Ubisoft has released Assassin’s Creed Mirage and players are in front of one of the biggest news ever. The upcoming DLC ‘Valley of Memory,’ which is to be launched on November 18, will come free of charge to everyone who already owns the base game. The new content is available to players on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and even Amazon Luna. In addition to that, there will be a group of players, which is always finished, that will be able to earn new achievements and trophies as well. It’s a nice deal to have an update like that for free.
The question arises is what precisely is the Valley of Memory? Ubisoft has not directly mentioned it, however, it does seem that players are going to be taken to AlUla, a very historically rich area in Saudi Arabia. The official tweet even had a camel emoji, which indicates that we would be enjoying a lot of fun in a desert setting. This is part of the larger deal of Ubisoft with the Royal Commission for AlUla that is taking the cultural heritage of the area to the world. Would it not be a nice way to learn some history while shooting the enemies?
The overall response from the community was… well, it was not uniform to say the least. Some players were thrilled. For example, JonasLicar1 was literally yelling “new trophies YEEEAAHHHHHH,” which is more or less the definition of the trophy hunter mentality. Another player, SultanPSN, thanked for new achievements, saying “Thank you for including more trophies and achievements for us🫵🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️”. Part of the player base no doubt finds it a big deal to have new things to unlock.
On the contrary, there are some who are not too happy about it. There is always a section of the community that is not satisfied and either wants more or thinks of something different. Several users immediately started asking about other platforms. User Tmac93x simply put the question “No IOS release?” while haveacoke was more interested in both macOS and iOS/iPadOS versions. There is mckeenziiee asking “Please bring it to Nintendo Switch 2” – showing that when there are many platforms the person feels always left out.
The launch of the DLC is tactically timed considering the timeline. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the current title and the gamers are already looking forward to the next one, Assassin’s Creed Shadows which takes place in Japan. User welter_117 made this observation right away when he interrogated “Are you guys considering adding this park our to Shadows? Ya know your newer game? Hopefully you support Shadows with more DLC.” It’s a valid question – why is the DLC for Mirage when Shadows is the latest attraction?
And then there is the discussion of Basim’s future storyline. User TheDemiGabriel expressed his wish for the continuation of Basim’s story and specifically requested “a video game, not a comic”🫠. Another user, YooHoodY_Games, tagged Ubisoft Montreal directly and questioned about Basim’s fate after Valhalla. This gives the impression that players are still attached to the character and are curious about his future although Mirage was a back-to-basics move.
In terms of quality, the players have very high expectations. User alexanton0 responded to another comment “I expected the dlc to have full mocap, for 3 hours of story and Saudi Arabia money there is no excuse to not have it”. That’s a… um,… a rather specific expectation indeed. It indicates that players have been monitoring the manpower behind such projects and have set certain standards for what they consider to be quality even in the case of free content.
Debate on what an Assassin’s Creed should be, is still going on. User deyyluvvme6 lamented in a complaining tone: “stop making AC a rpg. especially a one that does not make sense in the timeline nor the story (shadows) stop the bs. make AC great again. 🤦🏾♂️”. This issue between the old-school stealth lovers and the RPG fans just does not seem to lessen.
The tech-related questions arose once more, because they always do. User joelcadieu wanted to know about the support for PS5 Pro and specified “the latest version of PSSR or a VRR option to unlock the frame rate”. On the other hand, TheBigOneZero99 wanted to know if the DLC would be integrated into the main storyline “like how phantom liberty in cyberpunk was”. These are not casual questions – the players are thinking carefully through how the new content will fit in with the game.
One thing to note, in particular, is that this free DLC strategy appears to be a win-win for Ubisoft. The company has not only engaged the current player base but also kept it satisfied while attracting new players who might have been hesitant before through the non-payment option. And new trophies added? That’s just clever – it gives the hardcore community a reason to come back and play the game and possibly increase the player numbers.
November 18th will allow people to acknowledge and get ready for the event. User OddWorld_00 was already installing PS4 and PS5 versions both to pre-load before the DLC arrived, citing slow internet as the reason. Meanwhile, JohnBar64697504 expressed the impatience that many are feeling: “I can’t wait almost 40 days when it looks so good”. The hype is certainly there, even though the waiting period seems to be long.
In a larger perspective, this free DLC strategy appears to be Ubisoft’s way of learning from their past mistakes. Remember how they used to release a paid DLC that would cut the community into two? This method of keeping people together and making them happy with little things is a thing of the past now. By adding the new achievements, they also cater to those who have 100% completed the base game, thus making their return inevitable. It’s just good business practice, actually.
The cultural aspect should also be taken into account. Partnering once again with the Royal Commission for AlUla signifies that Ubisoft is committed to presenting historical accuracy and cultural representation. The same has been done with Origins and Egypt and Valhalla and Norse culture. It is fast becoming a characteristic of the modern-day Assassin’s Creed experience – not just an entertainment source, but education as well.
As November 18th draws near, so will the longing for content that lives up to the promise. New land travelers, stories to be told, and completionists with their new virtual checkboxes. This free DLC can be regarded as a big thank you to the fans of the returning roots concept of the game, which was previously marketed as a return to the roots.
