Creative director Alex Hutchinson calls argument over annualized franchises "strange," says yearly releases allow developers to keep franchises relevant.

Assassin's Creed III creative director Alex Hutchinson has defended yearly releases for major franchises. Presenting today at GDC Europe (attended by Eurogamer), Hutchinson said he finds the argument over annualized franchises to be "strange," and noted gamers should be concerned about quality, not the frequency of releases.

Is every year too often for a new Assassin's Creed game? Hutchinson doesn't think so.

"I find it strange we've decided yearly is too often," Hutchinson said. "If Radiohead put out an album every month, I'd buy it. It's about the quality."

Hutchinson went on to explain that releasing annual sequels allows Ubisoft to keep the Assassin's Creed franchise "in people's minds" so that the publisher can "keep telling the story."

The Assassin's Creed franchise launched in 2007 with the praised original, and subsequent console and PC releases followed with Assassin's Creed II (2009), Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010), and Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011). Assassin's Creed III is due out later this year.

Elsewhere during his talk, Hutchinson said the development team at Ubisoft is treating Assassin's Creed III not only as a new game, but as an "entirely new franchise."

"Assassin's Creed III is as displaced from Assassin's Creed II as much as Medal of Honor is from Call of Duty," Hutchinson said.

Set during the American Revolution, Assassin's Creed III features a new protagonist with a mixed Native American-English heritage. Named Ratohnhake:ton but going by Connor, the hero of Assassin's Creed III will inject himself into the ongoing struggle between the Templars and the Assassins. The game is being built by Ubisoft Montreal and six collaborating studios on a new engine called Ubisoft-AnvilNext.

Assassin's Creed III will arrive for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 30, with a PC version following in November. A Wii U version is also in development, though its release date remains unknown. For more on Assassin's Creed III, check out GameSpot's latest preview.

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