“AC Unity Director: The Future of AAA Games Depends on Smaller Teams”

Alexandre Amancio, the creative mind behind Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed Revelations, has openly expressed his views on the current state of AAA game development, declaring it flawed. Now serving as a senior vice president at FunPlus after his departure from Ubisoft, Amancio advocates for smaller development teams as the future of AAA gaming. He shared his thoughts with an outlet, stating that many AAA studios mistakenly believe that simply adding more people can resolve issues. In his experience, this often leads to inefficiencies, creating unnecessary complications rather than solutions. He believes that the path forward lies in more streamlined teams.

To illustrate his point, Amancio referenced the naval system in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag as a prime example of how smaller teams can effectively contribute to larger projects. He explained that such a feature could be handed off to a co-development studio, allowing them the freedom to innovate while ensuring that the integration with the main game remains intact. He emphasized that “constraints are the secret behind any good art,” whether they are real or imposed. These limitations can drive creativity, pushing developers to explore beyond their initial ideas, which often leads to greater mastery and excellence in their work.

While Ubisoft has not yet revealed the next installment in the Assassin’s Creed series, the cast for the upcoming Netflix adaptation is starting to take shape. There are also rumors of a remake of Black Flag, tentatively titled Resynced, alongside a mobile game named Assassin’s Creed Jade, and projects like Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe and a multiplayer experience possibly called Assassin’s Creed Invictus.