Its just insane to me, its like the company can't get out of its own way. The same with Skull and Bones. All we wanted was more Black Flag, just removed the Assasins part, but all you had to do was make more of that game! instead you went and made this stupid MMO that no one asked for. All we wanted was Assasins Creed with a Ninja/Japan theme. And instead you went and made this tank anti-assasin character that again, no one asked for, its a net negative to your game, but for some reason you just wont give your fans what they ask for. What the fuck is wrong with your creative leads UBI? Are they so far up their own ass and agendas they can't just make the thing everyone wants and has asked for?
I think their hiring practices are part of the issue:
In an appearance at the External Development Summit 2024 (XDS24), Assassin’s Creed Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Côté said:
One of the things that I’ve noticed since the pandemic is that we have a lot of juniors in our teams. Probably half the team that’s building Assassin’s Creed is building a game for the first time.
Source.
There were a lot of issues highlighted in the videos we've seen of the game - technical problems, architecture which doesn't make sense (Chinese architecture in feudal Japan, building where the stairs didn't connect to the door, etc.), out of season plants and crops, etc. So, we've seen lack of technical know-how, polish, and research so far. But, even more than that, why did they hire so many inexperienced people? I refuse to believe the most qualified people got the jobs when that many have no experience shipping a completed game.
Then there's this shitty attitude from one of the higher-ups - woe is me, gamers are toxic, and extreme virtue signalling all rolled into a very unappealing response to criticism.
Basically, I don't think giving fans what they want is a priority at all. Rot at the top and a slew of inexperienced people, plus a combative attitude towards their paying customers, makes it seem like that's the case.