Ubisoft's AAA New IP Is "Multiplayer-Centric," But Also Has Single-Player

The mysterious new AAA IP that Ubisoft announced during its earnings briefing this month will be "multiplayer-centric," though it will also have a single-player mode. Ubisoft chief financial officer Alain Martinez offered the tease as part of Ubisoft's Investor Day briefing.

After Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot dodged a question about it ("We prefer you to wait a little bit," he said), Martinez chimed in to offer some broad strokes about what form the game would take.

"It is multiplayer-centric, so clearly, it is following the path of For Honor, Ghost Recon, and Rainbow Six," he said. "So it is going to be strongly multiplayer-centric, with a strong solo side also."

His comments came in response to an analyst's question about what studio was working on the game, what genre it would be, and if it would offer multiplayer. While Martinez answered the last portion of the question, it remains to be seen which studio is working on the game and what genre it may fall into.

Ubisoft has said it will discuss this game in greater detail during its next earnings briefing in May, if not earlier. That would presumably set it up to be showcased at E3 2016 the following month, though this is not confirmed.

When Ubisoft announced the new IP, it described the game as "high-potential" and one that would have a "strong digital live service," which could mean a number of different things.

The game is slated to launch during Ubisoft's upcoming fiscal 2016-17, which begins April 1, 2016 and ends March 31, 2017.

In addition to the new IP, Ubisoft is planning to release another new franchise, swordfighting game For Honor, during the upcoming fiscal year. Other games coming out during that window include South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Ghost Recon Wildlands, and the recently confirmed Watch Dogs 2.

Also during Ubisoft's Investor Day meeting, the company explained that when the Assassin's Creed series returns, it may not do so on yearly basis.