The initial expansion for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to launch on September 16. However, in a surprising twist, Ubisoft has now revealed a DLC for its two-year-old predecessor, Mirage.
This announcement took everyone by surprise: Although Assassin’s Creed Mirage has been out for about two years and its successful sequel, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is already released, the Baghdad spin-off is unexpectedly receiving an expansion.
As Ubisoft shared on Twitter over the weekend, players of Mirage can look forward to a surprise later this year. The tweet highlights a new story chapter featuring additional missions located in 9th-century Al-‘Ula, along with gameplay enhancements for the original game and the fresh setting. Best of all, this new content will be entirely free.
The announcement aligns with various leaks and speculations circulating on social media, with reports from sources like GamePro in recent weeks. While the specifics of the expansion are yet to be revealed, the setting is confirmed: Al-‘Ula, an ancient oasis city in modern-day Saudi Arabia, is over 7,000 years old, and its adjacent district of Hegra holds UNESCO World Heritage Site status – an ideal environment for an Assassin’s Creed game.
A challenging partnership
Nonetheless, there could be another angle to the setting: According to the French news outlet Les Echos earlier this year, Ubisoft allegedly reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group, which is responsible for funding the DLC. This partnership is viewed as contentious due to the lack of respect for fundamental human rights in Saudi Arabia. The freedoms of expression and press are nearly nonexistent, and the social standing of women and minorities is unstable.
What was Mirage about again?
For those needing a brief recap: Assassin’s Creed Mirage takes place in the 9th century in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. It is the golden age of Islam, under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate. Here, the young street thief Basim Ibn Ishaq, who sometimes collaborates with the Hidden Ones – the precursor group to the Assassins – struggles to survive through petty crimes.
When a robbery goes awry, Basim finds himself forced to flee and join the Hidden Ones. Consequently, he battles against the schemes of the Templar Order – then known as the Order of the Elders – in Mesopotamia. The masked members of the order seek powerful ancient artifacts of the Isu.
Mirage showcases a playful return to the franchise’s roots; the game significantly reduces RPG elements compared to previous installments. Instead, Mirage prioritizes classic features such as parkour, assassinations, and smaller maps.
There is no confirmed release date for the forthcoming Mirage update yet, but the Twitter announcement clearly states the new content is expected this year. However, with the Awaji DLC for the latest entry, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set for September 16, we anticipate the Mirage expansion will not debut until at least mid-October.
What are your thoughts on the announcement of a new Mirage expansion? Will you revisit Mirage with the DLC, or do you feel the expansion is arriving too late for you? Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post Out of nowhere, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is getting a DLC with a new open-world area – Saudi Arabia is probably behind it. appeared first on Global Esport News.