With Assassin’s Creed set to gracefully swan dive into movie theaters this winter, one might assume Ubisoft, creator of the game franchise, is excited to be associated with what might possibly be the first video-game-to-film adaptation that doesn’t stink. Or, failing that, the company would embrace box-office profits as moviegoers line up to watch Michael Fassbender in a hoodie stabbing insufferable fat cats from across history.
But those assumptions are challenged by comments made by Ubisoft to MCV last week. “We are not going to earn a lot of money from [Assassin’s Creed]; it is a lot more [of] a marketing thing,” said Ubisoft’s European head Alain Corre. “What we would like is to put this franchise in front of a lot more people who, maybe, will then pick up future Assassin’s Creed games.”
It’s easy to interpret Corre’s statements as a cynical red flag that the movie is nothing more than another lousy attempt to cash in on a recognized franchise. So, after what presumably involved a chain of angry phone calls between Ubisoft, New Regency, and 20th Century Fox, Ubisoft reached out to clarify Corre’s comments:
Ubisoft’s core vision is to create top quality entertainment and experiences. For the Assassin’s Creed film, we have worked closely with our partners at New Regency and 20th Century Fox as well as the talented cast and production team from the very beginning to ensure we deliver a quality experience to ours fans. We strongly believe the Assassin’s Creed brand has this cross-over appeal that will please both video games fans and moviegoers.