Ubisoft has detailed its new Animus Hub feature, which is expected to launch inside Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The new platform will be built inside Shadows and future Assassin’s Creed titles and act as a seamless point of entry to the game itself, lore around the series, daily challenges, and a dedicated cosmetic store.
The developer was clear that the Animus Hub is not a standalone app. Instead, users will engage with the platform when launching Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It aims to immerse players in an Animus environment while exploring the so-called “hacked” Dark Animus and modern-day themes.
The hub seems simple enough. Daily quests will let players complete objectives in Shadows (and hopefully other games) in order to earn a currency that can be used to purchase cool-looking rewards. These rewards are for Shadows. Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed integrated rewards for previous games.
While this whole experience seems to have potential, it is a bit difficult to imagine what it would be like with other games without any examples of linking to previous entries. Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed if past Assassin’s Creed games before Shadows will benefit from daily quests and cosmetic purchases.
The developer did say that players can launch into other games using the hub. However, these games only include Origins and games released after that. But to launch Assassin’s Creed Shadows just to click on a menu to launch Assassin’s Creed Valhalla seems like a runaround.
This is similar to how Activision handles Call of Duty. Players have to launch the latest COD in order to find Warzone or previous games and then launch into them. The whole process takes way too long.
Ubisoft says it will share more information on the Animus Hub closer to the launch of Shadows. The game is expected to release on 20 March. We recently went hands-on with the game and put together a full deep dive gameplay video here.
- 1. THE HUB IS AVAILABLE ON ALL VERSIONS OF ASSASSIN’S CREED SHADOWS.
The Animus Hub will launch on all versions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows (PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S, Ubisoft+, Amazon Luna, Windows PC, and Mac). - 2. THE HUB IS NOT A STAND-ALONE LAUNCHER.
The Animus Hub is fully integrated into Assassin’s Creed Shadows; it is not a stand-alone launcher and there are currently no plans to make it stand-alone. - 3. YOU CAN ACCESS YOUR PERIOD 2 TITLES VIA THE HUB.
The Animus Hub can launch Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins if they are owned/installed on your system. If you own physical versions of those games, you will be prompted to insert the disc prior to launching the game. - 4. PERIOD 1 TITLES ARE NOT CURRENTLY SUPPORTED IN THE HUB.
The Animus Hub does not currently support titles released prior to Assassin’s Creed Origins. The Hub will continue to evolve going forward, with new features and content rolling out in the months and years to come. - 5. HUB MISSIONS ARE PLAYABLE IN ASSASSIN’S CREED SHADOWS.
At launch, the Anomalies found within the Projects feature exist and are playable only in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. They can also be accessed directly from your Target Board within the game. - 6. MODERN DAY CONTENT CAN BE FOUND IN THE HUB AND IN-GAME.
Content contained within the Vault is only one part of the new Modern Day story. Some Modern Day content can be discovered in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and will be developed further as the Hub evolves. - 7. KEYS CAN ONLY BE EARNED BY PLAYING THE GAME.
Animus Keys cannot be purchased with real world currency. Keys must be earned by completing Anomalies within the Projects feature. - 8. ALL REWARDS IN THE HUB ARE FREE.
All rewards available in the Animus Hub will be entirely free and unlocked simply by playing missions in the game. Players will also have access to regular content updates and new missions at no extra cost. - 9. THE HUB WORKS OFFLINE, BUT IS BETTER WHEN CONNECTED.
The Memories feature of the Animus Hub is always available offline, but an internet connection will be required to access any live features like Projects, the Exchange, and the Vault. - 10. LAUNCHING THE ANIMUS HUB IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF OUR JOURNEY.
The team has ambitious plans for the Animus Hub and hopes to create new opportunities to tie together the Assassin’s Creed universe, our Modern Day story, and your favorite Assassin’s Creed games. Launching within Assassin’s Creed Shadows is merely the first step of a long journey together. The Hub will continue to evolve and grow with new features, new content, and new rewards rolling out in the months and years to come.
