In a nutshell: Ubisoft is reportedly working on a new Assassin's Creed game to help bolster its sparse release schedule. Sources familiar with the project said game was originally planned to be an expansion pack for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but evolved into a full game in late 2021.
Codenamed Rift, the project is reportedly smaller in scope than previous titles in the series. It won't feature a large, open world, but will instead focus more on stealth gameplay.
Eurogamer, which has also heard of the project from its own sources, said the game will follow the character of Basim before the events of Valhalla.
When reached for comment, Ubisoft told Bloomberg it doesn't comment on rumors of speculation as they do a disservice to the development team and community, but said they had a "solid and exciting lineup of titles" in the pipeline.
In an interview late last year, producer José Araiza told Eurogamer that fans would certainly see more of the character in the future. "Yes, the answer is yes. I'm not going to give you more details. But yes, you definitely will see more of Basim," Araiza confirmed.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla launched on November 10, 2020, and quickly became the best-selling game in the franchise. The next big expansion, Dawn of Ragnarok, is slated to drop on March 10.
It's hard to say for certain how fans will react to a planned expansion morphing into a standalone offering. It shouldn't be too big of an issue if priced on the lower end of the spectrum, but Ubisoft will likely have a hard time getting typical full-game money out of a smaller standalone title.