A strange AO+ rating and description appeared for Mirage
Ubisoft officially revealed Assassin’s Creed Mirage, its next installment in the franchise, over the weekend at Ubisoft Forward. But now it’s clearing up the details on a still-pending ESRB rating for Mirage.
Users spotted that Assassin’s Creed Mirage appeared on the Microsoft Store with an Adults Only 18+, or AO, rating. It previously showed an AO rating, for “Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Partial Nudity, Real Gambling.” As of this writing, it has since moved to an RP, or Rating Pending, designation.
That AO rating also appeared on a VOD of the Ubisoft Forward livestream. In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, the publisher says the rating is a mistake.
“Following the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Mirage during Ubisoft Forward, some store pages mistakenly displayed the game for preorders with an Adults Only ESRB rating and are being fixed,” said the publisher.
Ubisoft also addressed the real gambling notion in particular, as it might surface worries of gambling, loot boxes, or other odds-based rewards.
“While Assassin’s Creed Mirage is still pending rating, Ubisoft wants to reassure players that no real gambling or lootboxes are present in the game,” Ubisoft told GIbiz.
A ratings mirage
It’s still curious why an AO rating popped up on the stream, but it seems to be a miscommunication all around.
The weekend’s Forward saw a bunch of Assassin’s Creed news roll out. The publisher has laid out its plans ahead for Assassin’s Creed Infinity, including project titles like Codename Red and Hexe.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage, meanwhile, follows the origin of Basim from Valhalla. It’s a bit of a return to the series roots, it seems, with the plot headed to ninth century Baghdad. It’s due to arrive in 2023.
Ubisoft has also been addressing issues stemming from allegations that arose in 2020. The publisher says it has been improving its culture, though A Better Ubisoft, a group founded by current former employees, say there’s more to be done.
