchase new games directly from the Hub. Is that still the case?

A: It will not be possible to purchase directly from the Hub. Players will be re-directed to first-party stores in the event there is a game they don't already own that they would like to access.


Q: Are you planning to or have you considered adding digital versions of the Assassin’s Creed Transmedia into the Hub?
A: We cannot share more on transmedia content within the Hub at this stage.


Q: Do you think the flexibility of the Hub may also provide the opportunity to feature smaller projects and not only flagship titles?

A: The Hub offers a lot of flexibility for future content, however, we cannot share more at this time.

_____________________

MULTIPLAYER

Q: With the expansion into multiplayer with the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Invictus and possibly other games in the future, will the Animus Hub have a lobby area for players to create their own avatars to meet and socialise with friends and launch into the Animus memories together?

A: We cannot share more at this time on the future of multiplayer content within the Hub.


Q: With the return of multiplayer, is there any chance that traditional multiplayer modes (AC Brotherhood, Revelations, III, Black Flag) might be added to the Animus Hub at some point?

A: We cannot share more at this time on the future of multiplayer content within the Hub.

_____________________

PROJECT ANOMALIES

Q: Along with the DNA Explorer, you mentioned the existence of Projects, the free rewards that are tied to them, and the Anomalies activities / Daily Missions that will need to be completed to obtain such missions. Are there any story-related elements as to why players should go in the Shadows simulation to find these anomalies?

A: The new Modern-Day storyline begins as you play through the main story in Shadows. It connects directly with the context surrounding Projects and Anomalies. Projects also contain pieces of this storyline themselves through their Data File rewards. Decrypted Data Files can be viewed within the Vault to uncover more of the Modern-Day story.


Q: Are Projects (and their rewards) going to be time-based? And if that’s the case, what if a player is not going to be able to play them in time and obtain its rewards (including the Modern Day story information?)

A: Projects are not time-based and once they are released can be completed at any time.


Q: Would you say that players will get the chance to be able to obtain enough “data fragments” to unlock all the rewards of a specific project through the various daily anomalies or will they be have to make choices?

A: Currently, all players will have the opportunity to complete all Projects, regardless of when they start playing Shadows.


_____________________

THE EXCHANGE

Q: Given its similarity to Sargon’s shop and Reda’s shop in the last few games, can we surmise “The Exchange” within the Animus Hub will be the section where most microtransactions might take place, when the earned keys are not going to be sufficient to obtain the items? Will there be a dedicated microtransactions currency like the Helix Credits in previous games?

A: The Exchange does not offer microtransactions and can only use Keys. There is a separate dedicated store as we've had on previous titles that provides offers for Helix Credits.


Q: Will also older games have items tied to the Keys currency in “The Exchange” as new content / new unlocks?

A: Period 2 titles (Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins) do not have content available in the Exchange.

_____________________

MODERN DAY / THE VAULT

Q: Let’s talk about the Modern Day aspect that will be carried on through the Hub. Back in September 2022 it was announced that the Modern Day setting would have been moved to the Infinity Hub, now Animus Hub, but it seems like it’s not fully the case, some Modern Day elements are still part of Shadows’ experience. Has the original intention changed? What is the current plan as to how the Modern Day story is going to be delivered from now on?

A: The intention for the Modern Day has always been to create a coherent and consistent narrative that can coexist with the historical games of the franchise moving forward. To achieve this best, we’re providing focused moments of Modern Day content within the main story of Assassin’s Creed Shadows that support the ongoing story of the new Animus – which is the foundation of our Hub and which we’ll be developing over time.This will include content in-game, as well as in the Hub.


Q: Is the philosophy behind moving the Modern Day story to the Hub and setting it “in the near future” oriented towards creating a clean slate that can be easier for new fans to follow while not slowing down the pace in the historical narration and gameplay in Shadows? Or is there more to this approach that can cater to the hardcore / long-time fans as well?

A: The Modern-Day storyline has been an integral part of the legacy of Assassin’s Creed. However, as we move forward, our goal is to put history back at the center of the player’s experience. The Modern-Day narrative will serve to enhance the historical journey, exploring deeper themes of memory, identity, and autonomy. Our goal is to make the Modern-Day accessible for all our players, old and new, while continuing to keep the essence of the Modern-Day conflict that resonates for our long-time fans as well.


Q: In the presentation it was stated that the Modern Day story will be set “in the near future”. Can you define how near that would be? I.e. Is it far enough that it’s not likely players will catch up with it in the next years or decades of games?

A: We cannot comment on the precise setting for the Modern Day story, but imagining a future world with fresh and surprising stakes is part of our intention.


Q: The teaser about the Animus Hub you showed included the so-called Dark Animus, which we are given access to by a mysterious person or group who said “We’ll be in touch”. Is this a continuation of the infamous Erudito Collective? Can we expect ties to the previous Modern Day stories?

A: While we are starting a new Modern-Day story for the player to discover, anything is possible. This world is built on everything that has come before in our lore, but we do turn a page on past events to discover new characters and conflicts. In Assassin’s Creed, the past, present, and future always find a way of interconnecting, so do keep your eyes open!


Q: Why did you decide to move the Modern Day narration back to the concept of the player being the main character? Doesn’t that bring the same issues that such narration had for games such as Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Rogue (and to a degree Unity and Syndicate)? [i.e. not having a defined character that moves and reacts to the world, not having a backstory and a defined place in the story’s world and continuity]

A: This direction for the Hub has allowed us to focus on creating an immersive interface that is focused on the Animus with the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. However, we aren't limiting ourselves to one form of storytelling for the future.


Q: As of now, based on your presentation, it looks like the Hub will handle the Modern Day story through a section called “The Vault” which will contain data files (text, audio, video). Back in September 2022 Marc-Alexis Côté mentioned that “with time” the Hub might offer opportunities for gameplay. Can we expect in the future some gameplay sections tied to the Modern Day story in the Hub or in the games? We cannot stress enough how a playable Modern Day is important for hardcore fans

A: Content contained within the Vault is only one part of the new Modern-Day story. Some Modern-Day content can be discovered in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and we’re eager to develop more going forward.


Q: Isn’t setting the narrative within the new Animus Ego quite a limitation? Are players going to be “external observers” to what they are going to see in the files in the “Vault” section and to what happens in the outside / real world?

A: The Modern-Day story extends beyond the content shown in the Vault, with content in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. You will have to explore everything Assassin’s Creed Shadows has to offer to learn more.


Q: At the time Marc-Alexis Côté also mentioned that the Modern Day story in the hub would have been “synchronous and concurrent”, with the story “living independently of the big cycles of the game” and thus being updated independently of the games. Is this still the planned approach? Can you comment as to how frequently the Modern Day story will be updated? Are we talking short term or long term?

A: The Animus Hub and the Modern-Day story will receive new content independently of the games. These updates will occur regularly along with the post-launch roadmap of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and continue in the years to come.


Q: Finally, it was said that Infinity or The Animus Hub would evolve over time, that what we’ll see at launch will not be the final version. Can you comment as to which directions the project will evolve to?

A: The Animus Hub will evolve over time, incorporating new features and content in the years to come. We cannot share any precise details on the direction at this time.