Ubisoft’s franchise is expanding, but not quite in the way you’d expect. Although the latest installment also gets extra content — as is customary for the French publisher — the company has now announced that 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage will receive a significant surprise DLC before the end of the year, plus a completely free update.
Ubisoft officially confirmed that the 2023 release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage will get a surprise DLC this year, completely free of charge. Details are still scarce, but the publisher revealed the expansion will feature a brand-new story chapter and missions set in a different location from the medieval Baghdad of the base game. This is especially surprising given that Mirage was the first Assassin’s Creed title since 2015’s Syndicate to be confined to a single city.
The new zone is Al-Ula, an oasis city in present-day Saudi Arabia, inhabited since 5000 BCE. The Nabataeans left behind monumental, rock-carved structures here, reminiscent of the more famous Petra in Jordan. With its cliffs and tombs, it’s an ideal setting for climbing and exploration. The inclusion of such a complete, open-world region feels like a full expansion pack — which makes it all the more surprising that it’s free. Even more so considering that Assassin’s Creed Shadows, released earlier this year, received strong reviews and sales.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage players, we have a surprise coming your way later this year!
📖 New story chapter & missions set in 9th century AlUla
🎮 Gameplay improvements for the base game and the new location
🎁 All for freeStay tuned! pic.twitter.com/8CjB3MRvfR
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) August 23, 2025
Perhaps this DLC was initially meant to be a paid expansion, but its long development time and the massive success of Shadows pushed Ubisoft to offer it as a goodwill gesture. Interest in Mirage purchases and free DLC after Assassin’s Creed Shadows may even surpass the revenue Ubisoft could have earned by selling the DLC separately. In other words, while the company might lose money giving away the Mirage DLC, the heightened interest in Shadows could offset the loss.
The real question is whether this move will be enough to improve Ubisoft’s troubled situation. Perhaps not by much.
Source: PCGamer
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