Ubisoft Belgrade has a new creed – about the creation of Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Until now, Ubisoft Belgrade has had the opportunity to work on the company’s important titles, Riders Republic and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, as well as on the upcoming game Skull and Bones. But it is especially important for them that they contributed to the development of the thirteenth big installment in the Assassin’s Creed series – Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

From October 5 in Assassin’s Creed Mirage you can become Basim, the most versatile assassin in the history of the franchise. It’s parkour time in Middle Eastern cities so – as Bebi Dol would say – forget about European time!

But! If playing this great title isn’t enough for you and you want to take a look behind the scenes and hear first-hand how the game was created – we got you covered! We spoke with Milica Todorović (Associate Producer), Predrag Nešković (Associate Lead UI Artist) and Filip Radovanović (Lead Programmer), so – voila!

SGA: We believe our community would love to take a peek into Ubisoft’s workshop. Can you tell us a little about who makes up your team and what a typical day at Ubisoft looks like?

Milica: A team working on a game is generally made up of different job families: developers, artists, designers, testers, managers, and everyone is equally important to make the game we’re making the best it can be. Our day can look completely different depending on what part of the production cycle we are currently in. It can be more oriented to the creative things, or to the production itself, to polishing or debugging…

Predrag: From a UI artist’s perspective, a typical day at Ubisoft usually involves creating visuals, integrating them, and debugging/polish. Of course, depending on the milestone, the type and scope of work may vary. In addition, there is also constant collaboration with designers, developers, dev testers and other team members to ensure that the UI is functional, attractive and matches the art style of the game.

SGA: What games have you worked on so far? What lessons did they teach you?

Milica: Until now I worked on Riders Republic and Assassin’s Creed Mirage. These are very different games, so the lessons are different, too, but in both I learned what it means to make a truly AAA game with such an amount of ambition, passion and talent that it’s hard to describe.

Predrag: I also worked on those two games. Both allowed me to develop in the areas of UI and leadership and gain a deeper understanding of the video game industry. I learned how to deal with technical challenges, work in a team environment and how to satisfy the demands of two quite different target groups of players.

Philip: I worked on Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Riders Republic, Skull and Bones and Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. One thing that working on these games has taught me is that making video games is a difficult and complex process both technically and organizationally. The thought of the number of people from different professions and from different parts of the world involved in making a single AAA game can be intimidating but it also makes this job one of the most creative and interesting. Every day, every new challenge, every new encounter is a new interesting experience. 😊

SGA: And now a little about Assassin’s Creed Mirage! What aspects of the game was the Belgrade studio in charge of? What challenges did you face working on this game?

Milica: The Belgrade team worked on many different parts of the game and that’s something we’re really proud of, that you can see “the work of our hands” throughout the game. Perhaps the biggest challenges were conveying the nostalgic feeling of returning to the roots of the franchise and doing it in the right way so that long-time fans recognize what we wanted and new ones enjoy it just as much whether they played the first installments or not. I think we completely succeeded in that, but only time will tell.

SGA: What were some of the creative requests for UI art that the Belgrade team had to fulfill while working on Assassin’s Creed Mirage? Do you feel like you leveled up as a team after this project?

Predrag: Given that the entire UI team previously worked on Riders Republic, which is a totally different type of game and therefore has a far different UI style, the initial challenge was getting used to the new way of working and getting to know the art direction. Our team worked together with the UI artists from the co-dev studios on the menu pages and parts of the HUD, coming up with functionalities and trying to maintain consistency in the appearance of related UI elements (buttons, banners, sliders, and visual effects). Also, the team had to focus on the visual and cultural elements of the oriental world to create an authentic and “atmospheric” UI befitting it. I think that working on a large and complex project like Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a great opportunity for team development in the AAA industry, which is clearly manifested through the significant improvement of our team and the willingness to accept new and bigger challenges!

SGA: How does it generally feel to be working on a game that will be played by hordes of people? Has the gaming experience changed for you now that you were part of the development team?

Milica: The feeling is still quite unreal, considering that this game has been on my bucket list since I was a child, and I think that the feeling that we really released an Assassin’s Creed game from the Belgrade studio will subside only after some time. As a longtime fan, the experience of AC is only heightened for me, and I’m an even bigger fan now that I’ve seen the amount of love and care that goes into making the game.

Filip: As Milica said, the feeling is always unreal. Also, the thought that a huge number of people will use something in which you spent not only time and work but also invested yourself creatively is beautiful and extremely motivating. Add to that the game and the franchise that was one of my main motivators for entering the gaming industry in the first place – it’s hard to find words to describe that level of satisfaction. 😊

SGA: May we ask what are the next video games that the Belgrade studio will work on?

Milica: All we can say for now is that we continue to work on the Assassin’s Creed brand. 😃

SGA: Thank you so much for the replies, as well as the new Assassin’s Creed title!