Ubisoft has reportedly pulled the plug on a highly anticipated cooperative multiplayer Assassin’s Creed project, codenamed AC League, which was under development at their French studio, Ubisoft Annecy.
According to a report by French outlet Origami, translated independently by IGN, AC League was initially envisioned as a DLC for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set during Japan’s feudal era. The concept would have allowed up to four players to team up as assassins and tackle a series of scripted missions, effectively concluding the story arc planned for the game’s now-canceled Season Pass. Rumors of AC League first surfaced last year via Insider Gaming.
The ambitious project was designed to lay the groundwork for future multiplayer integration across the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Ubisoft hoped it could revive the hybrid solo/multiplayer experience fans enjoyed in titles like Assassin’s Creed Unity and Black Flag (a remake of which has also been rumored). Initially tied to Shadows, the team at Annecy later considered spinning AC League into a smaller, standalone game using parts of the Shadows open world. An invite-only alpha was slated for May 2026.
However, AC League became another casualty of Ubisoft’s ongoing corporate restructuring. Over the past several months, the company has undergone extensive cost-cutting, studio closures, project cancellations, and reorganization of its creative divisions. Last week, leadership at Ubisoft Annecy informed staff that AC League would not continue.
Despite the cancellation, there’s a glimmer of hope. A small group of Annecy employees will transfer the technical progress from AC League into Ubisoft’s proprietary Anvil engine. This move could simplify the development of replayable multiplayer modes in future Assassin’s Creed games while reducing costs. Unfortunately, this leaves over a quarter of Annecy’s 270-person team without an active project, raising concerns about potential layoffs.
Ubisoft has declined to comment on the cancellation.
The company’s upcoming quarterly earnings report will be closely watched, as Ubisoft continues to navigate challenging financial conditions. The publisher recently revised its fiscal guidance downward, closed multiple studios, laid off staff, and canceled six projects. It has also transferred its three biggest franchises to Vantage Studios, a new entity partly owned by Tencent, in a bid to stabilize operations.
While AC League won’t see the light of day, the innovations developed during its brief life may influence the future of Assassin’s Creed multiplayer, even if fans will have to wait a little longer for the next co-op experience.
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