According to DualShockers, Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe is shaping up to be a more grounded take on witchcraft than fans might have expected from a game literally named after the German word for witch. Think less Hogwarts Express, more historically accurate herbalist-who-the-village-is-definitely-suspicious-of energy.
Reports suggest Hexe will treat its supernatural elements with a realistic lens - meaning no flashy spell-slinging or arcane particle effects ripped from a Dragon Age fever dream. Instead, the game is reportedly leaning into the fear, superstition, and folklore surrounding witchcraft during its historical setting, keeping things atmospheric rather than openly fantastical.
A 'return to basics' speedrun after Shadows' rough patch
DualShockers frames this as something of a course correction for the franchise, describing Hexe as a potential 'return to basics' following the much-publicized struggles of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Ubisoft's flagship RPG had a notoriously turbulent pre-launch run - controversy speedrun any% - so it makes sense that the next entry would want to dial things back and focus on tighter, more grounded design.
Setting Hexe during the witch trials era of early modern Europe is already a fascinating move on paper. Placing the player inside one of history's most paranoid and brutal moral panics is prime Assassin's Creed territory - secretive orders, power corrupting institutions, and desperate people caught in the middle. The grounded witchcraft approach could make the atmosphere hit way harder than if the protagonist was lobbing fireballs every five minutes.
What this means for the franchise's lore buffs
Long-time fans of the series will know that Assassin's Creed has always had a complicated relationship with its supernatural elements - from the Pieces of Eden to the outright godhood of Valhalla's late-game content. Pulling back on that front could be a genuinely bold move, or it could just be Ubisoft correctly reading the room after years of RPG bloat.
Either way, Hexe remains one of the more intriguing entries in Ubisoft's pipeline. A slow-burn, historically grounded witch-hunt thriller sounds like an absolute banger of a setting - assuming they don't bury it under 400 side quests and a battle pass for wizard hats.
No official release window has been confirmed for Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe. We are, as always, waiting on Ubisoft to respawn.
