It seems that the country’s investment fund plays an important role in covering up affairs in Saudi Arabia.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory, a major free update to Ubisoft’s game, was officially announced with a teaser video ahead of its full reveal later today. According to the teaser’s description, the full reveal will take place at 6 p.m. CET tonight. We’ll either share more details about the DLC later today or tomorrow.

First announced by Ubisoft in August, the Valley of Memory DLC will be set in the ancient Arabian city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia. It will feature a new story chapter, new missions, and various gameplay improvements. The DLC was reportedly created thanks to an agreement between Ubisoft and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). The PIF is part of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to diversify the oil-rich country’s revenue streams and improve its global image. However, Saudi Arabia has been heavily criticized for its human rights abuses and blamed for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Last week, the PIF participated in a three-way bid to take Electronic Arts private for $55 billion. If the deal is approved, the U.S. gaming giant will be saddled with $20 billion in debt by 2027, which may involve selling off several studios. Among them will almost certainly be BioWare, where employees have no choice but to work with their heads down on the new Mass Effect.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory was leaked eight months ago by j0nathan and Les Echos. This occurred due to an agreement between Yves Guillemot (Ubisoft’s CEO) and Savvy Games (Saudi Arabia’s gaming investment arm). However, this has created a strange situation: it is not the latest Assassin’s Creed (Shadows) that is receiving an update, but rather the previous installment.

Source: Eurogamer, Reddit