One of the game that was revealed to be in development last year, as part of the Assassin’s Creed Spotlight in the September Ubisoft Forward was Codename Jade. The game is set in China and for the first time ever, lets players decide who their character is, by letting them choose gender and then their looks from skin colour to hair and beyond. Oh and the game is being built from the ground up for mobile devices.

Last year the game hosted an alpha event, you may have seen some footage leak online from it but the team have not slowed down as they have announced that pre-registrations for the next phase of testing are open today. Scheduled to take place later in Winter, those invited to participate will get the chance to provide feedback on the game, to help ensure that what is being provided is authentically Assassin’s Creed. But that is in the future, where does the game sit today?

Not that it is super important, but the game is being built on Unreal Engine, while the number was not confirmed, UE4 is the most likely suspect. Something else the team have confirmed is that they are working very closely on the controls of the game, as the series has always been played with physical inputs like a controller. Moving to mobile devices means that the team have to replicate the functions on a screen, but also ensure that they deliver the same response, so when players are executing that assassination, nothing gets in the way. While they have not detail features, like the folks behind The Division Resurgence have, the comments seem to indicate they have set a high bar for themselves.

As for the setting, we know that it takes place in China, but the when is just as important as where and for this game it is set in the aftermath of the Warring States period. This is when the Qin Dynasty was established, as far as the Assassin’s Creed timeline goes, the game is set after the events of Assassin’s Creed Origins and before Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. This time period is also when construction of The Great Wall of China began construction, but the Qin Dynasty also established international trade routes as well. Your character will be a newcomer to the world of Assassinations, but your master will apparently be someone that players know, but for those hoping for Shao Jun, you are about 1,700 years to early. The players character will also be able to access the Way of the Xia and using the skills, will be able to explore the world beyond the Great Wall and inside of it.

The game is still very much in development, so there is no release date yet, but with more hands on sessions planned, as long as you register you could experience the Xia. From what I have seen the game looks to be an authentic Assassin’s Creed experience and if they can make sure the controls are accurate, then this could be another game in the Assassin’s Creed world, I am happy to lose myself in.