Ubisoft workers have raised considerations across the firm’s partnership with Saudi Arabia to create new Murderer’s Creed Mirage DLC, a recent report has revealed.
The upcoming content material was first reported on again in January by a French monetary newspaper, Les Echoes, which said that the DLC had acquired funding from Saudi Arabia’s controversial Public Funding Fund (PIF). Ubisoft didn’t reply to me when requested for touch upon that report on the time.
Months later, Ubisoft quietly introduced the DLC itself in late August, in a social media submit despatched out early one Saturday morning. The temporary reveal confirmed that the add-on would see Mirage hero Basim visiting AlUla, an historical website that is now one among Saudi Arabia’s cultural highlights.
In an inner Q&A shared with Ubisoft employees and printed by GameFile, an worker requested if administration believed partnering with Saudi Arabia, particularly following the killing and dismemberment of Washington Put up journalist Jamal Khashoggi, would tarnish the corporate’s picture.
Administration responded by addressing the truth that Guillemot had lately visited Saudi Arabia as a part of a delegation alongside French president Emmanual Macron, however dismissed this as a “traditional diplomatic device for increasing France’s affect and attain around the globe” that will assist disseminate the nation’s values.
As for the origins of the DLC, the administration response to the question merely said Ubisoft did “not touch upon rumors.”
Murderer’s Creed Mirage gamers, now we have a shock coming your manner later this 12 months!
📖 New story chapter & missions set in ninth century AlUla🎮 Gameplay enhancements for the bottom sport and the brand new location🎁 All free of charge
Keep tuned! pic.twitter.com/8CjB3MRvfR
— Murderer’s Creed (@assassinscreed) August 23, 2025
Ubisoft administration additionally tried to attract a distinction between the nation’s chief and chairman of the PIF, Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and the PIF itself. “The latter’s cash just isn’t MBS’s, and speaking with companions who don’t share our democratic values doesn’t imply abandoning them,” the corporate’s response reads.
GameFile studies that Guillemot visited Saudi Arabia once more final month to talk on the New International Sport Convention and announce Mirage’s AlUla DLC on the occasion (one thing which additionally explains the weird timing of the information being made public on the identical time, albeit with no point out of Guillemot’s speech).
“We’re working with AlUla, which is a UNESCO website, which isn’t identified but very a lot,” Guillemote mentioned, saying the DLC on the Saudi occasion. “However we’re creating content material that might be given free of charge to gamers that play Mirage, and they’re going to be capable to go in that website.
“As you’ll be able to see, they’ll be capable to play there, to have a narrative on this setting. I’m certain they’ll love this area, simply additionally as a result of it has been accomplished with specialists [of] archaeology, actually those who know what occurred then and why it was so vital.”
IGN lately requested Ubisoft for extra element on the matter and was instructed that, as with each Murderer’s Creed sport, it had inventive management on the proposed content material. This title replace to Murderer’s Creed Mirage was “made potential due to the assist of native and worldwide organisations,” Ubisoft added, “by way of entry to consultants, historians and assets to make sure the creation of an genuine and correct setting.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You may attain Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
