Ubisoft quietly killed an unannounced Assassin’s Creed game set in post-Civil War America, according to a new report. The project was canceled last year before it could be formally revealed.
The game would have taken place during the Reconstruction era, the turbulent period from 1865 to 1877 when the United States attempted to rebuild after the Civil War. This setting would have been brand new territory for the franchise, placing players in an era defined by intense political conflict, the rise of white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, and the fight for civil rights for formerly enslaved Black Americans.
According to reports, Ubisoft Quebec led development with game director Scott Phillips at the helm. Phillips previously directed Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and worked on Syndicate, making him a veteran of the franchise’s approach to historical settings.
The cancellation leaves players wondering what could have been. Community reactions have been mixed between excitement for the setting’s potential and skepticism about whether Ubisoft would have handled such sensitive material appropriately. The Reconstruction era offers rich thematic ground—federal crackdowns on paramilitary violence, battles over voting rights, and rapidly changing social structures—but it’s also deeply politicized American history.
Comment
byu/AkryllyK from discussion
inassassinscreed
Assassin’s Creed has visited American soil before. AC3 centered on the Revolutionary War through Native protagonist Connor. Liberation featured Aveline de Grandpré in New Orleans and touched on slavery in colonial society. Freedom Cry, a standalone expansion for AC4, directly confronted slavery by starring Adewale as he fought to free enslaved people in the Caribbean.
A Reconstruction-era game would have continued that tradition while potentially going further. The historical moment offers obvious narrative hooks for the series’ Assassins versus Templars conflict. Freedmen’s Bureau operations, contested state governments, and organized violence against Black voters could all slot into AC’s conspiracy-driven storytelling.
But the setting also presents challenges. The South’s architecture during this period was less dense than the European cities AC typically favors for parkour traversal. The era’s rural character might have clashed with the franchise’s mechanical identity—a problem Rockstar solved differently with Red Dead Redemption 2, which takes place in 1899 and embraces open frontier design.
Ubisoft has not publicly commented on the report. The company has faced scrutiny before over how it handles politics in its games, often claiming its titles aren’t political even when depicting real-world conflicts. That tension between historical authenticity and commercial risk may have played a role in the cancellation, though no official reason has been given.
