Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe release date, setting, story, and everything we know
Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe is probably the most mysterious and intriguing of all the Assassin’s Creed projects that Ubisoft has in the works right now – among a strong field, too.
Developed by Ubisoft Montreal – the team behind Valhalla – and with a tiny
amount of information to go on – just one short trailer – it’s still one that’s very much worth keeping an eye on. Especially if you have an interest in witches and the occult. As one of the many upcoming games from Ubisoft, there’s a huge amount of speculation regarding the release of Hexe, and we’ve pulled together what we can to help inform us all of what it could look like.
We reckon that the Assassin’s Creed Hexe release date will bring with it an experience never seen before in the Assassin’s Creed series, and with a lot of players already speculating themes and settings; there’s a high chance it could become one of the best Assassin’s Creed games to date even though it’s still shrouded in darkness and mystery. Here’s everything we know so far.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe – cut to the chase
What is it? An upcoming addition to the Assassin’s Creed game series When can I play it? TBA What can I play it on? TBA Who makes it? Ubisoft (specifically Ubisoft Montreal)
Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe release date and platforms
In news that will shock no one, we are yet to receive a concrete Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe release date, but with other games in the series like the imminent Assassin’s Creed Mirage coming, and then Codename Red and Codename Jade still in development, we are leaning more toward a late 2024, possibly 2025, release window if you were to push us. There’s a lot going on within Assassin’s Creed on a larger scale right now, and with a lot of exciting projects in the works timescales and release dates are very much speculative and subject to change right now.
Even though we don’t have a release date in mind, we do know that the next wave of Assassin’s Creed titles, including Hexe and Red, will be a step into current-gen exclusivity, as stated by series Vice President Marc Alexis-Cote. So, we expect Hexe to be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, but feature no cross-generation availability.
Given how highly anticipated this release is even with minimal information available, we expect Hexe to quickly rise to become one of the best Xbox Series X games and one of the best PS5 games once released.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe trailers
Similarly to Assassin’s Creed Codename Red, we’ve received just one trailer for Codename Hexe, and it’s pretty short. The thirty-second reveal trailer introduces us to a shadowy, spooky woodland before the camera pans through tree branches and lands on what looks like a talisman over a fire that takes the classic form of the Assassin’s Creed logo. Although the trailer doesn’t offer us a release date or any information about the platforms the game will be available on, there’s still a little more to dissect.
At first, the logo made out of sticks and twine doesn’t look too out of the ordinary, but the end card places the same structure on an inverted pentacle, which is traditionally used in relation to the occult. An alphabet surrounds the symbol, and letters within the pentacle also offer clues about the game which might be missed unless you can figure out the translation.
Fortunately, you don’t have to do said translation yourself, as many eager-eyed players have already started dissecting any clues embedded within the trailer. As explained by community stalwarts Access the Animus in a detailed YouTube video, the exterior of the symbol translates from the alphabet of the Magi directly to German, and states “Wir arbaiten im dem twnckel um dem licht zu dienen” which when translated to English, says “we work in the night to serve the light”. As said by Ezio in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, that has since become a ‘catchphrase’ of the series.
But this isn’t the only information to dissect. In the center of the symbol, the same alphabet can be used to broadly translate the interior sections. In the exterior ring, the word “Mephisto” is spelled out, which is a demon from German folklore, followed by “Rache” meaning ‘avenge’, and “Hwsa” meaning ‘house’ or ‘family’. When put together, the phrase “Mephisto avenge the house/family” is what we are left with, heavily leaning toward Hexe being themed around Germanic mythology and the occult.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe story and setting
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Following on from the information that can be drawn from the reveal trailer, we can start to piece together some information about the story, theme, and setting of Hexe. The first major clue is within the codename title, Hexe, (Hek-sa) which simply translates to ‘Witch’ in German. This alone has been enough to lead a lot of players to believe that the setting of the game will be Germany between the early-1620s and the mid-1630s, and paired with the translation from the end of the reveal trailer, there are more than enough clues to suggest the setting will be Germany.
Due to its speculated setting and the dark imagery of the trailer, alongside the use of the alphabet of the Magi, we expect the story of the game to revolve heavily around the Witch Trials held by the Holy Roman Empire within this time period. The setting, trials, and a healthy dose of the occult and mystery – and magic? – could create a fairly dark experience in comparison to other Assassin’s Creed games.
Marc-Alexis Cote has stated that Hexe will be “a very different type of Assassin’s Creed game.” But what exactly this means is incredibly open for interpretation right now – though we do know it’ll be the next ‘flagship’ in the series and is being developed by the team behind Valhalla as such. A lot of fans expect the occult aspects to present a more thriller or horror take on the franchise, and depending on how this is implemented, there’s a chance Hexe and its new take could fall among even the best horror games if it wishes to stray from the traditional formulae of Assassin’s Creed.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe gameplay
Even though we can dissect the reveal trailer to find clues about the story and setting of the game, how exactly it plays out still remains largely a big mystery. Although we expect the standard stealth and infiltration alongside intricate combat of Assassin’s Creed games to continue in some form, there are a few things worth noting about the game which could shake up the traditional AC formula.
In an interview with IGN, Cote states that Hexe “will not be an RPG” in an attempt to “bring more diversity to the places we choose to visit and to how we choose to represent those periods.” So, we know for sure that the game will not play in a similar way to Assassins’s Creed Valhalla, Odyssey, or Origins. But the genre and length of Hexe still remain a mystery. With RPG elements stripped out, there are a lot of potential routes the game could take, which leads us to believe that a more survival horror adventure game could be likely – if it also doesn’t follow the old-school stealth routes the Mirage is bringing back, too.
Unusually, we also haven’t seen the assassin or protagonist for the game – not even an outline or silhouette. With the game being potentially set within the witch trials of the Holy Roman Emperor, taking the role of someone being trialed or hunted would be an incredibly interesting take on the game.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe news
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Assassin’s Creed Hexe will leave a “lasting mark on the franchise” according to a LinkedIn post
According to a LinkedIn post shared by Ubisoft Motreal’s Talent Acquisition Specialist, Yara Tabbara, Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe will “leave a lasting mark on the franchise.” The details of what this means for the game are unknown and we still have a huge amount to learn, including a genre, concrete setting, and release date, but it’s still exciting enough to know that Hexe could shake up Assassin’s Creed as we know it.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe announced as part of Ubisoft Forward 2022
The first trailer for Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe was shown at Ubisoft Forward 2022, offering a look at a shadowed woodland and an all-new look for the logo, before placing it on a pentacle and ending the trailer. With such an extreme lack of information to go off, the trailer leaves the door open to interpretation for players, and there’s a lot of speculation already circulating about what this game will offer and how it will separate itself from the traditional franchise.
If you’re looking to know more about future Assassin’s Creed, we’ve got information on the Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR release date, alongside everything you need to know about the Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade release date.
