'Assassin's Creed 3' Collector's Edition Hints at DLC [Updated]

Mar 26, 2012 by Brian Sipple

Assassin's Creed 3 Collector's Edition Leak

[Update: Join or Die and Freedom Editions of AC3 have been confirmed and detailed for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Check them out here!]

Seeing as though Assassin’s Creeds II through Revelations have all been graced with at-launch collector’s editions, the odds of the newly announced Assassin’s Creed III offering the same lavish supplement were pretty good.

However obvious, though, that doesn’t mean we weren’t looking forward to surveying its wears. While a collector’s edition has already been confirmed for Australia (thus, the U.S. and remaining countries surely won’t be left out), details on its exact content have remained carefully cloaked.

Anticipation won out apparently, as the Italian store Multiplayer has accidentally leaked (and subsequently removed) full images resembling the Assassin’s Creed III collector’s edition box art and included merchandise. Entitled “Join or Die” (after Benjamin Franklin’s influential 1754 political cartoon extolling colonial unity) the images from the PS3 version of the collector’s edition were snagged before the store’s removal and posted to the gaming website Esperino. You can check both out below:

Assuming the images aren’t fabricated (or that they aren’t rough concept sketches – always a possibility), they do offer a few interesting tidbits to pour over regarding details on Assassin’s Creed III. The most intriguing: the bright, Wal-Mart-sticker-yellow “DLC Bonus” logo affixing the outer “Join or Die” image.

Like many gaming franchises, Assassin’s Creed has increasingly adopted the DLC model – be it “The Da Vinci Disappearance” from AC Brotherhood or the mulitplayer add-ons of the “Ancestor’s Pack” from AC Revelations. But, all of these have released well after the game itself, and many gamers would likely be torn on the idea of day-one DLC (as we recently witnessed with Mass Effect 3.) Of course, the logo might just signify a voucher for post-release DLC as well, but either way, the second image’s graphic for a “Ghost of War” single player mission and a “Sharpshooter” multiplayer pack indicate that a substantial amount of content could be tucked away in additional expenses for consumers.

That said, we’re still chalking this one up as a rumor, as Ubisoft has yet to comment and the noted “Immagine non definitiva” text translates in English to “Image not final.” If there is a reason to hold out hope, the other potential perks that AC fans are all sure to agree on include a diary of George Washington; a medallion belonging to Connor, our new protagonist; a leather-bound journal; and a chained Assassin Order necklace for instant street cred on the corner in present-day Monteriggioni.

If the AC III collector’s edition compares to the Brotherhood Collector’s Edition or Revelations Animus Edition in any way, be prepared for a wallet drain close to $100.

Ranters, how legitimate do the “leaked” photos of Assassin’s Creed III’s collector’s edition appear to you? Would the pack be a day-one purchase should it include all of the items shown here?

Assassin’s Creed III releases on October 30, 2012 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Source: Esperino [via Kotaku Australia]