Ubisoft announced the latest game in its hit franchise, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, over the weekend. Taking place in 9th century Iraq, you play as Basim Ibn Ishaq, previously seen in Valhalla. Billed as a tighter and more narrative-driven entry in the series, all was going swimmingly. That is, until the game was rated as Adults Only on the Xbox Store. However, Ubisoft has come out to say this was all one big mistake.
Ubisoft Confirms Assassin’s Creed Mirage Will Not Be Adults Only
When preorders first went live for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the game was erroneously listed as Adults Only. This is an incredibly rare age rating within the games industry. It severely limits any game’s reach, since most major retailers will refuse to place it on shelves. On top of that, the big three console manufacturers in Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft can reserve the right to take down any AO games from their storefronts.
This could’ve been the case for the new release, as things first appeared. The game’s Xbox Store listing the following reasons: “Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Partial Nudity, Real Gambling.” All seem fairly innocuous, aside from the gambling. The ESRB takes a hard stance on games that let players gamble with real cash, which is where the problem arises.
However, in a statement provided to Eurogamer, Ubisoft confirmed that this was all a mistake. The developer cleared up that Assassin’s Creed Mirage won’t contain any form of gambling or loot boxes. As such, it’s likely only a matter of time until the rating changes to its expected M certificate.
The initial rating came as a massive surprise, given how rare AO games are. Big-name titles like Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had to edit out content to avoid an AO and reach an M rating. The Assassin’s Creed franchise has never been one to court controversy, meaning an M rating for Mirage is likely imminent.
