Did Saudi Arabia pay Ubisoft for Assassin's Creed new Al-Ula content?

Staff at video game publisher Ubisoft have raised concerns with management about a reported deal with Saudi Arabia linked to new content for the Assassin’s Creed Mirage game, according to reports by Game File and Rock Paper Shotgun.

The debate centres on free downloadable content announced in August, which will add a new chapter set in ninth-century Al-Ula, an ancient oasis city in Saudi Arabia. The expansion was revealed quietly on a Saturday morning, with Ubisoft’s announcement post making no mention of Saudi Arabia.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot unveiled the content in Riyadh during the New Global Sport Conference, held in conjunction with the Saudi-funded Esports World Cup, Rock Paper Shotgun reported.

According to Game File’s Stephen Totilo, employees had previously pressed management about alleged Saudi ties following reports that Guillemot and other executives joined French President Emmanuel Macron on a 2024 trip to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and senior Saudi officials.

In an internal Q&A published by Game File, a staff representative from Ubisoft’s Social and Economic Committee (CSE) asked whether “seeking a contract with a person accused of crimes against humanity for ordering the assassination (including his dismemberment and dissolution in acid) of a journalist, could contribute to the Ubi-bashing the company is currently suffering?”

He was referring to the horrific 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which the US government says was directly approved by Mohammed bin Salman.

Ubisoft management reportedly replied: “Yves Guillemot’s participation in the President of the Republic’s trip, as CEO of a renowned French company in the field of culture and technology, is a contribution by Ubisoft to the development of France’s soft power. We do not comment on rumours.”

They also told staff that Guillemot’s Saudi visit was a “classic diplomatic tool for expanding France’s influence and reach around the world”, Rock Paper Shotgun reported.

According to both outlets, Ubisoft sought to distinguish between Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns the Savvy Games Group.

Management said: "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’s Social and Economic Committee dismissed this stance as "naive" and noted that management did not address how such associations might affect the company’s image, Game File reported.

In January 2025, French daily Les Echos reported that Ubisoft had struck a partnership with Savvy Games Group involving Assassin’s Creed Mirage, despite developers stating in 2024 that the game had been "designed as a standalone experience without any DLC plans", according to Rock Paper Shotgun.

Ubisoft has not confirmed a financial deal with Savvy or Saudi Arabia. When asked directly whether Mirage’s new Al-Ula content was funded by the PIF, a Ubisoft spokesperson told Game File: "This title update to Assassin’s Creed Mirage was made possible thanks to the support of local and international organisations, through access to experts, historians, and resources to ensure the creation of an authentic and accurate setting."

The same statement was provided to GamesIndustry.biz. Ubisoft declined to comment further.

The reports come amid Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in global gaming. The PIF has backed Savvy Games Group and the Qiddiya "giga project", which recently bought co-ownership of the Evo fighting game tournament, Rock Paper Shotgun noted.

The New Arab has reached out to Ubisoft for clarification but has received no reply by the time of publication.