Assassin’s Creed Odyssey release date, news, and trailers

When it comes to Assassin’s Creed games it’s no longer a matter of if it's going to be released. Instead, it’s become where and when (both in real life and in-game). Although we were certain that there would be another Assassin’s Creed game after 2017’s extremely successful Origins, it wasn’t until the leak of a keyring and a subsequent confirmation from Ubisoft that we can now say we know it’s going to be called Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Information on Odyssey is thin on the ground at the moment and although we think it’s a safe bet that the game will take players back to Ancient Greece, we can’t really be sure of anything. Here we’ve gathered everything we’ve heard about the game so far, before its big reveal at E3 2018.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The next game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise
When can I play it? Most likely late 2018 or early 2019
What can I play it on? Expect PS4, Xbox One and PC

Assassin's Creed Odyssey release date

After the Assassin’s Creed series took a year out between Syndicate and Origins, there’s been a question around whether the game will return to its annual release cycle or move to a more spaced out release cycle.

We don’t yet have an official release date for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey but according to Kotaku, sources have said that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be released in the 2019 fiscal year. This would put the release date at March 31 2019 at the latest. Given the series usually opts for an October/November release window this would suggest that we’ll see Assassin’s Creed return to its annual cycle and release later this year.

We can’t be sure of this, of course, without official confirmation. Given Ubisoft had said it was pleased with Origins' reception and attributed much of the success to the extra time taken in development, we’d be surprised by the release of another game only one year later. But we’re sure we’ll hear more about Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s release date during Ubisoft’s presentation at E3.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey trailers

The only kind of footage we have from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is from the trailer Ubisoft used to confirm the game’s existence before E3. It’s a short clip that shows what appears to be a Spartan soldier 300-ing another soldier from a cliff. It’s hard to say which army this second soldier represents. We wouldn't want to be them anyway.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey news and rumors

It’s likely to be set in ancient Greece

Before the teaser for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was revealed, there were already rumors that the next game would be set in Ancient Greece. The Spartan helmet and Spartan symbol at the end of the official trailer certainly seems to say this will be the case.

What this leaves us wondering, though, is when in Ancient Greek history the game will take place. Reports suggest that this will be a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed Origins, yet the Ancient Greek empire and the Spartans at their strongest greatly pre-date the time setting of Assassin’s Creed Origins.

According to Kotaku, sources have said that this game will be set hundreds of years before Origins. But given Origins was supposed to be the founding of the Hidden Ones, the precursor to the Assassin’s brotherhood, and there are also reports this is a direct sequel, things don’t quite add up.

It could be possible that the game will span several timelines – one which takes us to a time before Origins, one which directly continues the Origins story, and one which will carry on the storyline in the modern day. The name Odyssey would certainly suit that kind of narrative structure as well as a Greek setting.

Considering Aya gives Bayek a hidden blade in Origins that once belonged to Darius, who assassinated the Persian King Xerxes during the Greco-Persian wars hundreds of years earlier, we could go back to a time that pre-dates even the Hidden Ones. This would at least offer a thematic sequel, rather than a narrative one.

The Spartans may be involved

The game’s short trailer certainly suggests that the Spartans will be involved in Odyssey in some capacity. Not only does the soldier in red kicking the other soldier from the cliff practically scream ‘This is Sparta’, the symbol above the game’s title is the iconic Spartan helmet and symbol that’s frequently used on their shields.

Interestingly, this upside down V looks like it could be an early version of the blade-like official Assassin’s insignia. Which makes us wonder even more about the idea that this game will tell a story of the brotherhood that pre-dates even the Hidden Ones. We saw where the origins of where the term Eagle Vision came from with Bayek, which could make up the wing-like base of the symbol, now we could see the origins of the hidden blade which tops it. We've explained our thoughts on this a little more.

New heroes

According to Kotaku reports, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will feature entirely new heroes. Not only that, they’ll be male and female, and players will be able to choose which protagonist they play. It’s not clear whether or not Bayek and Aya will make a reappearance in this game but if it is a direct sequel, we’d expect to hear about them in some form.

Being able to choose between a male and a female protagonist would certainly suit a Spartan setting since it seems that women had a lot more freedom in ancient Sparta compared to other Greek states of the time.

It’ll bring even more gameplay changes than Origins

It’s also been reported by Kotaku that Odyssey will take the RPG changes made in Origins even further, aiming for more Witcher-like gameplay. As we’ve said above, it’s being said that players will have a choice of two protagonists but it’s also suggested that dialogue options will come to the series for the very first time

What we want to see from Assassin's Creed Odyssey

More naval battles

There are rumors that naval battles will make a return to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and we’d love to see that happen. If the game is set in ancient Greece then any kind of naval warfare would be very different from what we saw in Black Flag, but that would make it feel far more fresh.

More varied missions

Assassin’s Creed Origins did a better job of giving us reasons to explore its open map than any other Assassin’s Creed game thanks to its side quests, but we’d love to see a little more variety in the next release. While Origins made the effort to introduce these quests with more interesting and varied characters, we’d also like to see a little more variety in the mission design. Often the side quests in Origins had different stories behind them, but the solution was one of a small range of things, from invading an enemy camp to rescuing someone.

We’ve heard that Ubisoft is trying to be a little more Witcher-like with this release and that suggests we might just get what we’re wishing for.

Refined combat

Assassin’s Creed Origins overhauled the series’ combat for the better, but we’d like to see it refined a little more for Odyssey. If the game does revolve around the highly militarized Spartans, we’re hoping we’ll see a combat style that’s a little tighter and more controlled than the more loose movements we saw in Origins.