Mohamed Hassan 
Assassin’s Creed Jade, the open-world mobile game set in ancient China, has seen its release date pushed back amid major strategic changes at Tencent Holdings.
The upcoming Assassin’s Creed mobile spin-off has been hosting a closed beta since Summer 2023, shortly after it was revealed. Many players got a taste of how the series’ trademark open world and signature stealth gameplay could be replicated on handheld devices. The game was believed to be nearly finished and set for release in 2024.
But now developer Level Infinite, the team developing the game, is being pointed in a different direction and will instead work on another title. This has reportedly caused the release date of Assassin’s Creed Jade to seemingly shift forward until another year.
Assassin’s Creed Jade release date info
Assassin’s Creed Jade is reportedly set for release in 2025.
The news came from Reuters, which reported that Tencent has reassigned hundreds of people from the team developing Assassin’s Creed Jade to the obstacle-hopping game Dreamstar. The report says Tencent wants this game to compete directly with Netase’s popular Eggy Party, and it’s effectively shelving Jade to do this. This also comes as Tencent seeks to launch its own titles rather than working on mobile adaptations of other companies’ franchises.
Tencent’s subsidiaries have developed numerous major mobile games based on established titles including Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, and Pokemon Unite. Royalty fees for IP owners and the “tax” to app stores reportedly halve the revenue Tencent can make from these games.
Alongside these issues are said to be troubles associated with EA’s cancellation of Apex Legends Mobile and Tencent’s own cancellation of an unannounced Nier game. There are signs that other partners such as The Pokemon Company may be doing the same. Assassin’s Creed Jade is apparently now the start of an initiative from Tencent to be more selective with the games it develops.
One notable adaptation of another company’s IP is Tencent developing a mobile version of Elden Ring. Tencent owns a chunk of Elden Ring’s new owner FromSoftware, but it will still be handing over a portion of the proceeds to fellow co-owners Sony and Kadokawa Corporation.
Is Assassin’s Creed Jade canceled?
Assassin’s Creed Jade has not been canceled, but it is set to be prioritized by its developers such that its release date is pushed back considerably. This may be concerning for those who were excited for the game given Tencent’s larger pivot, but there’s no shortage of Assassin’s Creed content coming.
Alongside its wildly unpopular generative AI-based NPC program, Ubisoft also has the long-awaited Assassin’s Creed Codename Red in the works. The game is seemingly set to have a large cross-media marketing push behind it before release.
Ubisoft is also consolidating Assassin’s Creed games into a singular hub; Assassin’s Creed Infinity. This will create a single program to launch a number of titles from, with various add-ons to encourage players to revisit the series’ back catalog.
