Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Release Date, Rumors, And News

Assassins Creed fans have had a couple of years since the 2018 entry into the series, Odyssey, hit the shelves, and in that time there have been plenty of rumors circulating regarding the new Assassins Creed. Now though, those rumors can all be put away with the reveal of Assassins Creed Valhalla.

Luckily, Ubisoft have revealed more than just a trailer, letting us know more about the different gameplay elements and choices that are going to shape the title, and exactly how Assassins Creed Valhalla is going to differ from the other games in the series.

Assassins Creed Valhalla Release Date

So far the game has only just received its official cinematic reveal trailer, which touted the game for release in the ‘Holiday’ period of 2020 – so whilst we don’t have an exact date for the game’s release, we do know that it should be out around the end of November this year.

Another interesting fact about Assassins Creed Valhalla is that it won’t only be available on PC, Stadia, Xbox One and PS4, but that it has been announced as a next-gen game, meaning that it will be available to play on both PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X

Assassins Creed Valhalla Trailer

So far only one trailer has been revealed for Assassins Creed Valhalla (if you don’t count the visual teaser done by Bosslogic), in which viewers can enjoy an introduction to the main character of the new game, Eivor, as well as a bloody battle between the invading Viking forces and King Aelfred of Wessex’s forces in England.

From the cinematic trailer it looks like players are in for more of a traditional Assassins Creed experience with Valhalla, especially with the re-emergence of the hidden blade in the trailer. AC fans won’t be surprised that they only have a cinematic trailer to enjoy at the moment – but if rumors are to be believed then we could be seeing Assassins Creed Valhalla being played on the Xbox Series X in May, as part of an official Xbox demo of new games on their brand new console.

Assassins Creed Valhalla Gameplay

So far not a lot has been revealed about the actual gameplay of Assassins Creed Valhalla in visual form, though some information has been shared by Ubisoft regarding what players can expect in the game.

Playing as Eivor, you will be taking on the role of a Norwegian Viking who takes part in frequent raids on the coasts of England.

It looks like Ubisoft are leaning into the RPG elements of the game heavily again, with players able to choose the sex of their character as they did in Odyssey and play through the game as their chosen gender.

Ubisoft also talk about how Valhalla will see players establishing and expanding a homestead inside the borders of England itself – with players themselves building and upgrading different buildings like barracks, lodgings, tattoo parlours, blacksmiths and farms as the game progresses.

Establishing these settlements isn’t going to be all down to combat either. Ubisoft have been very vocal about letting players know that they can establish political allegiances and talk their way in and out of several situations in order to expand their Viking stronghold on the shores of England.

That’s not to say combat isn’t important though. This is Assassins Creed after all, and Ubisoft have made it clear that they overhauled their combat system, even allowing for dismemberment physics and other visceral combat elements into the game for the first time, reflecting the vicious nature of the Vikings.

Combat will be playing a big role amongst some of the other additions into Assassins Creed Valhalla – namely raiding. Ubisoft has implemented a player-led raiding mechanic that will allow the player to plunder enemy territories for the resources that they need to survive, in true Viking style.

Ubisoft have also revealed more information about the types of weapons that players can expect to be using in Valhalla, with swords, axes, and shields all up for use (and usable in dual-wielding style). And of course, there is the re-introduction of the hidden blade as a weapon.

The hidden blade brings us back to the more traditional aspects of Assassins Creed gameplay, with Valhalla returning to the traditional wrist-mounted blade being used for stealthy takedowns in otherwise overwhelming situations. Right now, its hard to see how the era spanning story of the Assassins and Templars is going to tie into the narrative of the game, given that all we know so far of the story itself is that Eivor is leading the Vikings from Norway into England to establish peaceful new lives in a land with plentiful resources. An interesting take on the Viking invasion, but it will be fun to see how this plays out in the wider Assassins Creed narrative and modern-day plot.

Supernatural elements were also teased in the cinematic trailer for Assassins Creed Valhalla, with a shadowy figure proclaimed to be Odin appearing in the heat of the battle. After the appearance of mythological creatures and figures in the likes of Assassins Creed Odyssey, it will be a lot of fun to see exactly what Viking myths and legends appear in the game.

Also, notably, the trailer didn’t include the appearance of an eagle; a common symbol of the Assassin Creed franchise. Instead, a raven appears, possibly hinting that a lot of the player abilities will be linked to the Viking myths of the time – notably that ravens were Odin’s eyes on the earth.