Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed: a brief history

Hopping into a haystack from twelve hundred kilometres up. Swapping the ring finger for a hidden blade. Climbing the steepest walls like a squirrel and, if there is still time, chatting with historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci. If you read these sentences and don't immediately think of Assassin's Creed ... well, we might as well give up!

This game series from Ubisoft has really shaken up the gaming world. The main series alone now has twelve games, and then there are various spin-offs such as the Assassin's Creed Chronicles trilogy. And the eternal battle between Assassins and Templars has flared up elsewhere too. In 2016, a film starring Michael Fassbender was released, but there are also various animated films, lots of books and countless comics. And while we are listing all of these, there are several series adaptations currently in the making too. Not bad for a franchise that — unlike Super Mario or The Legend of Zelda, for example — doesn't have 30+ years of history but was only launched in 2007. How did it come about?

The beginnings: from Donald Duck and a prince

For anyone investigating the roots of Assassin's Creed, there is no avoiding another world-famous character. We are talking, of course, about Donald Duck. No, you haven't read it wrong. To be more precise, it's about Ubisoft’s jump 'n run game Donald Duck: Quack Attack. Lead designer Patrice Desilets wanted more than unglamorous B productions and was looking for a new project. The same was true for another Ubisoft team, which had just developed the successful game Splinter Cell. Soon, the two parties combined forces to devote their attention to another world-renowned figure. And this time the name (or rather the phrase) you were expecting really does come up: Prince of Persia.

Desilets dreamed of a new chapter in Jordan Mechner's time-honoured platform game. Except he wanted his prince to run much, much more smoothly through the levels ... oh ... maybe even running along walls in finest parkour style. The creator Mechner was impressed by the idea, and bang — Ubisoft's new Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was an instant hit! So they did what any studio would do in that situation: commissioned lots of sequels. But Ubisoft had other plans for its new star designer Desilets. He was asked to design what was, at the time, the next-gen successor to the Prince, and he was given free rein to do so.

Always fascinated by history, Desilets studied the Middle East and came across the Hashashin. These were a secret order of assassins active mainly in the 11th and 12th centuries, pursuing a "strict policy of infiltration through the clandestine assassination of Muslim and Christian leaders" (source: Wikipedia). What a perfect setup for a game! For the gameplay itself, Desilets devised a blend of action and stealth in game format: a combination of Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell. But because the whole thing was supposed to be bigger and more open than Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, he was joined by Jade Raymond, who had experience with open worlds. Ubisoft loved the concept, and a whole new brand was created with Assassin's Creed. An additional twist was needed to differentiate the game from the Prince of Persia by bringing the players into the present. But most of the action took place in the 12th century, with players taking on the role of Altaïr to assassinate nine prominent figures with a real historical background.

The winning formula

After a lot of hype, Assassin's Creed was launched in 2007 and was an instant success! Wait, that's not true. Or rather, it depends on how you evaluate success. It's certainly true that Ubisoft could have no complaints about sales. On the contrary. Eight million units for a completely new brand constitutes more than a respectable success. On the other hand, not all critics were persuaded by Altaïr and, especially in retrospect, the first part of the series doesn't look so great today. Some of this criticism was aimed at the contemporary story of Desmond Miles, some was aimed at the battles (which were not really polished) and the paltry and tedious side quests.

But luckily that didn't stop Ubisoft — did we mention the eight million sales? — from ploughing on regardless. And the aim was for everything to be better next time. Okay, well – the time after next. Because first the uninspired Altaïr's Chronicles appeared for the Nintendo DS. But in 2009, the time had come, and Assassin's Creed II was indeed a complete success! A new and more interesting protagonist? Check! New era with cool locations? Check! More exciting and varied history? Check! Even the sections with Desmond were more bearable. The game was a hit with players and critics alike; it sold extremely well and is still considered by many to be the best game in the series.

If it hadn't been clear before, Ubisoft now knew exactly what they had: a mega-franchise with endless potential. And so the company committed to releasing a new game pretty much every year, sometimes even two. But without the series creators. From this moment on, Raymond and Desilets were no longer involved in development, which is a story worth telling in its own right. Suffice to say here that their departure had no negative impact. Quite the contrary. With Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (first multiplayer version) and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, the story of Altaïr and Ezio was brought to an all-round successful conclusion.

But Ubisoft realised they couldn't just re-release the same game every year (it's not FIFA after all), so they kept tweaking both minor and major components. In Assassin's Creed III, players assassinated their way through American history as Connor, while the fourth assassin, Edward Kenway, sailed the oceans in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. There followed a rather bumpy excursion through the French Revolution (Assassin's Creed Unity) and into 19th century England (Assassin's Creed Syndicate) but somehow the wheels seemed to come off after that. After a long creative hiatus by Assassin's Creed standards (two years instead of one, *ahem*), Ubisoft breathed new life into its historical assassin series. Assassin's Creed Origins featured a completely new combat system and role-playing approaches that were highly impressive, but the fresh setting was even more persuasive. The excursion into Ancient Egypt was followed by Assassin's Creed Odyssey in Ancient Greece and finally Assassin's Creed Valhalla, making what was now the twelfth part of the series.

More than a game

Over the course of its still short history, Assassin's Creed has evolved quite a bit. Sometimes only minor aspects were improved; sometimes new concepts were tried out. Not all were successful, but most were. By following this approach, the series has managed to remain relevant. You can see this not only in all the games, but in the many media spin-offs mentioned at the start. The upcoming series adaptations should be particularly exciting.

Most importantly, unlike many other game studios, Ubisoft has also shaken up the merchandise market! There aren't many gaming themes, especially from younger brands, that have as wide a range as Assassin's Creed merchandise. Which is a source of great joy for us, especially the Assassin's Creed figures that have been released for years, but we are not averse to a cool Assassin's Creed T-shirt either. And the world of Assassin's Creed merchandise is not limited to these areas: do you want an epic tankard that looks like a historical object? We've got the perfect thing! Or maybe you need some extra support while gaming? What about a snazzy Assassin's Creed mouse pad? Jewellery, costumes, notebooks, snapbacks, really awesome bookends — there's almost nothing you can't get in Assassin's Creed style. Which makes Assassin's Creed merchandise about as varied as the historical eras covered in the games.