Assassin's Creed

For the first game in this series, see Assassin's Creed (video game).

Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed series logo
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, open world, stealth
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Montreal Gameloft Griptonite Games
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Creator(s)	Patrice Desilets
Composer(s)	Jesper Kyd
First release	Assassin's Creed November 14, 2007
Latest release	Assassin's Creed: Revelations November 15, 2011

Assassin's Creed is an award winning historical fiction action-adventure open world stealth video game series that as of 2012 consists of four main games and a number of supporting materials. The games have appeared on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, iOS, HP webOS, Android, Nokia Symbian and Windows Phone platforms, with a PlayStation Vita on the way, and will be coming to the Wii U. The main games in the franchise were developed by Ubisoft Montreal, with the handheld titles developed by Gameloft and Gryptonite Studios, with additional development by Ubisoft Montreal. All games in the franchise are published by Ubisoft.

Premise

All of the Assassin's Creed games take place in 2012, featuring the protagonist Desmond Miles, a bartender who is a descendent of a line of Assassins; though raised as an Assassin, he fled his nomadic family to seek out a more common lifestyle. He is initially kidnapped by the megacorporation Abstergo Industries, the modern-day face of the Knights Templar who are aware of Desmond's lineage. Desmond is forced to use the "Animus", a device that allows him to experience his ancestral memories. Abstergo is seeking to discover the location of several artifacts, or "Pieces of Eden", that hold great power, to control mankind and alter its fate, bringing humanity into a single unified group. Desmond is later rescued by a small team of modern-day Assassins and taken to a secure location; agreeing to work with them, Desmond uses their version of the Animus to continue to experience the memories of his ancestors to discover the locations of additional Pieces of Eden so they can be recovered before Abstergo can do so. While experiencing these memories, some of their abilities are genetically leaked into Desmond, known as the Bleeding Effect, giving him some of the Assassin skills of his predecessors at the cost of living with multiple sets of memories and personalities in his mind.

Within the Animus, Desmond experiences the memories of Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad, an Assassin during the Crusades, and Ezio Auditore da Firenze, an Assassin in Italy during the late 15th and early 16th centuries of the Renaissance, both of whom came into contact with a Piece of Eden known as "The Apple". While following the storyline with Ezio, other Pieces of Eden become known, such as "The Staff" as well as a second apple. Throughout these events, Desmond learns of allusions to the prophetic end of the world in 2012 from a former Animus test subject, Subject 16, as well as from holographic figures of a species pre-dating humanity. These beings, people of "The First Civilization", call themselves Minerva, Juno and Jupiter. They speak directly to Desmond through Ezio's experiences and in turn Ezio comes to discover that he is merely a conduit for Desmond and that centuries later, he is the one who will find answers to the questions that Ezio himself is asking in his own time. The three figures explain that their species created humanity, who then rebelled against them. A massive solar flare nearly wiped both their species from the planet and destroyed their entire civilization, the three failing to prevent it after having potential solutions transferred to their central vault, now hidden in modern day New York, from vaults across the planet.

With their numbers falling, The First Civilization attempted but ultimately failed to interbreed with humanity, leaving bloodlines of First Civilization and human hybrids such as Altaïr's and Ezio's, Desmond himself a unification of the two. These hybrids have access to the 6th sense of knowledge, which presents itself in the games as "Eagle Vision". Through the visions Ezio sees with the pieces of Eden, Desmond is provided with the locations of the hidden vaults and must use the central vault to complete their work and prevent this catastrophe again.

Gameplay

Though the game is presented through the protagonist Desmond Miles, the bulk of the game is played as Desmond experiences the memories of either Altaïr or Ezio through the Animus. This provides a means of a diegetic interface for the player, showing Altaïr or Ezio's health, equipment, goals, and other features as part of the Animus interface. The Animus is based on the player, as Desmond, controlling the assassin to maintain the synchronization between Desmond and his ancestor's memories. Performing actions that go against the Assassin's way or dying breaks the synchronization, effectively requiring the player to restart at a previous checkpoint. Furthermore, the player cannot explore outside of areas that the assassin has not experienced yet. There are also abnormalities within the Animus from previous users of the device that the player can find, linking to the larger story.

While playing as the Assassin characters, the games are generally presented as third-person in an open world, focusing on stealth and parkour. The games use a mission structure to follow the main story, generally assigning the player to complete an assassination of public figureheads or a covert mission. Alternatively, several side missions are available, such as mapping out the expansive cities from a high perch followed by performing a "leap of faith" into a haystack below, collecting treasures hidden across the cities, exploring ruins for relics, building a brotherhood of assassins to perform other tasks, or funding the rebuilding of a city through purchasing and upgrading of shops and other features. At times, the player is in direct control of Desmond, who by nature of the Animus use has learned Assassin techniques through the bleeding effect, as well as their genetic ability of Eagle Vision, which separates friend, foe and assassination targets by illuminating people in different colors. Through the Animus interface, the player can go back to retry any past mission already completed; for example, in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the player achieves better synchronization results by performing the mission in a specific manner such as by only killing the mission's target.

The games use the concept of "active" versus "passive" moves, with "active" moves, such as running, climbing the sides of buildings, or jumping between rooftops, more likely to alert the attention of nearby guards. When the guards become alerted, the player must either fight them or break their line of sight and locate a hiding place, such as a haystack or a well, and wait until the guards' alert is reduced. The combat system allows for a number of unique weapons, armor, and moves, including the use of a hidden blade set in a band on the Assassin's arm, and which also can be used to quietly assassinate targets.

Games

Released Year	Title	Platform
		PS3	X360	Windows	PSP	PSVita	NDS	3DS	WP	iOS	webOS	Android	Facebook	Mac OS X	Symbian	Wii	OnLive	Wii U
Assassin's Creed - Crusades era
2007	Assassin's Creed	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	?
2008	Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	?
2009	Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	?
Assassin's Creed II - Renaissance era
2009	Assassin's Creed II	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?
2009	Assassin's Creed II: Discovery	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	?
2010	Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?
2011	Assassin's Creed: Revelations	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	?
Assassin's Creed III - Era TBC
2010	Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	?
TBA	Assassin's Creed III	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Yes

Main series

Assassin's Creed

Main article: Assassin's Creed (video game)

Desmond Miles is a bartender who is kidnapped by a powerful corporation called Abstergo. While captive, Desmond is informed that he can use a machine called the Animus, created by Abstergo, to relive his ancestors' memories. He consents to use the machine, and relives the memories of his ancestor, Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad.

Altaïr, Desmond's ancestor, is a disgraced assassin because he broke the three tenets of the assassins. In order to regain his former status Altaïr must hunt down nine key targets. Altaïr reluctantly agrees and he slowly hunts down the men. He realizes they all have something in common. After assassinating all nine targets and discovering that his ninth target was in fact a trap, Altaïr confronts Robert in front of King Richard I of England, leader of the Crusader army. Altaïr informs Richard that Robert is plotting to betray and kill him, which causes him to encourage a duel to the death between Altaïr and Robert. Richard then believes Altaïr. Upon dying, Robert confesses to Altaïr that they were not nine, but ten Templars conspiring to take the Piece of Eden. The tenth being Al Mualim, who wanted to keep the Piece of Eden for himself and therefore sent out Altaïr to kill the others. Back at the Fortress, where Al Mualim had taken over the minds of the people inside, Altaïr manages to defeat and kill him in a duel. The memory Abstergo was searching for, which located the Piece of Eden, reveals it is only just one of 28 that are scattered across the world.

Back in 2012, Abstergo sends a team to recover as many Pieces as possible. Deciding they do not need him anymore, they give orders to kill Desmond. Lucy Stillman, an Abstergo employee who revealed to Desmond that she is an undercover Assassin, convinces them not to kill Desmond until they recover the Pieces, buying him time. Desmond is left alone in the Animus room, and by the use of Altaïr's Eagle Vision inherited from the "bleeding effect" caused by the Animus, he sees many symbols drawn in blood on the wall in his room and on the floors of the lab. These symbols contain references to the end of the world in many different languages.

Assassin's Creed II

Main article: Assassin's Creed II

Lucy returns and breaks Desmond out of Abstergo. She brings him to a hideout and introduces Desmond to her Assassin allies Shaun and Rebecca. She also reveals that the Assassins are in possession of an updated version of the Animus. Aware of the Templars' intentions to gather the Pieces of Eden, Desmond volunteers to enter the Animus again, and explore the memories of Ezio Auditore de Firenze, a young nobleman from 1476 in Florence, Republic of Florence. He hopes to gain Ezio's abilities through the Bleeding Effect so he can aid the Assassins and destroy the Templars.

Ezio's father and brothers are executed by the hand of Uberto Alberti, a corrupt official in league with the Templars. Ezio kills Uberto in revenge, and after fleeing with his mother and sister to their villa in the Tuscan countryside, he learns of his Assassin heritage and begins training under his uncle Mario. Ezio also befriends local inventor Leonardo da Vinci, who helps Ezio with his work by decoding an encrypted codex that contains Altaïr's memories, as well as plans for advanced assassin weaponry. As Ezio looks at them with Eagle Vision, the thirty codex pages come together to form a hidden map of the vaults across the world. Over the course of a decade Ezio assassinates the conspirators involved in his father's death, leaving Rodrigo Borgia, a nobleman and Templar who has retrieved the Apple of Eden and is the center of the conspiracy. Ezio and other Assassins reclaim the Apple of Eden, but Borgia flees. Ezio is formally inducted as an Assassin, and is told that he may be a prophet as described in the codex.

During the course of the game Desmond experiences a number of unusual occurrences. First he discovers strange glyphs, apparently left by a previous test subject who died because the Abstergo staff left him in the Animus for too long. The glyphs are similar to the symbols he'd seen at Abstergo, which hide a secret history of the world. He later dreams of appearing as Altaïr again, chasing after Maria, a Templar whom he'd previously spared, and romanced. Finally, several memories are skipped, throwing the timeline forward by more than a decade to the Vatican, where Borgia now resides as Pope Alexander VI. The "skipped" memories are available as downloadable content, and deal with the Battle of Forlì and the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Borgia is now the Pope and has in his possession the Papal Staff, another Piece of Eden. He attempts to use it to enter a vault that the prophet as described in the codex must enter. Ezio intercepts Borgia, but spares his life, and enters the vault himself. He encounters the hologram of a woman, who claims that she'd once been known as Minerva, and who also claims to come from a civilization whose members were also seen in the same light by ancient peoples. Minerva tells of a great disaster that had befallen and destroyed her civilization, and warns that it will occur again soon. Talking directly to Desmond, she tells him "The rest is up to you," leaving Ezio extremely confused.

Desmond is pulled out of the Animus as Abstergo has located their hideout. He, Lucy and the rest of the team manage to flee to safety, and soon prepare to return Desmond to the Animus to search for clues that may help them.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the title for the previously code-named "Episodes". The game was announced by Ubisoft and was released on November 16 (USA) and November 19 (UK), 2010. The game is a continuation of Ezio Auditore's story, the Assassin's Creed II protagonist, as he returns to the city of Monteriggioni. The day before his sister's surprise birthday party for him he spends the night with Caterina Sforza, waking up armourless to find the city besieged by Cesare Borgia. Ezio joins the attempt to fight off Cesare's troops but during the raid his uncle Mario is killed by Cesare, who then steals the Apple of Eden, leaving Ezio to escape the city without him. Ezio, wanting to exact justice, and retrieve the Apple, travels to Rome in order to liberate its people from the influence of the Borgia family. In order to do so, Ezio recruits new assassins, as well as forming alliances between the various factions of the Roman underground. There are several times that Ezio goes to the Castle Sant'Angelo to assassinate Cesare and Rodrigo Borgia but they escape. When Ezio comes back to the Castle, he sees Cesare kill Rodrigo by forcing him to eat a poisoned apple, an apple which Rodrigo himself had poisoned in an attempt to kill Cesare. Ezio chases Cesare to the Apple of Eden and manages to claim it, and uses the Apple to kill many of Cesare's men. Cesare is arrested but he says that no man can kill him and chains will not hold him for long. Cesare then escapes to Spain and Ezio goes to Viana, where he kills Cesare. After that, Desmond, Lucy, Rebecca and Shaun find that the Apple of Eden was hidden under the Colosseum. They search for the Apple and finally find it, then Juno, another of "Those Who Came Before," controls Desmond with the Apple and makes him stab Lucy. He then falls into a coma while Lucy's death is unknown.

The Da Vinci Disappearance DLC ends inside one of the 5 temples and gives GPS coordinates that coincide with a lake in New York. It is hinted that the Apple of Eden has already been hidden in a temple by Ezio and the DLC takes place 3 years before the end of Brotherhood. After the final memory, Desmond still in a coma, hears unfamiliar voices of the new assassins he has yet to meet. They say they have found what they need and hint at dispatching an assassin team to the new found temple.

For the first time in the series, the game features online multiplayer. Players play as Abstergo employees, who, through the use of the Animus, take on the genetic memories of Renaissance Templars in various game modes.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Assassin's Creed: Revelations is the official fourth installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise developed and published by Ubisoft. Throughout the course of the game, the three protagonists from the previous games are featured: Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond. The game was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 15, 2011, and for Microsoft Windows on November 29, 2011. A trailer was released at E3 2011, displaying Ezio in his older years, along with a video demo of the game play.

Desmond has been left comatose after the end of the Brotherhood, and has been placed into the Animus, in a new area called the Black Room (the opposite to the White Room we have seen previously). Desmond has to piece together Ezio's later memories in order to reform his mind and escape the Animus. This requires him to undergo platforming puzzles in the Animus while trapped in a failsafe mode of sorts called Animus Island, where he is able to converse with the digitally simulated personality of Subject 16, who informs him that only by finishing what he started and completing Ezio and Altaïr's stories can the Animus separate the three and rescue Desmond's fragile mind. Meanwhile, Ezio, now much older, continues his search to find out more about the origins of the Assassin Order and connections to Altaïr's past. Primarily, Ezio is after the 5 keys into Altaïr's library under the ruins of the Assassin castle at Masyaf, which he believes contains the knowledge he seeks. However, the Templars also wish to get into the library, seeking a weapon of great power said to be hidden there. These keys also allow Ezio to access Altaïr's memories much in the same way as the Animus allows Desmond to access Ezio's memories. This search leads Ezio to make his way to Ottoman-era Constantinople, where the Assassin Guild there, led by Master Assassin Yusuf Tazim, takes him in as a legendary Mentor. After mistakenly killing a man sent to stop the Templars, Ezio travels to Cappodocia to free his men and kill the man responsible for arming the Templars. After finally retrieving the final key, Ezio travels to Masyaf and discovers not a library, but a vault with Altaïr's remains and a final key showing the location of the weapon, revealed to be an Apple of Eden, which Ezio leaves, stating that he has "seen enough for one lifetime." He then speaks with Desmond through the void, leaving his hidden blades and sword behind and retiring to Tuscany to raise a family. Ezio's story is concluded in the short film ""Assassin's Creed: Embers"".

The game includes many new systems, including additional weapons. Bomb-crafting is now available, allowing the player to create explosive, distraction and tactical bombs, using materials found throughout the world and on Assassin's Guild missions. As the player progresses through, Ezio can train new recruits to defend "dens" (Assassin HQ's) and an upgraded Assassin's missions section called "Medditerrean Defense" in which the player works to strip control of various cities from Templar hands. The hookblade is also introduced, which can be used in free-running (to travel along zip wires and climb more easily) and in combat (to manipulate enemies). Eagle Vision has been upgraded to Eagle Sense, which allows Ezio to not only see where his enemies and targets are but where they have been and where they are going to be. The multiplayer mode has returned in Revelations, this time with more characters, modes, and maps. Multiplayer will now tell the origin of Abstergo as you level up.

An encyclopedia on the Assassin's Creed universe has been created to accompany the Animus edition of the game. This book contains a plethora of information on everything in the Assassin's Creed universe and contains much artwork, many designers even put in designs for assassins in other time periods and cultures.

Other games

Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles

Main article: Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles

Altaïr ibn La-Ahad, a medieval assassin (see assassins), is sent on a mission from the Order of Assassins to retrieve a Chalice from the grasps of both the Crusaders and the Saracens. Altaïr quests to find three different magic keys then travels to Jerusalem to face the head of the Knights Templar, Basilisk. Upon arriving, he learns that the Chalice is not an object, but a woman named Adha who reveals that Altaïr has been deceived by an assassin named Harash, who is now a double-agent for the Templars. After killing both Harash and Basilisk, Altaïr attempts to save a kidnapped Adha from captivity but is too late. The game ends with a captured Adha sailing away and Altaïr left in the holy land.

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

Main article: Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

Altaïr has traveled to Cyprus from the Holy Land in order to assassinate the last remnants of the Templars. Here Altaïr again meets Maria and they travel together to kill the remaining Templars and learn more about the "Apple of Eden" and the mysterious Templar Archive where more of the artifacts are believed to be hidden. Altaïr manages to kill the new Templar Grand Master, Armand Bouchart, and his followers, but the Archive's contents are discovered to have already been taken from Cyprus.

Assassin's Creed II: Discovery

Main article: Assassin's Creed II: Discovery

After losing the Apple of Eden to Girolamo Savonarola, Ezio is told to meet Antonio, his fellow Assassin. When doing so, Ezio finds Antonio with another man named Luis Santangel, who asks Ezio to rescue his friend Christoffa Corombo from a presumed Templar trap set up by Rodrigo Borgia. Ezio rescues Christoffa from this trap, and is informed that Assassins in Spain are captured and executed by Tomas Torquemada. Ezio, who feels that it is his duty to rescue the Assassins, sets out for Spain to fight back against the Spanish Inquisition. Along the way, Ezio finds out that Torquemada was ordered to commit these actions by Rodrigo Borgia, who leads Torquemada to believe that God desired it so. Ezio also finds out that his close allies, Luis Santangel and Raphael Sanchez, are in fact Assassins themselves. When finally confronting Torquemada, Ezio chooses not to kill him thinking that Torquemada is merely misled by Borgia and not a Templar himself. Ezio then returns to Italy to continue his search for the Apple of Eden.

Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy

Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy is a single-player browser role-playing game Facebook application, designed as a promotion, and tie-in for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. The game is mostly text-based, but includes graphics and sound as well as some video.

Players are test subjects for Abstergo Industries who relive the lives of other test subject's ancestors through the DDS (Data Dump Scanner) as opposed to the Animus. These ancestors are Assassins.

The first mission pack is titled "Italian Wars," and is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on Bartolomeo d'Alviano during the Battle of Agnadello. Chapter 2 focuses on Francesco Vecellio on a mission to kill Niccolò di Pitigliano (cousin of Bartolomeo d'Alviano). Chapter 3 focuses on Mario Auditore and the protection of Monteriggioni. Chapter 4 focuses on Perotto Calderon, an undercover assassin who watches over Lucrezia Borgia, with whom he falls in love.

The second mission pack, entitled "Rome," was released November 16, 2010. The first chapter takes place between 1497 and 1503, and deals with the ex-courtesan, Fiora Cavazza. It deals with Fiora's involvement in recruiting an army for the Borgia, and her subsequent betrayal. Chapter 2 takes place in 1503, and involves Giovanni Borgia, fleeing his family and eventually joining the assassins. Chapter 3 involves Francesco Vecellio, and his training to be an assassin under Ezio Auditore. Chapter 4 again focuses on Giovanni Borgia, now an Assassin and joining Hernán Cortes on his journey to Tenochtitlan to acquire a "Piece of Eden," one of the Crystal Skulls. Giovanni brought it to Bombastus for study, resulting in the discovery of the formula for the Philosopher's stone.

The third mission pack, entitled "Holidays," and its first Chapter called Ghosts of Christmas Past were released on December 21, 2010 with further missions to be released in 2011. The first chapter takes places at various places in history, it takes place in the World War I Christmas Truce, with the Beagle 2 truth, the return of Charles II back to England and Shroud of Turin.

An upcoming 4th story pack, "The Divine Science Story Pack" is coming soon to the game. Also, an updated User Interface, referred to as the "DDS 2.0" is also coming soon, with enhancements and an easier way of choosing mission packs & crafting equipment.

Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy

Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy originally would see Ezio travel to Masyaf. However, the concept evolved into what would become Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and the 3DS title was announced as cancelled on July 15^th, 2011.

Assassin's Creed: Multiplayer Rearmed

Assassin's Creed: Multiplayer Rearmed is a multiplayer video game designed for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. It can be downloaded for free and is the first and only Assassin's Creed Multiplayer driven by an in-game economy. The aim is to assassinate the assigned target and avoid being killed by your own hunter. The player can purchase additional items, characters and abilities as well as compete with friends and foes from around the globe in a 4 player realtime online multiplayer mode. Players can connect via the Game Centre using either WI-FI or 3G. It is also possible to play against someone in the immediate area via Bluetooth. Available map locations include Jerusalem, San Donato, Venice and Alhambra.

Future

Assassin's Creed is a flagship product for Ubisoft. Some Ubisoft Montreal's developers stated in their interviews that Assassin's Creed III will be released eventually. The game will introduce a new character in an entirely new setting. There has been much speculation about possible settings of this game. Corey May stated that Assassin's Creed will never take place during World War II. No other official information has been yet announced. Jean-François Boivin of Ubisoft stated that each numbered title in the series will introduce a new lead character and a new setting. Patrice Désilets, former series' creative director, said that the series has always been planned as a trilogy. He also commented on the story of Assassin's Creed III, saying that it will focus on Assassins' quest to prevent the end of the world in 2012 and their race against time to find temples built by "Those Who came Before". Desmond will have to search for clues on locations of these temples by exploring memories of his other ancestors. Asked about future of the series, Sébastien Puel from Ubisoft said that "[...] we could do 35 of these [Assassin's Creed games]."

An original title for the PlayStation Vita is currently in development. Nintendo also confirmed at their E3 2011 keynote that its newest home console, the Wii U, will also have a game of the franchise, but did not confirm it will be a new title or a port to an existing one.

On 3 October 2011 Alexandre Amacio, game director of Assassin's Creed: Revelations, announced that the next installment of the franchise was to be released before December 2012, however, Amancio himself would not be directing the game. This comes from the idea that Desmond Miles, the modern day protagonist of the series, was to finish his tale by December 2012. Amacio said that gamers should not have to play a futuristic game after the time period in which it is set.

In Assassin's Creed we set up a timeline with this whole end of the world plot in December 2012... That's fast approaching, and the story we have to tell, we obviously need to do it before we arrive at that point. It would be stupid of us to be centering a game on a semi-reality and then have that conclusion happen after that date in real life.

— Alexandre Amacio

Amacio also announced that though next year's Assassin's Creed is likely to bring the story involving Desmond, who has linked together all of the games so far, to a close, it will not necessarily mean the end of the series. When Assassin's Creed returns, it will be back with a new central character. Amacio said there are "many cycles within the brand– that's the whole point. History is our playground". Amacio mentioned that the development cycles at Ubisoft Montreal are changing, too, so that following next year's Assassin's Creed, teams will be given additional development time, and without a yearly-release schedule to boot. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed during an earnings call on November 8, 2011, that a new Assassin's Creed game will be released next year. Guillemot refused to go into any further detail on the title beyond its confirmation. Speaking to MCV, the Guillemot dismissed the notion that annual Assassin's Creed instalments are diluting the brands, stating instead that they're necessary to "satisfy the demand". Guillemot also claimed in the same interview that This year's Assassin's Creed will be the series' "biggest to date."

Other media

Ubisoft expanded Assassin's Creed franchise to other media, including films, comic books and novels.

Assassin's Creed: Graphic Novel

In the limited edition of Assassin's Creed, an 8-page graphic novel was included, that showed two side-stories of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Desmond Miles. The novel was also distributed to EB Games store managers in 2007 to promote the game. The story serves as a prelude to the first Assassin's Creed game and is narrated simultaneously by both characters. In it, the novel covers Desmond's escape from Abstergo in the year 2012 and also one of Altaïr's assassination missions in the year 1191. The start of the novel involves the introduction of the two characters with Altaïr calling himself a hunter, while Desmond is a prisoner. Although initially they describe themselves otherwise, by the end of the novel they both re-introduce themselves as assassins.

Assassin's Creed Vol. 1: Desmond

Assassin's Creed Volume 1: Desmond is a French-language graphic novel written by Eric Corbeyran and drawn by Djilalli Defaux. It has been only released in France and Canada. The comic book was published on 13 November 2009, a few days before Assassin's Creed II was released. The story is a retelling of events from Assassin's Creed and the beginning of Assassin's Creed II, mostly from Desmond's modern perspective, for example it's revealed that Lucy helped the Templars to kidnap Desmond. It also features Subject 16 (referred to as Michael) and a Roman assassin named Aquilus. However, events in the comic book are different from what happens in the game. It is said Subject 16 is alive and there's no mention of Shaun or Rebecca.

Assassin's Creed Vol. 2: Aquilus

Assassin's Creed Volume 2: Aquilus is a French-language graphic novel written by Eric Corbeyran and drawn by Djilalli Defaux. The story opens with a young Desmond recalling his conversation with his father. He wakes up and has a conversation with Lucy. After meeting Rebecca, Shaun and other assassins, they get into a truck and drive to Monteriggioni.

In the meantime, Desmond relives memories of Aquilus through the animus after his apparent death in the first volume. The Roman assassin is rescued by his cousin, Accipiter, and is tasked with a quest to save Lugdunum. He meets with his father and discovers an artifact of the first civilization: an ankh which can temporarily revive the dead. The mysterious object is then stolen by a Templar senator, Vultur, who kills Aquilus' father.

The modern day story continues as Assassins fight Abstergo agents when they're ambushed on the road. Later, it is revealed that there's a traitor among in the Assassins' truck, and Desmond deals with the situation. The group finally arrives in Monteriggioni and at the end, it's hinted that the ankh artifact might be hidden within the town's walls.

Assassin's Creed: Lineage

Main article: Assassin's Creed: Lineage

Assassin's Creed: Lineage is a 36-minute film serving as a prequel to Assassin's Creed II. The film, released in three parts on YouTube, promoted the game and is the first attempt for Ubisoft to make its first step in the film industry. It is about the story of Giovanni Auditore, Ezio's father, who investigates the mysterious assassination of Duke of Milan Galeazzo Maria Sforza and first learns about Rodrigo Borgia's conspiracy.

Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Main article: Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Assassin's Creed: Renaissance is a novel based on the Assassin's Creed series written by Oliver Bowden and published by Penguin Books. It is a novelised version of the game Assassin's Creed II; however, rather than spanning a vast period of time, it is set only in the 15th century with no mention of the game's present-day events.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Main article: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a continuation of the Assassin's Creed series written by Oliver Bowden and published by Penguin Books. It is a novelised version of the game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood just like its previous book. Also, it does not contain any of the game's present-day events including Desmond, only a reference to a "phantom" by Ezio. Unlike the events of the game which start in 1499, this version of the story starts in 1503.

Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade

Main article: Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade

Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade is the third Assassin's Creed book by Oliver Bowden and published by Penguin Books. The story is told by Niccolo Polo, father of Marco Polo, and is about the life of Altaïr ibn la-Ahad. It was released on 20 June 2011.

Assassin's Creed: The Fall

Main article: Assassin's Creed: The Fall

In July 2010, Ubisoft announced a three-part comic book mini-series set in the world of Assassin's Creed as a part of their UbiWorkshop initiative. Ubisoft has hired illustrators Cameron Stewart and Karl Kerschl, both winners of multiple comic book awards. The first issue of the series was released on 10 November 2010, the second part on 1 December 2010. It was published by WildStorm. The comic takes place between 1888 and 1908 in Russia and 1998 set in the United States. It follows Nikolai Orlov and his descendant Daniel Cross, a recovering alcoholic experiencing the bleeding effect in a therapist's office.

Assassin's Creed: Ascendance

Ascendance is an animated short by UbiWorkshop and Ubisoft Montreal, which gaps the story between Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. It tells the backstory of Cesare Borgia's rise to power. The animated short was released on November 16, 2010. The short story takes place in the middle of the events of Brotherhood as Ezio Auditore sits and gathers information about Cesare Borgia, from a hooded man who is later found to be Leonardo da Vinci. It is available for purchase on Xbox Live, PlayStation Store and iTunes Store.

Assassin's Creed: Embers

Embers is an animated short film created by UbiWorkshop. The film is included as a bonus in Signature and collector's editions of Assassin's Creed: Revelations. UbiWorkShop released a teaser trailer on 21 July 2011, which was featured at Comic-Con 2011. The Embers trailer shows an older Ezio with his family. He fears someone is trying to get him. The developers described Embers at the 2011 Comic Con, at the Assassins Creed panel as a final epilogue to Ezio's story, and although can be watched anytime, should be watched after the completion of Assassin's Creed: Revelations story, to fully understand and complete the tale of Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

The short film follows an elderly Ezio, living a peaceful life in the Tuscan countryside, with his wife Sofia and his children Flavia and Marcello and writing his memoirs. One day, a stranger appears, a female Assassin called Shao Jun from China, who came to Ezio in order to seek knowledge of his life as an Assassin. Although Ezio prefers Jun did not stay, due to his desire to leave his days as an Assassin behind, Sofia allows her to stay for the night. The next day, Ezio catches Jun reading his memoirs and bades her to leave, but relents after she asks him about what does it mean to be an Assassin. While on a trip to Firenze, Ezio then recounts his story of how his father and brothers were murdered in the town square, forcing him to become an Assassin, and how such a life is defined by the pain it brings and causes. As they leave, the two are attacked by a stranger, who appears to be of Asian origin as well. After killing him, Jun reveals that she was a former concubine, now on the run from servants of the Chinese Emperor Jiang, and explains how her former master rescued her from his influence. After returning to his home, Ezio tells Sofia and his children to leave, knowing that others would come. He then teaches Jun the key to liberating her people from the Emperor's influence. Later that night, Ezio's villa is attacked by more of Shao Jun's enemies, and after a fight, successfully eliminates them all. The next morning, Ezio hands Shao Jun a small box and tells her it may come to use one day, but only if "you lose your way". He then sends her away as two riders appear at the villa. Sometime afterward Ezio journeys to Firenze with his wife Sofia and their daughter Flavia, despite suffering from heart problems. While resting on a bench and after having a short conversation with a young man with a scar on his face, similar to the sort of man he used to be, he exhales and dies in view of his family. The film then ends as a final letter from Ezio to Sofia is read, saying that of all the things that kept him going throughout life, love for the world around him was the strongest of them all.

Assassin's Creed: Encyclopedia

UbiWorkshop will be releasing an encyclopedia of the Assassin's Creed series in 2011. Initially intended as an art book, the project gathered so much material that the company decided to expand it into an encyclopedia. It will still feature works of artists, such as Craig Mullins, Tavis Coburn, 123Klan, Gabz and James NG. Artists were given creative freedom, as they were able to create a unique Assassin from the period of their choosing. The art book contains a "carte blanche" section, which is going to contain fan-submitted artwork. The orig. cost of this is $39.95.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Main article: Assassin's Creed: Revelations (novel)

Assassin's Creed: Revelations is the fourth novel in the continuation of the Assassin's Creed series written by Oliver Bowden and published by Penguin Books. The novel release date is November 24, 2011 for the United Kingdom and November 29, 2011 for the United States. Like the previous novels of Renaissance and Brotherhood, it is a novelised version of the game Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Additionally like the prior novels, it does not contain any of the game's present-day events including Desmond. Like the game, Ezio Auditore must leave his life behind in search of answers, in search of the truth. In Assassin's Creed: Revelations, master assassin Ezio Auditore walks in the footsteps of the legendary mentor Altair, on a journey of discovery and revelation. It is a perilous path - one that will take Ezio to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilise the region.

Appearances in outside media

In the 2009 Wii game Academy of Champions: Soccer, Altaïr appears as a playable character along with other Ubisoft characters. In the upcoming 2012 game Soulcalibur V, Ezio will appear as a playable fighter. Sackboy, the player character from LittleBigPlanet and its sequel, can be customed as Ezio. In Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an unlockable outfit trough Uplay. In Prince of Persia (2008), Altaïr's Costume can be unlocked with a code obtained by pre-ordering the game. The upcoming game Final Fantasy XIII-2 will have a costume of Ezio from Assassin's Creed: Revelations as a optional costume option as DLC. In the 2011 Indian film Velayudham, the superhero costume worn by the protagonist is loosely ripped-off from Assassin's Creed.

Film

According to Variety, Sony Pictures are in negotiations with Ubisoft Motion Pictures on making a film version of Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft has confirmed that the film will be in 3D. There is also a live-action fan-film in development entitled Assassin's Creed: Beginnings.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of June 19, 2011.

Game	GameRankings	Metacritic
Assassin's Creed	(X360) 82.51% (PC) 79.17% (PS3) 78.82%	(X360) 81 (PS3) 81 (PC) 79
Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles	(NDS) 58.60%	(NDS) 58
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines	(PSP) 63.63%	(PSP) 63
Assassin's Creed II	(X360) 90.49% (PS3) 90.47% (PC) 83.50%	(PS3) 91 (X360) 90 (PC) 86
Assassin's Creed II: Discovery	(NDS) 71.46%	(NDS) 69
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood	(X360) 90.59% (PS3) 90.06% (PC) 88.40%	(PS3) 90 (X360) 89 (PC) 88
Assassin's Creed: Revelations	(PS3) 80.41% (X360) 79.11% (PC) 76.43%	(PS3) 80 (X360) 80 (PC) 80

The Assassin's Creed games have received overwhelming popularity with the general public and much acclaim from critics. The series has also been financially successful, with the first and second games both selling over 8 million copies to date. In February 2011, Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has shipped 6.5 million copies. As of May 2011, the first three main games have sold over 28 million copies worldwide. As of November 2011, sales for Brotherhood were "in line" with Assassin's Creed II, which sold close to 9 million copies worldwide through March 2010. Brotherhood has sold 3.14 million copies in the US through the end of September. The franchise as a whole has moved 31 million copies since November 2007.

External links

• Assassin's Creed at US.PlayStation.Com
• Official website
• The Assassin's Creed Wiki