Table of Contents
Assassin’s Creed‘s deep lore expands across 13 games, 20 novels, 8 comic series, 2 animated shorts, and 1 live-action film. Making it a delicate mythos to adapt.
Factors from having one good game in a sea of badly executed games to having the release of ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’, their biggest franchise, pushed back to March 2025 have shown Ubisoft having quite some struggles throughout the last year. Despite this, the three Netflix Assassin’s Creed projects seem to still be in the works.
Historically, Video Game adaptations haven’t been the best. Even the 2016 live-action Assassin’s Creed’ 2016 live-action film didn’t do well with audiences despite being executed better than most other adaptations of the kind. With mixed emotions, fans await these adaptations, predicting two outcomes: Either the shows execute the franchise’s deep lore and history well and are a success, or they act as the final cannonball to sink the already damaged flagship that is Ubisoft.
Things to do:
- Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here.
- Limited Time Offer – FREE Subscription to The Hollywood Insider
- Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy.
From The Forgotten Pages of History
One aspect that allowed Assassin’s Creed to become the franchise that it is today is for sure its unique use of the Historical Fiction Genre. Early entries are considered by historians as valuable tools for introducing people to historical settings and key figures. These games had a coat of realism that suggested a possibility that set events truly happened behind the scenes. Audiences have wanted many historical settings, with one of the biggest, feudal Japan, being featured in the upcoming ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’.
A notable example that has been quite a word of mouth is somewhere in The Roman Empire Era. We have seen Rome’s involvement in the series with Julius Caesar being a pivotal member of The Order of the Ancients back in ‘Assassin’s Creed: Origins’. His role being so important that the subsequent Templar Order refer to him as “Father Of Understanding” in the Order’s motto. Yet, we haven’t seen the Roman Empire as a main setting, with the only exception being the Non-canonical graphic novel series ‘Assassin’s Creed: The Ankh of Isis Trilogy’. Being considered the longest-lasting empire of human history, The Roman Empire had limitless possible settings, and with its fall the Western world changed drastically. As the influence of The Order has been established in the empire, its history or fall opens for themes and narratives that the franchise is fond of, especially in a series-type format.
Many also have suggested events like The Spanish Colonization of America or The Fall of The Aztec Empire, as they explore themes of corruption and the fight for freedom that is seen throughout the series, in addition to the franchise holding a significant fanbase in the country of Mexico and Latin America as a whole. While these are marvelous settings, I believe a great contender is The Mexican Revolution. This 10-year conflict stands as the defining event of modern Mexican history, a time filled with social battles, rebellion against oppression, and corruption. It was the first war to utilize radio technology, modern espionage tactics, automobiles as transportation, and automatic rifles. This perfect balance of freedom fighting and technological appliance/development builds the perfect canvas for an Assassin’s Creed setting that in addition to the birth of the largest film industry of the Spanish language that is Mexican Cinema allows for a masterpiece of motion picture.
WATCH THE TRAILER of the Film and the Revolution: ‘Can I Go Home Now?’
The Children Around the World Continue to Ask the question
Expanding Altaïr’s Codex
Across the Assassin’s Creed games and spin-offs, we’ve seen nineteen different assassin protagonists. Some like Ezio Auditore da Firenze star in more than one game while others like Aveline de Grandpré only take protagonism for merely eight hours. Although every new entry of the series has shown a new protagonist, not everyone has had the same amount of screentime. This has left some character arcs to feel unfinished and leaving fans wanting more.
While Arno’s story during ‘Assassin’s Creed: Unity’ spreads from 1789 to 1794, and Bayek’s journey on its sequel ‘Assassin’s Creed: Origins’ expands from 49 to 38 BC. The Frye Twins’ tale only takes place during the year 1868. During the entirety of ‘Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate’ Jacob and Evie are merely 21 years old, even its ‘Jack The Ripper DLC’ only takes place during the two months of the Jack The Ripper Murders that happened in 1888. Many appreciated their sibling dynamics and character mechanics, especially since Syndicate was the last stealth game before the franchise shifted to RPG. Expanding on Jacob and Evie’s story can give the characters an evolution that other protagonists have, and fans can enjoy more of their uniquely beloved personalities.
Before being the protagonist of ‘Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry’ Adéwalé was a loyal supporting character in ‘Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’. Freedom Cry takes place thirteen years after Black Flag, and the four-hour story only spans between the years 1735 and 1737. Yet, I believe its story is one of the strongest ones in the franchise that absolutely needs more exploration. This one explores Adéwalé, a former slave turned assassin shipwrecks on the French colony of Saint-Domingue present-day Haiti. Although short-spanned game’s story displays the years that led Haiti to become the first country to permanently abolish slavery.
Related article: – Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Remove these ten words from your vocabulary| Transform your life INSTANTLY
Related article: Nintendo’s Super Mario Gets Brought to Life in New Film. What Video Game Is Next?
Diving Deeper Into The Animus
Some of the most successful Assassin’s Creed stories hold a perfect mix of three things. Each holds an important key that allows the franchise’s lore to shine across media and generations. More recently have debalanced set mixture changing from the gameplay mechanics to the Plot subjects, resulting in a slow but significant decline in audience engagement and sales.
The first ingredient is the franchise’s historical entanglement. Even though it doesn’t have a striking perfect historical accuracy, the franchise has always painted its events as happening behind the curtain. From the Birth of the series up to Origins, History was the focal point of the series with Historical figures having a pivotal role in the protagonists’ journeys.
Another key aspect that made the franchise the phenomenon that it is today is its appliance of history’s evolving technologies. The use of throwing knives in the first two Assassin’s Creed mirrors actual the Middle Ages where set weapons were used the most, the use of the air rifle used by Templar Shay Cormac during Seven Years’ War as seen in ‘Assassin’s Creed: Rogue’, even the franchises most iconic weapon The Hidden Blade is thought to be based on actual historical accounts of real-life Assassins hiding knives in their sleeves.
Related article: EVOLUTION: Every Ryan Gosling Role From 1995 to 2020, All Performances Exceptionally Poignant
Related article: EVOLUTION: Every Henry Cavill Role From 2001 to 2021, All Performances Exceptionally Poignant
Related article: Tom Holland & Mark Wahlberg Go for the Gold in New Film ‘Uncharted’ – Newest Video Game to Film Adaptation
The third and final thing has been its use of mythology. This one is what gave the franchise its place as an Alternate History pioneer in the video game world. Using it as a secondary plotline in order to support the main story. These fantastical aspects were minimal yet important to keeping the lore structure. Taking inspiration from Abrahamic Human Theology and Roman Mythology.
Despite Origins making the switch from stealth-based gameplay to an RPG-based one. ‘Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey’ is what truly shifted set balance, greatly relying on mythology and magic and pushing the historical aspect that made the legacy series to the background. This caused audiences to lose interest in the franchise, as it lost its flair for realism.
Assassin’s Creed is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, selling over 200 million copies across the globe. A franchise with some of the most loyal fanbases out there, that keep returning with every new installment despite the countless disappointments and questioning quality that Ubisoft has put it through. Now in 2025, the franchise stands at a ledge, many think that if ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ fails it can bring the end of the company as a whole. But if these future Netflix projects are executed correctly. Relying on the key elements that made the franchise the legendary masterpiece that it is, there may be a chance to save it from extinction.
By Mario Martinez Ignacio
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
More Interesting Stories From The Hollywood Insider
– Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Remove these ten words from your vocabulary| Transform your life INSTANTLY
– A Tribute to Martin Scorsese: A Complete Analysis of the Life and Career of the Man Who Lives and Breathes Cinema
– Do you know the hidden messages in ‘Call Me By Your Name’? Find out behind-the-scenes facts in the full commentary and In-depth analysis of the cinematic masterpiece
– A Tribute To The Academy Awards: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019 | From Rami Malek, Leonardo DiCaprio To Denzel Washington, Halle Berry & Beyond | From Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep To Bette Davis & Beyond
– In the 32nd Year Of His Career, Keanu Reeves’ Face Continues To Reign After Launching Movies Earning Over $4.3 Billion In Total – “John Wick”, “Toy Story 4”, “Matrix”, And Many More
Author
You might also like…
Mario Martinez Ignacio is a writer from Mexico City. As a child, he spent most of his free time deep-diving into online wikis, which sparked a passion for lore and worldbuilding. Driven by his love for writing, Mario obtained a BFA in Dramatic Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. With the objective of inspiring others, he fuses writing and education to create narratives that entertain while igniting curiosity and fostering new perspectives, one word at a time.
Mario Martinez Ignacio is a writer from Mexico City. As a child, he spent most of his free time deep-diving into online wikis, which sparked a passion for lore and worldbuilding. Driven by his love for writing, Mario obtained a BFA in Dramatic Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. With the objective of inspiring others, he fuses writing and education to create narratives that entertain while igniting curiosity and fostering new perspectives, one word at a time.
