I can’t stand Call of Duty HQ, and I’m genuinely concerned that Ubisoft might follow Activision’s footsteps by using a launcher-style system, like the Animus Hub, to handle future Assassin’s Creed games and their achievements as mere DLC packs. The idea of merging the achievement list for Assassin’s Creed Shadows with future titles in a tangled new launcher system just doesn’t sit right with me; it would be an unfortunate misstep.
In 2023, with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Activision introduced Call of Duty HQ, a dedicated launcher that’s managed to frustrate even the most die-hard Call of Duty fans along with achievement and trophy hunters. Now, if you want to dive into Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III, Black Ops 6, or Warzone, you have to go through Call of Duty HQ, select your desired game, and launch it from there.
Activision, please, just let me start the game I want without all the hassle. Instead of a straightforward process, we’re funneled into this separate application before we can even start playing. It might be bearable if HQ didn’t demand an internet connection, frequent updates, and all those irritating restarts.
But the worst thing Activision has done with HQ is lumping the Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III, and Black Ops 6 Xbox achievement lists into one enormous list. This shift means that to fully complete the list, you need to purchase and finish all three games. Every year, much like death and taxes, there’s a new Call of Duty, and keeping your achievement list at 100% means tackling the latest release’s list as well. PlayStation users have it even tougher. Due to the launcher only supporting one platinum trophy, both Modern Warfare III and Black Ops 6 on PS5 launched without individual platinums.
Now, looking at Ubisoft, I’m apprehensive about their potential move to mimic Activision’s Call of Duty HQ with the Animus Hub. Announced back in 2022 and initially known as Assassin’s Creed Infinity, Ubisoft’s Marc-Alexis Côté referred to it as the “single entry point for our fans into the Assassin’s Creed franchise.”
Set to roll out alongside Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the Animus Hub is designed to serve as the gateway for Shadows and all future Assassin’s Creed installments, including Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe. While details about the Animus Hub are still sparse, it certainly bears a strong resemblance to Call of Duty HQ.
There’s still hope that Ubisoft might adopt a different strategy with the Animus Hub and offer clean, separate achievement lists for each game. Sadly, with the current trend of developers sidelining Xbox achievements and PlayStation trophies, I fear we’ll be facing another grand, combined list in the Assassin’s Creed Animus Hub. That would be a real pity.
To get a deeper dive into what’s next for the Assassin’s Creed series, check out the latest on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. And of course, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the upcoming Animus Hub down in the comments!
