The latest installment in the Assassin’s Creed series, has its first DLC available now, free of cost! And to add to that, Ubisoft will be releasing Animus Project Update 2.0 in January!

The Animus Project 1.0 DLC adds a brand-new game mode, and a new map for the multiplayer.

The new game mode, called Advanced Alliance, is basically just that. It’s the original Alliance Mode, but with the target identification and engagement made more difficult. The new multiplayer map, Mont Saint-Michel, is on a rocky tidal island of Normandy in France. This map features narrow streets, high-perched bell-tower and multi-leveled architecture.

Animus Project Update 2.0 will add another new multiplayer map, The Pienza, as well as a new multiplayer game mode, Chest Capture, which is basically capture the flag.

Ubisoft has announced that it will “expand” the Assassin’s Creed universe, with the launch of an animated short story along with it’s North American release of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood on November 16, called Assassin’s Creed Ascendance.

This animated short story bridges the narrative gap between Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood, and follows Ezio Auditore as he struggles to remove the treacherous Borgia family from their papal throne.

Assassin’s Creed Ascendance will be available on PSN,  Xbox LIVE, and other digital channels for $1.99.

This is some very exciting news. We have some preliminary screenshots and artwork from Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, the next installment in one of Ubisoft’s crowning achievements. Along with these pics, we have some information regarding some new features in the game.

This time around, Ezio returns as a Master Assassin, leading the Brotherhood in a struggle against the Templar Order, taking him to Rome. From the press release, it sounds like this time around, it’s going to be a war between the Templar and the Brotherhood. Very exciting.

But the excitement doesn’t stop there! Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood will feature, for the first time ever in the series, a multiplayer function. The press release mentions that players will be able to help the Templars by using Abstergo to eliminate Assassins. We haven’t received much more information than that, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, enjoy these.

Key Features

• MASTER THE POSSIBILITIES – As Ezio, a legendary Master Assassin, experience over 15 hours of single-player gameplay set in the living, breathing, unpredictable city of Rome.
• LEAD A LEGENDARY BROTHERHOOD – Recruit and train promising young Assassins. Deploy them across the city as you see fit, or call upon them to aid you in your quests.
• EXPERIENCE A RICH HISTORICAL TAPESTRY – Collaborate with real historical characters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Caterina Sforza.
• WIN THE HEART OF A CITY – Use your hard-won currency to revitalize the crumbling capital city. Rally the citizens to your cause and unlock extra factions and missions.
• DEPLOY SECRET WEAPONS – Swiftly eliminate your enemies using tools such as poison darts, parachutes, double hidden blades, hidden guns, and an advanced flying machine at your disposal.
• MEMORABLE MULTIPLAYER – Choose from multiple authentic character classes, each with their own signature weapons and killing moves. With richly-detailed maps and a wide variety of unique multiplayer modes, you’ll never fight the same way twice.