Five years after Ubisoft announced its partnership with streaming service Netflix, the two companies have greenlit an Assassin’s Creed live-action series. This is set to be the first live-action streaming series based on Ubisoft’s properties. It’s also one of the franchises no longer directly owned by Ubisoft, but instead by a spun-off holding company jointly owned with Tencent.
Roberto Patino and David Wiener, the latter of whom also worked as executive producer in the Halo adaptation, were appointed as creators, showrunners, and executive producers. In a joint statement, the duo said that the show is about “power and violence and sex and greed and vengeance.”
Peter Friedlander, Netflix’s vice president, scripted series, said the show is the result of “years of dedicated collaboration” between the streaming conglomerate and Ubisoft’s film and television department. The initial partnership announcement, which took place back in October 2020, positioned the Assassin’s Creed show as the first series in development. An animated TV series based on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, is also in development and slated for release this year.
Assassin’s Creed isn’t technically owned by Ubisoft anymore
The news comes mere months after Ubisoft and Tencent spun off the new subsidiary which owns Rainbow Six and Far Cry brands, along with Assassin’s Creed. Yesterday, as the company announced the co-CEOs appointed to the subsidiary, it said that the focus is to “accelerate the growth” of the aforementioned franchises.
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Back in 2022, Ubisoft and Netflix struck a deal to develop three games, including an original Assassin’s Creed title optimized for mobile. While there hasn’t been news about the project, the series has been part of multiple transmedia projects, including novels, manga, and a collaboration with Wizards of the Coast for Magic: The Gathering.
It’s also worth remembering that this is Ubisoft’s second swing at a live-action adaptation after the Assassin’s Creed film in 2016.
Last week, the French company confirmed layoffs at Ubisoft Red Storm, affecting 19 workers. Meanwhile, three former executives at the company were sentenced to suspended prison terms, with charges including sexual assault and “enabling a culture of sexual and psychological harassment.”