Former Assassin’s Creed Director Explains Why the Series Became a “Forever Brand”: Ubisoft Took Risks Others Wouldn’t

Assassin’s Creed 3 creative director Alex Hutchinson said the franchise’s success stems from Ubisoft’s rare willingness to take risks — a quality that allowed the series to evolve instead of getting stuck in one format. According to him, that boldness turned Assassin’s Creed into a “forever brand.”

Hutchinson recalled that the franchise’s shift from focused stealth games to massive RPG-scale projects like Origins and Odyssey was “a huge and risky move” — one that other publishers, like EA, probably wouldn’t have supported.

He added that many publishers simply don’t understand how to foster creativity:

According to Hutchinson, it’s this internal culture that allowed Assassin’s Creed to keep reinventing itself for nearly two decades.

Today, Assassin’s Creed is going through another phase of reinvention. Ubisoft is expanding the franchise in multiple directions — from large-scale RPGs to smaller, more focused projects like Mirage. In 2025, the company released Assassin’s Creed Shadows and confirmed plans to further grow the universe, including mobile and online formats. Nearly two decades after its debut, the series remains one of the most recognizable and enduring franchises in the industry.

Earlier, the game’s director explained why the decision was made to kill off the main character at the end of the third game.