by After Desmond was taken down in Assassin’s Creed 3, Ubisoft was a little unsure of what to do with the modern story, but they’re hoping to patch things up with Shadows.
If you can believe it, Assassin’s Creed 3 is 12 years old, which means it’s been that long since good old Desmond was the series’ modern protagonist. While the historical element was always the main draw, Assassin’s Creed still has a bit of a modern storyline since then, but has struggled to figure out what to do with it, speaking at a BAFTA event last week (via Eurogamer) : Franchise boss Marc-Alexis Coté spoke about the difficulties the studio has encountered working on this story, and how he hopes to get things back on track.
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“When the Assassin’s Creed franchise was created, it introduced a bold and innovative story structure, a modern storyline centered around Desmond intertwined with historical adventures,” said Coté. “Desmond’s journey was at the heart of the modern conflict, driving the search for powerful Isu artifacts – Pieces of Eden – that could change the course of history. However, with his death at the end of Assassin’s Creed 3, we faced a creative crossroads. Ending Desmond’s arc was a difficult decision, and after that the modern storyline struggled to find its footing.
Although Assassin’s Creed eventually found a new modern protagonist, Layla Hassan, repetition became a bit of an issue when every game did more or less the same thing. “The continued focus on characters hunting for Isu artifacts made the story more predictable and reduced the conflict between Templars and Assassins to a simple quest for control over – let’s face it – magical relics,” Coté continued. “This shift took attention away from what had always been the core of the franchise: exploring our history.
“As this approach became repetitive, players and critics alike felt that the modern storyline had become a secondary concern, more of an afterthought, rather than an integral part of the overall experience. In addition, the compound complexity of 15 years of knowledge built into this parallel storyline created a cognitive load that made the franchise difficult to access for newcomers.”
Unsurprisingly, Ubisoft wants to change these issues with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, with Coté noting that Ubisoft’s goal is to “put history back at the center of the player experience”, with the modern story serving to “enhance history rather than of overshadowing.” historic journey.” Ge explains that the “modern storyline will explore deeper themes of memory, identity and autonomy, how the past shapes who we are, and how controlling this past can influence our future… The foundation for this new direction will take shape with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which will lay the foundation for this narrative evolution that will grow in the coming years.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was actually supposed to be released next Tuesday, but last month it was postponed to February next year to polish up the game. Ubisoft has had its fair share of problems in recent years, with Tencent reportedly even considering acquiring the developer, so Shadows will have to be a hit for the studio – we’ll just have to wait and see if it can pull it off.
