Ubisoft workers have raised concerns with company management about a deal with Saudi Arabia to create a free DLC for Assassin’s Creed Mirage set in the country, according to a new report.
Announced with little fanfare – at least, as far as add-ons for pretty prominent games are concerned – on a Saturday morning last month, the free DLC is set to add a new story chapter set in 9th century AlUla later this year. AlUla is an ancient oasis city and governorate in Saudi Arabia, though Ubisoft’s announcement post didn’t mention the country by name.
As detailed in this report from Game File, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced the DLC alongside the online reveal during a speech in Riyadh at a conference put on in conjunction with the Esports World Cup, which the Saudi government are funding.
According to an internal Ubisoft Q&A, which Game File’s Stephen Totilo has published as part of his report, workers at the publisher have demanded answers from management about this partnership with Saudi Arabia. The question from a staffer about the issue specifically cited the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, asking whether Ubisoft execs believed an association with the authoritarian Saudi state could have a negative effect on the company’s image.
While they’ve publicly told IGN that they have creative control over what goes into this DLC, Ubisoft reportedly wouldn’t tell staff anything about how it came to be, simply stating that they don’t comment on “rumours”. They did however, make a distinction between the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund and Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman, the latter being the Public Investment Fund’s chairman and the person who allegedly ordered Khashoggi’s assassination. “The [PIF]’s money is not MBS’s, and talking with partners who do not share our democratic values does not mean abandoning them,” Ubisoft management told workers.
The company also defended Guillemot having travelled to Saudi Arabia in late 2024 alongside French president Emmanuel Macron to meet with Saudi politicians. That was just a “classic diplomatic tool for expanding France’s influence and reach around the world”, according to Ubisoft.
The reported partnership with Ubisoft over Mirage DLC – released at no charge, as is often the case for sizeable add-ons boasting not just new missions, but a totally fresh location to explore – is far from the only gaming-related investment the Saudi government and their associates have made in recent years. Just last week, PIF-backed “giga project” Qiddiya bought co-ownership of fighting game tournament Evo.
