Assassin's Creed Animus Hub could be a nightmare for Xbox achievements

23 Nov 2024, 12:00 · TrueAchievements

Assassin's Creed Animus Hub could be a nightmare for Xbox achievements

Ubisoft's Animus Hub launcher for future Assassin's Creed games could be bad news for those interested in hunting Xbox achievements.

Opinion by Sean Carey

Published 23 Nov 2024

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Xbox Series X|SOpinionSean Carey
I despise Call of Duty HQ, and I'm worried that Ubisoft (like Activision) could use the launcher-style Animus Hub to treat future Assassin's Creed games and their Xbox achievements as DLC packs. I really hope the Assassin's Creed Shadows achievements don't end up as a part of a convoluted new launcher system alongside other achievement lists for new entries when it comes to playing the latest Assassin's Creed games in order — it would be the wrong move.

Ubisoft, please don't copy Activision's Call of Duty HQ with the Animus Hub

With 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Activision rolled out Call of Duty HQ, its dedicated CoD launcher that is widely disliked by both ardent Call of Duty fans and achievement and trophy hunters. To play Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III, Black Ops 6, or Warzone, you now have to enter Call of Duty HQ, find the specific game you want to play, and then load that up.

Just let me launch the game I want directly, Activision. Why do I have to go into a separate application to get to the game I want to play? Going through this process would only be a mild annoyance if HQ didn't require an online connection, constant updates, and numerous frustrating restarts.

However, the most egregious thing Activision has done with HQ is combining the Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III, and Black Ops 6 Xbox achievement lists into one mega list. Instead of having individual lists for each game, we now have a massive list of achievements that requires purchasing and beating all three games if you want the completion.

Of course, when a new Call of Duty is released (there are three things certain in life: death, taxes, and a new CoD each year), you have to then complete that game's achievement list to keep your nice and shiny 100%. PlayStation players seemingly have it worse, though. As the launcher can only have one platinum trophy attached to it, both Modern Warfare III and Black Ops 6 on PS5 have launched without platinums.

I worry that Ubisoft will copy Activision's Call of Duty HQ with its upcoming Animus Hub. Back in 2022, Ubisoft announced the Animus Hub (then called Assassin's Creed Infinity), which Ubisoft's Marc-Alexis Côté has described as the "single entry point for our fans into the Assassin's Creed franchise."

Releasing alongside Assassin's Creed Shadows, the Animus Hub will serve as a launcher for Shadows and all future Assassin's Creed games, including Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe. While details about the Animus Hub are still thin on the ground, currently, it all sounds very Call of Duty HQ-ish.

It's possible that Ubisoft will take a different direction with the Animus Hub and launch all of its games with nice, neat individual achievement lists for each game. However, with so many developers treating Xbox achievements and PlayStation trophies as an afterthought these days, I suspect that won't be the case, and we'll end up with an Assassin's Creed Animus Hub mega list, which would be a huge shame.

For more on the next entry into the Assassin's Creed franchise, check out everything we know about Assassin's Creed Shadows. What are your thoughts on the upcoming Animus Hub? Let us know down in the comments.
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Written by Sean Carey
A big fan of Xbox achievements, Sean has committed to playing as many of the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters on and off Xbox Game Pass as possible. Before joining TrueAchievements, Sean earned a degree in journalism from Solent University.