Ubisoft has decided that the present is the right time to bring Assassin's Creed to virtual reality. As announced at the Ubisoft Forward event, Assassin's Creed Nexus VR will bring the long-running series to Meta Quest VR headsets in the near future.
Set to be the first time that Assassin's Creed is both in VR and in a first-person perspective, Nexus will be a title that looks to tell a unique story that connects Assassin's Creed Odyssey's Kassandra, Assassin's Creed II's Ezio, and Assassin's Creed III's Connor. The story will be connected through modern day events, which see Abstergo back on the scene and looking to use their historical memory technology to gather data from crucial events in the past. The player will need to use memories of Kassandra, Ezio, and Connor to stop Abstergo's efforts and to work to bring down the technology company.
As for how the gameplay will work, we're told that Nexus will offer open map environments where players can use parkour to traverse as they like. Each objective will use non-linear sandbox design to encourage the player to approach the task at hand in their own way, all using an array of tools and items.
The combat will include a melee system that is meant to feel intuitive and real, and will allow the player to draw a sword (or Connor's tomahawk) by reaching to their hip, pull a bow and arrow by reaching over their shoulder, or pull smoke bombs or throwing knives by reaching at their chest.
Movement will use a teleportal system that has become very common in other VR games, and the game will even feature a vignetting system to draw focus away from things in a player's peripheral vision. There will also be methods in place to help players overcome fear of heights in the game, as with this being a VR experience, this is a very real problem that will be present, especially since leaps of faith will be possible.
The game is being developed with the assistance of multiple different supporting Ubisoft studios, and as of today, no mention was given to when Assassin's Creed Nexus VR will be launching - so 2024 seems likely at the earliest.