Summary
Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft’s flagship historical action-adventure franchise, isn’t known for its succinct, linear storytelling. Its narrative spans millennia and involves god-like beings, simulations, and real figures from various historical eras. With the next generation ofAssassin’s Creedgames, alongside the"hub" that will beAssassin’s Creed Infinity, the long-running story of the games might be getting even more complicated.
Broadly speaking,Assassin’s Creedcan be broken up into two sections: the modern-day, quasi-science-fiction plot that serves as the main connective tissue of the series, and the somewhat more grounded, historical side of the series, which forms the bulk of each release. When it comes to the modern-day plot, each game serves as a direct continuation of the previous one’s story, and while the plot is still thickly layered, it’s much more straightforward than the in-Animus narratives of each game, which leap around to different time periods and geographical locations. WithAssassin’s Creed Red,Assassin’s Creed Jade, andAssassin’s Creed Hexeon the horizon, this thread of theACstory is at risk of getting a lot messier.
The Assassin’s Creed Timeline Is Becoming More Erratic
The Current State of the Assassin’s Creed Timeline
TheACseries boasts a whopping thirteen entries, not including spin-off or mobile titles, and this has naturally led to theAssassin’s Creedtimeline being rather complicated, especially since the series is aiming for a narrative throughline across all releases. When it comes to the non-modern-day story, the firstAssassin’s Creedgame is actually the fifth game chronologically, with the first game in the timeline being the tenth game released, and the fact that the series was fairly chronologically consistent pre-Originsmakes this even more confusing. On top of this, the focus of the overarching plot has become less about the Assassin-Templar conflict and more about the history of the Isu and the Pieces of Eden.
Assassin’s Creed Red, Jade, and Hexe May Throw Some New Narrative Wrenches
Not too much isknown aboutAssassin’s Creed HexeorAssassin’s Creed Red—RedandHexearen’t even their official titles—but their in-Animus settings can be roughly predicted.Redwill take place during Feudal Japan, and while this era spans a few hundred years, the rumors suggesting that real-world samurai Yasuke will be the protagonist of the game narrow the setting down to the late 1500s.Assassin’s Creed Hexehas been rumored to take place in the 16th century as well, but in Central Europe during the reign of the Holy Roman Empire.
Assuming these rumors are accurate, it would seem likeAssassin’s Creedis returning to the 1500s, around the time of the Ezio games or maybe a bit later. But then there’sAssassin’s Creed Jade, which is confirmed to be taking place during China’s Warring States period in 3rd-century BCE, placing it just afterAssassin’s Creed Odysseyon the timeline. This is going to make the series' narrative even more confusing than it already is, especially if these upcoming titles are looking to keep telling the story of the Isu, the Assassins (Hidden Ones), and the Templars (Order of Ancients). There won’t be much consistency or a clear, overarching plot to follow.
The non-Animus plot could still offer some chronological consistency, although rumorssuggest thatAssassin’s Creed Red’s modern-day storycould be set several decades in the future, which could complicate things even further. None of these complications are inherently bad, andAssassin’s Creed’s complex, difficult to parse nature may be what makes it appealing to many players. Those hoping for some narrative consolidation in futureAssassin’s Creedgames might be out of luck, though.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage
WHERE TO PLAY
Play as a cunning young street thief seeking answers in this majestic Middle Eastern open world. Experience the home of the original Assassins in this exciting new narrative-driven, open world adventure. 15 years since the first Assassin’s Creed redefined adventure, experience the franchises' trademark parkour and stealth like never before - in Assasin’s Creed Mirage. In this smaller scale, back to basics Assassin’s caper, you play Basim, a young street thief seeking answers. Roam the richly-detailed, reactive and vibrant streets of 9th century Baghdad, uncovering the mysteries of the past as you fight to secure your future. Stalk the shadows. Become the ultimate assassin.
