Modern-day storylines within the franchise have increasingly become a polarizing element. The Assassin’s Creed series, spanning from Desmond Miles’ early days to modern-day segments featuring anonymous protagonists and eventually Layla Hassan, has struggled to effectively weave together its various plotlines. While its first few installments showed promise, the franchise largely failed to achieve significant success in this regard (with possible exceptions being its earliest games).
As the next installment approaches, Ubisoft is poised to reboot the franchise’s contemporary narratives, laying the groundwork for a fresh direction to come. According to franchise director Marc-Alexis Coté, speaking at a recent BAFTA event in London, the series’ struggle to maintain interest in its contemporary storylines was discussed.
“When the Assassin’s Creed franchise debuted, it pioneered a bold, innovative storytelling approach, weaving a contemporary narrative thread centered around Desmond that expertly intermingled with historical action.” Desmond’s quest lay at the forefront of a modern-day struggle, fueled by the relentless pursuit of powerful Isu artifacts – the legendary Items of Eden – capable of altering the trajectory of history forever. Despite his passing at the end of which marked a significant milestone, we faced an artistic impasse.
“Concluding Desmond’s narrative thread proved a difficult hurdle, and subsequently, the series’ momentum faltered in its quest for a compelling trajectory.”
In regards to video games that drew inspiration from the Desmond storyline, Coté noted that “The proliferation of characters searching for Isu artefacts made the narrative increasingly predictable, thereby diminishing the battle between Templars and Assassins to a straightforward pursuit of control over—let’s be honest—magical relics.” The sudden pivot drew attention away from the franchise’s core strength: delving into its rich historical context.
As the strategy became increasingly formulaic, players and critics alike began to feel that the modern-day storyline had devolved into a secondary concern, more akin to a tangential add-on rather than an integral component of the overall experience. The cumulative intricacy of 15 years’ worth of narrative depth across this alternative narrative thread imposed a significant mental burden, rendering the franchise an insurmountable challenge for new entrants.
While aligning with Coté’s vision, the revamped narrative will actually “enhance” each sport’s storied past rather than “supersede” it, while homing in on the themes that were originally intended when the franchise began, reinvigorating a focus on “memory, identity, and autonomy”. According to Coté, a new path may be outlined by the upcoming…
“As we move forward, our goal is to put history back at the forefront of players’ experiences,” he said. The contemporary storytelling approach will instead augment, rather than supplant, the enduring legacy of this pivotal adventure. By highlighting a marked departure from past iterations, our aim is to restore the consistency that once defined the franchise’s identity.
Will exploratory storytelling delve into profound reflections on identity, autonomy, and the impact of past experiences shaping our present and future?
Through these themes, we can explore modern concerns: the tension between freedom and control, the power of information, and the strain between individuality and societal pressure, all filtered through a historical perspective.
The foundation for this fresh trajectory will crystallize through, whose vision can spark a transformative narrative arc unfolding over time.
The highly anticipated game is set to release on Valentine’s Day in 2025, available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
