Why Assassin's Creed Syndicate won't have a companion app

Assassin's Creed Syndicate will launch this year without a companion app because it isn't part of the game's "core experience," a Ubisoft spokesperson told Eurogamer.

"There will not be a companion app," the spokesperson said. "For Assassin's Creed Syndicate, the team wanted to focus all their efforts on the core experience."

Two recent franchise games — Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Unity — shipped with companion apps for mobile platforms like Android, iOS and Windows Mobile. Those offered features like world maps, exclusive puzzles and other second-screen-focused features.

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Assassin's Creed Syndicate launching Oct. 23, set in Victorian London

The companion app's absence isn't the only feature from previous games to be cut. Just after Ubisoft revealed Assassin's Creed Syndicate earlier this month, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that the game won't have multiplayer.

"This game will be single-player," Guillemot said. Asked to clarify his comments, he added, "You don't have a multiplayer mode on this iteration … because we want to spend all our time on making sure the single-player is excellent."

Given statements from the CEO and the representative — as well as Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Syndicate reveal, which began with a mea culpa about Assassin's Creed Unity's troubled launch — cutting the companion app seems like a continuation of Ubisoft's focus.

Set in Victorian London, Assassin's Creed Syndicate is scheduled for an Oct. 23 release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It will hit Windows PC later this fall. For more on the game, be sure to read Polygon's coverage of its debut and watch the video below.