Assassin’s Creed Rogue is a PS3 exclusive in Japan

During a recent live-stream event on Nico Nico, Ubisoft Japan Managing Director Steve Miller, Marketing Manager Yoshitaka Tsuji, and PR Specialist Ranko Fukui had revealed Assassin’s Creed Rogue is actually a PlayStation 3 exclusive title in the Land of the Rising Sun. The sole reason why Assassin’s Creed Rogue title is skipping the Xbox 360 in Japan is because 360 games simply don’t sell. Seeing Watch Dogs’ sale-numbers on said platform laying between 3,000 and 4,000 units, in addition to Microsoft fans transitioning to the Xbox One, it’s pretty clear why the French publisher decided to just skip said platform altogether.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue takes place in the mid-18th century during the Seven Years’ War, and follows Shay Patrick Cormac, an assassin-turned-templar. Shay is eventually betrayed and abandoned by the assassins after an assignment ends in disaster, and so turns to the templar order, offering his services as an assassin-hunter. Given access to near-limitless resources, Shay sets out to exact his revenge, with his actions having dire consequences for the future of the brotherhood. Gameplay in Assassin’s Creed Rogue will be similar to that of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, with a mixture of ship-based naval exploration and third-person land-based exploration. Additionally, familiar characters like Assassin’s Creed III’s Achilles Davenport or Haytham Kenway will also make a return.

For combat, Assassin’s Creed Rogue introduces an air-rifle, which allows the player to silently take out enemies at a distance. The air-rifle can be outfitted with a variety of different projectiles, such as firecrackers. The player can also use a grenade launcher, which fires off shrapnel-grenades and other loads. Enemy assassins feature archetypes similar to previous games, using skills that players have been using since the original game; they can hide in bushes, blend in with crowds, and perform air-attacks against the player.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue launches on November 11th in North America and November 13th in all PAL regions, on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A PC version has also recently been announced, and it’s scheduled for an early 2015 release.