Assassin's Creed New Protagonist Time Period

We hope you didn't get too attached to Assassin's Creed 3's protagonist Connor because it looks like he is one and done. Ubisoft today announced their plans for the next Assassin's Creed, which will release some time within the fiscal year (duh!). While that wasn't too surprising a revelation for a Ubisoft financial call, the announcement that this next franchise entry -- potentially Assassin's Creed 4 -- will feature an all-new hero and a new time period certainly was.

Why exactly Connor is getting the Altair treatment and not the full Ezio Auditore experience is unclear, but we'll likely learn more in the coming months. In the mean time, gamers can look forward to what Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot calls "another major leap forward for the franchise."

How big a leap forward is unclear, but Guillemot reiterated this annual Assassin's Creed cycle is only possible thanks to the cooperation of multiple development teams. Strangely, it was believed that this quick turnaround time and lack of a focused developmental effort were what led to Ubisoft stretching Ezio's story out for so long, but that's apparently not the case.

To be fair, Connor Kenway wasn't held in as high esteem as Ezio -- maybe not even as high as Altair -- but he was a character gamers could have learned to connect with over time. Instead, he will try to stop the tyranny of King Washington in an alternate past, and then seemingly ride off into the shadows.

For those gamers that have finished Assassin's Creed 3 (don't worry I won't spoil anything), the main draw of a new Assassin's Creed doesn't rest with a new protagonist or time period (although ancient China is high on our wish list), but in how Ubisoft will continue the game's present day story. We knew Assassin's Creed 3 was going to conclude the Desmond Miles storyline, but how they wrapped things up in the present left a lot of questions.

If the current next-gen calendar is to be believed (i.e. PS4 and Xbox 720 release this fall), then it is possible this will be the last Assassin's Creed before the franchise makes the leap to next-gen. Will that first next-gen title feature a new hero and time period as well? We will have to wait and see.

How do you feel about Ubisoft pulling the plug on Connor and Colonial America? Where would you like to see the franchise go next?

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Source: Venture Beat

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