Assassin’s Creed 3 breaks Ubisoft pre-order record

Assassin's Creed 3 is officially the most pre-ordered game in Ubisoft history, the company announced today. Pre-orders for AC3 have more than doubled those of last year's Assassin's Creed Revelations, the previous pre-order record holder. That's good news for Ubisoft who earlier this year mentioned the idea of annualizing the popular franchise.

“Pre-orders for Assassin’s Creed 3 at GameStop are nearly 100% higher than last year, putting the game on track to be one of the top titles of 2012,” said GameStop president Tony Bartel. “In addition, Ubisoft is offering high quality DLC available at launch to bring even more excitement to this title.” 

“Assassin’s Creed 3 is one of the most anticipated games of the year and this impressive pre-order mark is just a hint of the game’s potential,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales & marketing, Ubisoft. “When players discover the new features, historical period, characters and gaming experience that the development team has worked so hard to create, we’re confident that they will agree that this is the biggest, best Assassin’s Creed game yet.” 

Assassin's Creed 3 is the latest installment in the franchise, which has already sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. It introduces a brand new protagonist, Connor, as he fights for liberty against ruthless tyranny in Colonial America during the American Revolution. Ubisoft has also dropped major hints that this game could be the conclusion of Desmond Miles' story arc.

Assassin's Creed 3 will be supported by multiple add-on packs which players can get through the Assassin's Creed 3 Season Pass. One of the announced add-ons was "The Tyranny of King Washington", an all-new single player campaign that tells the fictional story  of the events following the American Revolution in an alternate history. It will be told through three episodic content packs. In addition, new multiplayer maps and characters will be available through DLC.

The Assassin's Creed 3 Season Pass will be available for 2400 Microsoft Points ($29.99) on Xbox 360 and PS3. Those who have the Season Pass will have access to the first DLC pack one week before others. All Assassin's Creed 3 DLC will be available on the Wii U when the game releases for Nintendo's new console on November 18, 2012.