'Assassin's Creed Odyssey' Aims for Weekly Content Updates

Ubisoft EMEA executive director Alain Corre is pushing for longer engagement in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, according to an interview with gamesindustry.biz.

"The idea with Odyssey is to create new content every week so that it's a [lively] adventure for the fans. So there's always something new, something fresh and something they can discover and appreciate. We want this Odyssey to be living, to always be fresh, so it's a different way to create games this way," said Corre.

While Corre did not share details on what type of weekly content Assassin's Creed Odyssey players could expect, he did say that post-launch content is "planned for a long time."

Assassin's Creed Odyssey will have a massive open world much like Origins, so Ubisoft should have plenty of space to add new content for players to return. Origins handled in-game monetization in an intelligent fashion, with an in-game shop that sold legendary weapons and virtual currency but was completely optional.

"When you look around, more and more it's games-as-a-service [titles] that are the most appreciated by the fans," Corre said. "Because when you have invested tens and tens of hours in a game, and if there are new reasons to stay because you have fresh content to come, or innovation on a regular basis, then you are happy because all of the time you have invested... It's part of your life."

Corre promises that Ubisoft will continue to be very careful with how they approach monetization. "Boosters" are meant only to support players who aren't able to invest the same amount of time into Ubisoft games as other players.

"What is important for us is the happiness and the pleasure of our fans," he said. "We have always said we would create extra content they would be happy to pay for if it was something that was logical. When we create costumes or cosmetic items, you can choose whether to buy them or not. It depends on what you wish. It doesn't change the balance of the game at all, which we have always been very careful about."

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is scheduled for an October 5 release date and promises 30 hours of interactive storytelling with multiple endings in addition to a long tail of ongoing content launches. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has confirmed that Assassin's Creed is not returning to an annual release cycle, stating, "You will see some some years, but it will not be every year." Ubisoft Quebec has been at work on Assassin's Creed Odyssey for three years, which should ease any fears of a rush job.

What do you think of this "games as a service" philosophy? What kind of live content do you expect in Assassin's Creed Odyssey? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.