While Assassin’s Creed fans are understandably concerned about Mirage’s business model, upcoming ESRB adjustments make such worries seem unwarranted.

The next mainstream chapter in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, was just shown off at a showcase, and it looks like it’s going back to the stealthy game’s origins. Partially due to its rumoured gambling elements, it is the first Assassin’s Creed game with an Adults Only 18+ age rating.

The ESRB, the US government’s official media age rating organisation, has rated the game M for Mature, indicating “the player can gamble, including betting or wagering real cash or money,” as one Reddit user noticed on the game’s Xbox shop. That’s in contrast to “simulated gambling,” in which gamers can wager virtual currency but never risk real money.

Show your hand

Fans on Reddit and ResetEra (opens in new tab) are already worried about the potential in-game revenue schemes in Mirage based on the description. Games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Rainbow Six Extraction are just a couple examples of how Ubisoft has used supplementary monetization mechanisms.

The complaints, however, regarding the gaming mechanisms in Mirage, appear to be partly unwarranted. The Xbox store page may lead you to believe otherwise, however Mirage is not yet rated by the ESRB and is therefore not included in their database. The Adults Only classification for a game scheduled for release in 2023 is very certainly only a placeholder rating until the real one can be determined. A brief teaser clip posted on the game’s official Instagram page indicates that the ESRB classification is still pending, however this warning isn’t always displayed.

Some Assassin’s Creed players are worried that gambling may be integrated into the game through treasure boxes, although this is unlikely to be the case. All games featuring “any purchases with any randomised components, including loot boxes, gacha games, item or card packs, reward wheels, treasure chests, and more” are considered to have “in-game transactions” as of 2020, according to the ESRB. The first score for Mirage doesn’t have such designation.

Considering the M rating given to previous games in the Assassin’s Creed series, this seems to be the most likely classification for Mirage. Video game companies typically release titles with the lowest feasible age rating in an effort to appeal to the largest potential audience. Even Grand Theft Auto V, with its excessive bloodshed, was not restricted to the Mature audience. Thus, at the present time, gambling is not something you can count on seeing at Mirage.

Subtly charming pop culture geek. Amateur analyst. Freelance tv buff. Coffee lover