The KKK slaying Assassin’s Creed we will never get
The sixth issue of Letter to a Gamer is features more stories than usual, given the multitude of interesting stuff that happened this week. Additionally, the Telegram group (join here) is now open to all subscribers, to create an even larger and more active community and jointly shape the future of this newsletter. As I do every week, I reiterate my thanks to my subscribers, whose contributions allow me to continue this project. Those who choose to support the newsletter financially not only get access to the full version (with the review of Digimon Story Time Stranger, tips of the week, and an in-depth analysis of the new Xbox Game Pass pricing), but also support independent journalism that remains ad-free, sponsor-free, and AI-free.
News index
+ The KKK slpaying Assassin's Creed we'll never have
- Kingmakers has been delayed
+ Funcom has closed the Metal Hellsinger studio
- Marathon will have a new technical test
+ Avalanche closes its Liverpool studio
- Cloverpit has sold half a million copies
Game File just published an investigation that likely flew under your radar. The website reports on an ambitious new chapter in the Assassin's Creed saga that was canceled last July due to the political climate inflaming the United States at the moment. The protagonist was supposed to be a freed black slave who, after the American Civil War, returns to the South to fight the Ku Klux Klan during the turbulent "Reconstruction" period.
Five current and former Ubisoft employees mostly gave two reasons for the cancellation: the controversy surrounding Yasuke, the real-life black samurai who co-stars in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and the discourse the American far right is waging on black history and inclusion in America.
My hope is that the concept has simply been shelved awaiting more favorable times and not abandoned entirely, not only because that period of history is still understudied and under-discussed (even in the US), but also because examining the generational traumas that arose after the American Civil War is crucial to understanding America today and its role on the international stage.
Kingmakers has been postponed – Remember that game where a guy teleports to a medieval battlefield in his pickup truck and starts shooting at armored knights with an AK-47? Unfortunately, it's been postponed, but the Kingmakers developers are ambitious, and they'll soon release a half-hour deep dive detailing this title's many (crazy) features.
Funcom has closed the Metal Hellsinger studio - The Outsiders is no more, the latest victim of swarm of closures that shows no signs of slowing down. Parent company Funcom shut down the developers of Metal Hellsinger (one of the best rhythm games of the last ten years), despite the awards and the million copies sold in the months immediately following its launch. All 60 employees of the studio (which had been working for over 10 years) were laid off, and the news surprised even founder David Goldfarb, who wrote on social media that he was "so proud of his team's work after the studio's near-death experience years earlier when Darkborn (the project from which Metal Hellsinger was born) was canceled."
Marathon will have a new technical test – This time, Bungie can't afford to make mistakes, which is why Marathon's new technical test is under NDA, has a very limited duration, and does not include invitations of any kind. The good news is that the features most requested by the community will be the focus of this test: proximity chat, solo queue, and a new less battle royale-style gameplay. You can apply to participate at this link, where there's a questionnaire to fill out.
Avalanche is closing its Liverpool studio – The developers of the Just Cause series and the underrated 2015 Mad Max video game are significantly reducing their workforce, closing their Liverpool studio (opened in 2020) and significantly downsizing their offices in Stockholm and Malmo. This is most likely due to Microsoft's cancellation of Contraband, a cooperative title announced in 2021. Last year, the company had already closed its studios in Montreal and New York, as the current situation is far from rosy.
CloverPit has sold half a million copies – Developed by two Italians, CloverPit is a 30-hour game about prison, slot machines, debt, and bad guys. Its secret sauce is transforming the random nature of a slot machine into a core gameplay element, making every narrative twist unexpected, if at times frustrating. The game has a free demo and is on sale on Steam.
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See you at the next letter,
Riccardo "Tropic" Lichene