Ubisoft Anvil (until 2009 known as Scimitar and between 2012 and 2020 as AnvilNext) is a

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games which generally includes relevant libraries and support programs such as a level editor. The "engine" terminology is akin to the term " software engine" u ...

created by

Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft Divertissements Inc., doing business as Ubisoft Montreal, is a Canadian video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Montreal. The studio was founded in April 1997 as part of Ubisoft's growth into worldwide markets, with subs ...

and used in the ''

Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is a historical fiction, historical action-adventure video game series and media franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil (game engine), Anvil and its m ...

'' video game series as well as other

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

games. The engine is used on

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...

and Stadia. Ubisoft Anvil is one of the primary game engines used by Ubisoft along with

Disrupt Disrupt was an American crust punk band from Lynn, Massachusetts, that was active from 1987 to 1993. History The band's initial lineup was Jay Stiles and Pete Kamarinos (vocals), Chris Drake (guitar), Harry Haralabatos (drums), Tony Leone ...

, Dunia, and

Snowdrop ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family (biology), family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leav ...

History

The engine was originally known as Scimitar. Creative Director of Ubisoft Montreal

Patrice Désilets Patrice Désilets (born 9 May 1974) is a Canadian game designer best known for creating the ''Assassin's Creed'' series. He served as creative director for ''Assassin's Creed'', '' Assassin's Creed II'', and '' Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''. He ...

said the engine was written from the ground up for ''

'' in 2007. The engine uses

Autodesk Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software corporation that provides software products and services for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, education, and entertainment industries. Autodesk is headquarte ...

's HumanIK middleware to correctly position the character's hands and feet in climbing and pushing animations at run-time. Anvil was improved for ''

Assassin's Creed II ''Assassin's Creed II'' is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the second major installment in the Assassin's Creed, ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and the sequel to 2007's ''Assassin's Creed ...

'' to include a full night and day cycle, enhanced draw distance, the same vegetation technology used in ''

Far Cry 2 ''Far Cry 2'' is a 2008 first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A top-down shooter version for mobile phones was developed and published by Gameloft. It is ...

'', improved lighting, reflection and special effects, new cloth system, and a new AI and NPC navigation system. '' Assassin's Creed: Lineage'' short films made by Hybride Technologies (a

post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...

VFX Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...

studio acquired by Ubisoft) and Ubisoft Digital Arts used assets from Anvil to recreate the environment in which the live actors are filmed. '' Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' and select versions of '' Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands'' run on an improved revision of Anvil. '' Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' in 2011 was the last game to have been developed on the first generation Anvil. In 2012 an updated version was released called AnvilNext, which was developed for ''

Assassin's Creed III ''Assassin's Creed III'' is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and a direct sequel to 2011's '' Assassin's Creed Revelations' ...

'' and beyond, featuring a number of enhancements. AnvilNext features global illumination and support for a new weather system, which allows for specific weather settings as well as an automatically cycling mode as seen in '' Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag''. The renderer was rewritten for higher efficiency and support for additional post-processing techniques, enabling up to 2,000 non-playable characters to be rendered in real time (compared to the few hundreds in the previous Anvil engine). AnvilNext adds technology from ''

Far Cry 3 ''Far Cry 3'' is a 2012 first-person shooter game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the third main installment in the '' Far Cry'' series after ''Far Cry 2''. The game takes place on the fictional Rook Islands, a t ...

'' wherein loading screens have been removed when transitioning from travelling on land to navigating the seas. ''

Assassin's Creed Rogue ''Assassin's Creed Rogue'' is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Sofia and published by Ubisoft. It is the seventh major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and is set alongside 2012's '' Assassin's Creed III'' and af ...

'' in 2014 was the last game to use AnvilNext. AnvilNext 2.0 made its debut in 2014 with ''

Assassin's Creed Unity ''Assassin's Creed Unity'' is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released in November 2014 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, and in December 2020 for Stadia. It is the eighth majo ...

''. AnvilNext 2.0 is capable of generating structures in a flexible and automatic manner while following specific design rules and templates, which reduces the amount of time and manual effort required for artists and designers to create an intricate urban environment. Specific landmarks, such as the

Notre Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

, are still designed by hand but now could be rendered at an almost 1:1 ratio to its real-life counterpart. AnvilNext 2.0 also features improved AI for non-playable characters. The engine was rebuilt from the ground up for the game. After ''Assassin's Creed Unity'' was released with multiple technical issues at launch, Ubisoft made fixes and improved the engine for ''

Assassin's Creed Syndicate ''Assassin's Creed Syndicate'' is a 2015 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It was released on October 23, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on November 19, 2015, for Windows. It is the ninth maj ...

''. AnvilNext 2.0 would be further refined for ''

Assassin's Creed Origins ''Assassin's Creed Origins'' is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the tenth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series and the successor to ''Assassin's Creed Syndicate'' (20 ...

'' and ''

Assassin's Creed Odyssey ''Assassin's Creed Odyssey'' is a 2018 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It is the eleventh major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series and the successor to ''Assassin's Creed Origins'' (2 ...

''. Aside from the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, AnvilNext 2.0 would be used for other Ubisoft games including ''

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege'' is a 2015 tactical shooter game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. The game puts heavy emphasis on environmental destruction and cooperation between players. Each player assumes control o ...

'', ''

For Honor ''For Honor'' is a Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) action game developed and published by Ubisoft. The game allows players to play the roles of historical forms of soldiers and warriors such as knights, samurai, and vikings, controlled u ...

'', ''

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands ''Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands'' is a Third-person shooter, third-person tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Milan, and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide on March 7, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, ...

'', and ''

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint ''Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint'' is an online tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Paris and published by Ubisoft. The game was released worldwide on 4 October 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, and on 18 December ...

''. Beginning with ''

Assassin's Creed Valhalla ''Assassin's Creed Valhalla'' is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the twelfth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and the successor to 2018's ''Assassin's Creed Odyss ...

'' in 2020, the engine was rebranded as Ubisoft Anvil. Ubisoft Anvil would also be used for '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake'', ''

Immortals Fenyx Rising ''Immortals Fenyx Rising'' is a 2020 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. ''Immor ...

'', and ''

Assassin's Creed Mirage ''Assassin's Creed Mirage'' is a 2023 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Bordeaux and published by Ubisoft. The game is the thirteenth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series and the successor to ''Assassin's Creed Valhalla' ...

''. Ubisoft announced they will continue to upscale and develop the engine. An upgraded Anvil engine version is used for ''

Assassin's Creed Shadows ''Assassin's Creed Shadows'' is a 2025 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. The game is the fourteenth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series and the successor to '' Assassin's Creed Mirage'' ...

'', enhancing lighting, introducing breakable props, and implementing a new seasonal system which progresses through time.

Features

The engine received a variety of significant upgrades, including advanced

global illumination Global illumination (GI), or indirect illumination, is a group of algorithms used in 3D computer graphics that are meant to add more realistic lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aest ...

reflection mapping In computer graphics, reflection mapping or environment mapping is an efficient image-based lighting technique for approximating the appearance of a reflective surface by means of a precomputed texture. The texture is used to store the image o ...

volumetric lighting Volumetric lighting, also known as "God rays", is a technique used in 3D computer graphics to add lighting effects to a rendered scene. It allows the viewer to see beams of light shining across the environment. Examples of volumetric lighting ...

, dynamic weather, and dynamic foliage. For ''Assassin's Creed Unity'' there has been a similar upgrade, advanced control mechanics with

physically based rendering Physically based rendering (PBR) is a computer graphics approach that seeks to render images in a way that models the lights and surfaces with optics in the real world. It is often referred to as "Physically Based Lighting" or "Physically Based ...

(PBR) being the stand-out addition, enabling materials, objects and surfaces to look and react more realistically to lighting, shading and shadowing. Furthermore, the global illumination system is now more realistic with the addition of volumetric technology, physics-led objects react more realistically, and cloth behaves in a realistic manner on the protagonist, in the environment, and on other characters. The world now supports larger landmasses, more objects, bigger buildings, building interiors that can be accessed without loading screens, and many other additions that enhance visual fidelity, immersion, and the gameplay.

Games using Ubisoft Anvil

Scimitar

* ''

'' (2007) * ''

Prince of Persia ''Prince of Persia'' is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. It is centered around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia. The first two ga ...

'' (2008) * '' Shaun White Snowboarding'' (2008)

Anvil

* ''

'' (2009) * '' Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands'' (2010) * '' Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' (2010) * '' Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' (2011) * '' Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots'' (Cancelled)

AnvilNext

* ''

'' (2012) * '' Assassin's Creed III: Liberation'' (2012) * '' Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' (2013) * '' Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry'' (2013) * ''

'' (2014)

AnvilNext 2.0

* ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2015) * ''

'' (2015) * '' Steep'' (2016) * ''

'' (2017) * ''

'' (2018) * ''

'' (2019) * '' Hyper Scape'' (2020) * '' Riders Republic'' (2021) * ''

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction'' (originally known as ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine'') is an online multiplayer tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. A spin-off of ''Rainbow Six Siege'' ...

'' (2022)

Ubisoft Anvil

* ''

'' (2020) * ''

'' (2023) * ''

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

'' (2024) * ''

'' (2025) * '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake'' (2026)

References

{{Video game engines 2007 software Ubisoft Video game engines