The newest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, was revealed over the weekend during Saturday’s Ubisoft Forward event. Despite the details shared at the event, the most surprising development seemed to come from the Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Xbox.com store listing, which suggested that it would be rated Adults Only, and would contain real gambling (as well as intense violence, blood and gore, sexual themes, and partial nudity).
But Ubisoft quickly clarified that Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s listed AO rating and hints of gambling were a mistake. Microsoft has since updated the game’s listing to reflect that it has not received a rating yet.
In a statement to Eurogamer, Ubisoft said, “following the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Mirage during Ubisoft Forward, some store pages mistakenly displayed the game for preorders with an Adults Only ESRB rating. While Assassin’s Creed Mirage is still pending rating, Ubisoft wants to reassure players that no real gambling or lootboxes are present in the game.”
The initial rating caused a great deal of confusion among fans, largely because of how improbable it sounded. Very few games ever receive an Adults Only rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, and those that do face an uphill climb to success, thanks to the limited places they are generally sold or allowed to be marketed. This is also why it should come as no surprise that the rating didn’t stick, and that the Xbox store page now says that the game is expected to be rated M for Mature.
The gambling was also a point of concern for players, though that one had a little more basis. Ever since Assassin’s Creed’s radical reinvention with Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ubisoft’s leveling system in the series has proven controversial, in part because the company has sold boosts via in-game microtransactions to make the single-player leveling experience faster.
While those boosts are certainly a far cry from “real gambling,” fans are already a little leery of the franchise’s microtransaction history. That being said, Ubisoft’s clarification that there won’t be any “real gambling” or lootboxes in the game should at least assuage some concerns.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set for release sometime in 2023.