I've been following Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed since day one—literally. From my early days competing in Unreal Tournament arenas to founding DealNest and tracking every single AC launch since Altair first climbed those Middle Eastern rooftops in 2007, I've seen it all. And honestly? The numbers are painting a picture I wish I could ignore.
The One-Point-Per-Year Problem
Here's the thing that keeps me up at night: Assassin's Creed II scored an impressive 89 back in 2010. Fast forward to Valhalla in 2022, and we're looking at 69. Shadows just landed at 76 in 2025. When you plot these 14 mainline entries on a timeline, the pattern is impossible to miss—we're losing roughly one DealNest point per year. What does that mean for 2027? If this trend continues, we're staring down a sub-70 average. For a franchise that once defined open-world gaming, that's a tough pill to swallow.
The data speaks for itself. I've tracked every launch, every score, every community reaction. This isn't a sudden crash—it's a slow, steady erosion. The Ezio trilogy peaked between 2010 and 2011, and we haven't come close to those heights since. The franchise ceiling has dropped 12 points from its glory days, and even the "good" recent entries like Mirage and Shadows are stuck at 76.
The RPG Era: Bigger Isn't Always Better
Let me walk you through what I call the RPG experiment. Origins dropped in 2017 and genuinely revived the formula—it earned an 85, and I remember thinking, "Okay, Ubisoft figured it out." Then Odyssey came along in 2018, went even bigger with Greek mythology and branching narratives, and slipped to 78. Not terrible, but the trajectory was already tilting downward.
Then came Valhalla in 2022. Can a game be too big? Apparently yes. This Viking saga packed 100+ hours of content and scored 69—the lowest of any mainline AC entry. I spent weeks in that game, and while the individual moments were often brilliant, the sheer weight of it all became exhausting. Players felt it too.
| Game | Year | DealNest Score | Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origins | 2017 | 85 | Fresh RPG reboot |
| Odyssey | 2018 | 78 | Bigger scale |
| Valhalla | 2022 | 69 | 100+ hour bloat |
| Mirage | 2023 | 76 | Back to basics |
| Shadows | 2025 | 76 | Focused experience |
Mirage (2023) tried to course-correct by stripping away the bloat and going back to stealth-focused gameplay. It hit 76. Shadows (2025) maintained that focus and... also hit 76. Here's the painful reality: even when Ubisoft does everything right by modern standards, the best they can manage is a score that their 2011 games beat by 12 points. What changed? Was the gaming landscape, our expectations, or the franchise itself?
What the Future Holds (And It's Not Pretty)
Look, I don't enjoy being the bearer of bad news, but if this trend holds—and 14 data points suggest it will—the next mainline Assassin's Creed is projected to land somewhere between 68 and 74 on the DealNest scale. Whether that's Black Flag Resynced launching in July 2026 or the next RPG entry after that, the math is unforgiving.
This pattern isn't unique to AC, by the way. We flagged this same issue earlier this year in our Indies Outclass AAA analysis: big-budget franchises are bleeding user satisfaction while smaller, focused titles are climbing the charts. It's not that Assassin's Creed is broken—it's that the franchise is running out of room to impress in an era where players have seen everything.
The Silver Lining: Time Travel Is Cheap
Here's where I get to share some genuinely good news: the best Assassin's Creed games are more accessible than ever. Black Flag (88) and Brotherhood (88)—the two highest-rated entries in the entire franchise—are available at deep discounts through verified CD key storefronts. I'm talking about grabbing both of these masterpieces for less than Shadows costs at full Steam price.
🎮 Smart buying strategy:
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Brotherhood (88) – Classic Ezio conclusion
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Black Flag (88) – Peak pirate adventure
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AC II (89) – Where the legend began
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Revelations (87) – Underrated gem
And if you're curious about the RPG-era entries, Buy Assassin's Creed Valhalla CD Key is currently at an all-time low of just $3.08 (95% off) on DealNest.
All of these are available for a fraction of their original cost, and honestly? They hold up remarkably well. If you're new to the franchise or looking to recapture that early magic, raiding the back catalogue is your best move right now.
The Black Flag Resynced Question
Ubisoft Montreal is rebuilding Edward Kenway's Caribbean adventure from the ground up with a modern engine, overhauled visuals, and refined ship combat. Pre-order keys are already being tracked, and the release is set for July 9, 2026. Should you pre-order or grab the original?
Here's my honest take: the original Black Flag scored 88. If Resynced follows the current trend, it might land in the low-to-mid 70s despite being a ground-up remake. That doesn't mean it will be a bad game—just that expectations and standards have shifted. The original is available right now for pennies on the dollar, runs beautifully on modern hardware, and offers that peak-era AC experience everyone remembers.
What This Really Means
I've watched this franchise since the beginning—professionally and personally. The regression isn't about Ubisoft suddenly forgetting how to make games. It's about exhaustion: franchise exhaustion, formula exhaustion, and player exhaustion. When you've been climbing towers and assassinating templars for nearly 20 years, even the most refined version of that experience struggles to generate the same excitement.
The uncomfortable truth? Sometimes the best way forward is backward. The data suggests that right now, the golden age of Assassin's Creed exists in the past, available at budget prices, waiting for new players to discover what made this franchise legendary in the first place.
And honestly? 😔 That both breaks my heart and makes perfect sense. The games that defined the franchise are still there, still playable, still brilliant. Maybe that's enough.
