5 GAMES THAT NEED TO BE MADE - Assassin's Creed
(This new article series “Games that need to be made” is where I pitch 5 games that need to be made in a particular franchise, company, genre etc... If you enjoy and want more of these lists let me know in the comments on social media! Tell us which of these 5 was your favorite, and what franchise or theme you want to see next!)
I’m a huge fan of the Assassin’s Creed universe, and think it has one of the greatest concepts for setting diversity in any franchise. Unlike other major franchises that don’t have too many options of time period and setting, Assassin’s Creed is free to really explore almost any time period and location in human history. It manages to maintain its identity whether the hero lived 2000 years ago or today. It needs no time, location, or even a recurring protagonist to maintain the Assassin’s Creed feel and that’s something I find incredibly impressive, and something I don’t think we give Ubisoft enough credit for. I have been playing Assassin’s Creed since the very first one, and I enjoyed some more than others. My least favorites were the original and Unity, while I really enjoyed, 2, 3, and Syndicate. I think Origins is the technical “best” I’ve played so far. I recently started playing Valhalla and it has gotten me excited for this entry in our “5 Games” series, as Assassin’s Creed lends itself perfectly to this article series. In this article, I will pitch 5 future Assassin’s Creed games, their setting/time period, why I think that time period and setting would be great, and potentially some details on the game’s protagonist.
BONUS? Assassin’s Creed: Samurai (Feudal Japan Era)
Samurai’s and Ninjas? Assassin’s Creed set in Feudal Japan? Yes please! I feel like before I get into the main article, I felt I needed to explain why I didn't technically include this in my 5 games, and have this as a bonus, when probably most fans would rank it number 1. First, it is because I am confident that not only is this the most obvious and most likely game to be made, I’m sure it is already in some stage of development. Feudal Japan is easily the most requested new era of Assassin’s Creed if you spend anytime on forums and talking with fans. It has been in official surveys from Ubisoft so I know they know we want it. Also, with the massively critical and commercial success of Ghost of Tsushima, I think surely Ubisoft sees it as a must right? They like money right? I didn't officially list it partially because I think that an Assassin’s Creed game with Samurai and Ninja’s is not a question of “if” but “when”. In this series, I try to favor less obvious choices; pitches that I feel are more unique to myself instead of ones fans are frequently demanding. This idea doesn't have much original to me, and I don't feel like I have anything original to add to it other than I think it would be incredible. Also, while excited for this hypothetical game, I have 5 time periods I want even more for a future Assassin’s Creed. That all being said, I couldn’t make this list and NOT mention it. We need to see Samurai Assassin’s sooner than later.
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5. Assassin's Creed: Civil War
The US Civil War is one of the most important eras in American history. It changed the course of human rights, our culture, and even how the country views itself. Before the Civil War the US was a collection of states, and after the civil war it was one country that happened to have states. Also, one of the best parts of the AC games is the ability to meet historical figures, and I just want to meet Abe Lincoln and be there for his famous speeches. Players could help the north win, and help in the Underground Railroad. This could even be an opportunity for Ubisoft to make it's first mainline game with an African American protagonist. Or I would even like to have a white and black co-protagonist who are friends and allies: A showing of Unity in a old time for a modern America where it is much needed. In a time of division, going back to another time of division and showcase coming together in unity then is a message I think Ubisoft is capable of telling. Players could be present during the major battles, and even attempt to stop the assassination of President Lincoln. It could be an absolutely amazing period piece with amazing characters and a quality message to tell.
Potential for Possible Historical Figures:
Abraham Lincoln
Robert E Lee
Ulysses S Grant
Stonewall Jackson
William Sherman
Harriet Tubman
Frederick Douglass
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4. Assassin’s Creed: Wild West (Wild West Era)
The entire time I was playing Red Dead Redemption 2, one thing kept popping in my head. “This would be better as an Assassin’s Creed game” Now, RDR2 is an amazing game, an at the time GOTY contender and phenomenal in many many ways; ways, that probably Ubisoft would struggle to match let alone outperform. For that reason, I know that fear of comparisons to Red Dead would be a real world impediment to this game being greenlit. Ubisoft would know they would have a very high standard that this game would be measured under, and AC games are made in a fraction of the time of Rockstar games. Ubisoft gives AC games 2-3 years of development, where Rockstar is content to build games once a console generation or more. But Assassin’s Creed excells at one thing that I enjoyed the least in RDR2 and that’s just player movement. I felt like movement in RDR2 is too slow. I wished I could run around and move like I can in AC games. Either way, whether or not an AC game could match or equate to RDR2, I think that the Wild West would make for an absolutely phenomenal setting for a future AC game. I think the protagonist could be very cool. Imagine a cowboy type gunslinging character, with a hybrid hat/hood design that could really combine the two visual aesthetics. This game would really balance gunslinging with hidden blades. It could be Assassin’s Creed in stealth and melee, with bouts of good ole fashion Wild West shoot outs and duels, without feeling like it is a “shooter”. The vast frontier lands, going from town to town on horseback, and everything about the Wild West proves it would be ripe for an amazing Assassin’s Creed.
Potential for Possible Historical Figures:
Billy the Kid
Wyatt Earp
Jesse James
Buffalo Bill
Doc Holiday
Annie Oakley
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3. Assassin's Creed: Mafia (US "Roaring Twenties" / Prohibition Era)
One Era that I think may be a bit of a surprise to some readers but I really think would be incredible would be the 1920's In fact, while "only" ranked number 3, I think it could be a instant classic and favorite for myself and fans.
The 1920's is an era filled with so much potential for story and I think it would be incredible to see tackled by the AC franchise. The protagonist would be a Mafia lieutenant who is recruited by the Order. Like the rest of Human History in the AC Universe, the Order and the Templars each have stakes in the families of the Mafia in the height of prohibition. I just absolutely love the design of the protagonist. He wears a long grey trench coat, with a Assassin's tie clip. It perfectly blends the look of an Assassin with the image of a 1920's gangster. There could be an opportunity for a morality/honor system. Do you do drive-by's with Tommy guns and beat up enemies with baseball bats? Or are you a more honorable gangster? I want to see an Assassin in a suit, making offers his enemies can't refuse, and taking leaps of faith off then-modern tall New York buildings. We just don't get too see much action RPG's during this era, not to the level I think this era deserves, and I would absolutely love to see Ubisoft tackle it with an Assassin's Creed game.
Potential for Possible Historical Figures:
Babe Ruth
Al Capone
Charles Lindbergh
Henry Ford
Charlie Chapman
Calvin Coolidge
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2. Assassin's Creed: WWII
Come On Ubisoft, I know you want to! They've included the era in surveys. They included it oh so briefly in Unity. They gave us a Diet Pepsi version with WWI side mission in Syndicate. They know it could be phenomenal. We know it could be phenomenal. Just let us sneak around occupied Paris, killing Nazis, and assassinate Hitler ok? If there is one Era that seems an immortal constant in the gaming industry, it is World FREAKING WAR 2! It is the era that single handedly uplifts the gaming industry. Which is one of the reasons I find it odd that Ubisoft has yet to jump fully in the WWII pond with Assassin's Creed. It seems like such an obvious choice for a game. Now I realize what you and maybe even Ubisoft would be worried about. At first thought it seems overwhelmingly obvious, but upon further thought it is easy to be hesitant. WWII would be the farthest game in the historical timeline yet, and Assassin's Creed is not a shooter. When we think of WWII games we think of guns and shooting, and no one wants that for Assassin's Creed to be turned into Call of Duty. To be clear, I DON'T WANT THAT EITHER. But Assassin's Creed has been in the post-gun powder era before. Syndicate, Black Flag, and 3 have all had primitive guns and it wasn't game breaking. Even in my pitch for the Mafia Assassin's Creed, the "Tommy gun" was meant more for balanced limited use, not a mainstay of the combat. In Assassin's Creed WWII there will be guns yes, but the mainstay of the gameplay will still be stealth and melee combat. You will still be an assassin sneaking around killing Nazis in silence with a hidden blade. If you get caught and action breaks out, sure you will have a pistol, but the focus will be on hand to hand combat. I picture something to how Syndicate balanced guns in that game. The locations, the battles, the historical figures, and the excuse to kill Hitler is too much to pass up and NOT make this game. It is alternative history, after all, let me kill Hitler with a hidden blade.
Potential for Possible Historical Figures:
Winston Churchhill
FDR
Douglas MacArthur
James Doolittle
Hitler (just to kill)
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Honorable Mentions:
- Assassin's Creed 1 Remastered/Remake
- Lego Assassin's Creed
- Assassin's Creed Syndicate Sequel or PS5/XSX Remastered
- Animus Online
There are few ideas I didn't go into detail on this article, as I wanted to focus on mainly "era" based pitches, plus I am limited to 5 and getting my list of ideas down to 5 was incredibly hard. But a few quick ones that I would love to see would be a remake/remaster of the original. I would kill for that rare AC "sequel" (or maybe just full next-gen upgraded definitive edition) of my favorite in the franchise, Assassin's Creed Syndicate. I just want to see Evie and Jacob again. I think that Lego would make an awesome Assassin's Creed universe game. They could have a broken animus story with lego versions of all the assassin's in one game. With "Animus Online" I also think that with such a long list of amazing protagonists and characters, I think it is time for an Assassin's Creed multiplayer only game. I picture that as some free to play multi-platform game where players can unlock all the various assassin's from all the games and play in various modes. Perhaps a stealth focused Battle Royale game, or some other combination of well fit online modes where players compete, fight, or co-op as all the various assassin's from all the games. I want to see the various Assassin's in an arena battling it out, or sneaking around racing to complete an objective. As long as they make it fun to play without aggressive monetization, this could be a super fun game.
1. Assassin’s Creed Infinite (Distant Future, year 2300-2700)
Assassin’s Creed has always been about exploring the past. It is part of it’s charm. Getting to see beautiful visuals of ancient landscapes and architecture of long ago. It is an opportunity to visit parts of the world in great detail during eras we never got to see. It is a chance to “meet” historical figures. Honestly, alternative history aside, Assassin’s Creed is the closest thing to a time machine we will ever (probably?) really have. In fact in lore, the “animus” is essentially a observation only Time Machine that uses a genetics powered "Matrix" rather than flux capacitors. Depending which game you boot up determines which era of history you get to walk around and explore. This analogy being put out there, it begs the question, why do we always have to go to the past? Could Assassin’s Creed work in the far future? The future is one of the places I would go after all if I had a time machine. Ubisoft could even flip the script and have the bulk the game take place in the “future”, and have the characters using an advanced animus to visit our modern day. While I stipulate that exploring the past is part of the charm of Assassin’s Creed, I think that a game set a few hundred years in the future would be fascinating and extremely fresh.
The setting for Assassin’s Creed Infinite is hundreds of years in the future in an ultra-metropolitan environment. It is one massive city with total verticality. It would be the largest all city map of any game to date. I picture something akin to looking like something like Coruscant in Star Wars. The Map would be as big as any AC so far, but instead of vast lakes or fields, we get nonstop skyscrapers. The game also has some cyberpunk aesthetics with visual similarities to Watchdogs Legion, Blade Runner, or Cyberpunk 2077 but all dialed up to 11.
To show the evolution of society, this city is a cultural amalgamation of Asian, American, and European cultures. The world is under a unified government that has been infilitrated by the Abstergo who remain the villians of the far future.
This would be the first female only lead protagonist in the series. She is clothed in advanced trench coat coated in holgraphic panels. She is able to use the reflective panels to cloak and sneak around. This would also be the first AC game to feature light hacking with her ability to disable cameras and deactivate drones. The protagonist is an customizable female, complete with hidden plasma blade, holographic reflective cloaking, and other future enhancements. Her "eagle" is a robotic bird-like drone with advanced scanners. Because the city is so vertical, flying motorcycle craft are used in traversal instead of horses/cars.
Now, I know that this game may sound like another similar IP Ubisoft owns, and I will stipulate that Ubisoft would have to put work in to differentiate it’s gameplay and overall feel to the Watchdogs franchise. This isn't just an Assassin’s skinned version of Watchdogs. It retains that Assassin’s Creed magic despite taking place in the far future. I firmly believe, that Assassin’s Creed has enough unique identity and distinction that it could take a future set game without interference from the existence of Watchdogs. The unique gameplay elements such as heavy stealth, air assassinations, hidden blades, leaps of faith, and traversing this massive “city world” via parkour and climbing skyscrapers would be amazing. In fact, I want the verticality of this to be the most vertical of any game ever. In Assassin’s Creed Infinite, you NEVER TOUCH THE GROUND. By ground, I mean the Earth's surface. The entire game world takes place in a massively vertical city with endless skyscrapers, elevated platforms, and even flying vehicles. All the events of the game take place 1000's of levels up with the ground being a distant blur. Of course there will be floors and areas where you walk, but you never descend to the actual floor of the world. Jumping off the top of one of these massive skyscrapers sees the player do the infamous AC “leap of faith” but landing on a floating platform attached to the side of these towers. You can still climb the buildings and free run around, but it is much more vertical and elevated than previous games.
I realize that this is the most extreme, and out there pitch for an Assassin’s Creed game. It would require the most work to make it feel like AC, but I also think it is my favorite pitch. I absolutely love the game that I see in my head, and after dozens of games set in ancient times, I am ready for a jump to the future for a truly sci-fi experience.
Potential for Possible Historical Figures:
How would Ubisoft handle their typical "historical figures" in a game that takes place in our future? I think there would be a cool opportunity for descendants of famous people who are alive today doing interesting things. Have the President be a descendant of a modern celebrity or your friend/ally be a descendant of modern day famous person. It would be an opportunity to have a celebrity voice act and face capture in the game for their descendant. Also, Elon Must could be alive as an immortal machine. Am I joking? I don't know.
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