Assassin’s Creed Jade, a free-to-play, Unreal Engine game set in ancient China that has been in development under Tencent’s Level Infinite gaming brand for mobile platforms for at least four years, is now expected to release in 2025 instead of this year, three sources with Reuters have learned. Sources say that Tencent, since late last year, has redeployed “hundreds of people” from the team developing Assassin’s Creed Jade to work on DreamStar instead—a new party game that is meant to rival Eggy Party, a mobile game from NetEase that, despite being made on a low budget, became one of China’s most downloaded apps in 2023.
Reuters noted:
The redeployment of resources highlights the trends forcing a strategic pivot at Tencent. Firstly, developing big-name Western franchises for mobile phones tends to yield thin margins. At the same time, rivals have had breakout hits with ostensibly niche products that offer new takes on gaming such as as NetEase’s “Eggy Party” and miHoYo’s anime-style fantasy game “Genshin Impact”. Moreover, the games were developed in-house so their profits are all their own.
Assassin’s Creed Jade details:
- Coming to Apple iOS and Google Android
- Takes place in 215 B.C., between the events of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Players can fully customize the appearance of their Assassins, a first for the series
- Iconic returning features include assassinations, air assassinations, and stealth, parkour, and combat mechanics
- Optimized touchscreen controls so the gameplay feels natural to all players
Gameplay trailer and description:
Explore the path of Xia in Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade, set in the third century BC, during the time of one of the first unified empires in China. An unprecedented era of trade and cultural exchange between East and West is just beginning, but with this comes new challenges and threats lurking in the shadows.