When early, unofficial screenshots for this year's Assassin's Creed game, subtitled Unity, leaked online, Ubisoft was forced to show their hand and confirm Assassin's Creed: Unity is real. At the same time, Ubisoft took things a step further and confirmed a prior rumor that they are working on two Assassin's releases for 2014, a current-gen title (Unity) and a last-gen title.
However, although the beans have been appropriately spilt regarding Assassin's Creed: Unity, Ubisoft has yet to say a thing about the last-gen title. All we really know at this point is that the game may or may not be called Assassin's Creed: Comet.
Thanks to a recent report from Kotaku (in conjunction with GameBlog), though, we may have our first hints as to Assassin's Creed: Comet's story, protagonist, and setting. Again, Ubisoft has confirmed none of this, but both publications believe in their sources.
According to these reports, it sounds like Assassin's Creed: Comet will put players in control of a…wait for it…member of the Templar order named Shay, who betrayed the captain of his former ship (mutiny?) and is off exploring the Atlantic Ocean circa 1758. Since the Atlantic Ocean is a rather large environment, Assassin's Creed: Comet has apparently nailed things down to the American coastline, and specifically New York is referenced. So, while Unity players will be off exploring the French Revolution, Comet players will find a completely different story on their plate.
Other, more concrete details, are harder to come by, but there are some rumors that Assassin's Creed 3 villain Haythem Kenway and Assassin's Creed 4: Freedom Cry DLC star Adewale will make appearances in the game. This lends credence to prior rumors that Comet will be set between AC 4 and AC 3, providing back-story on the developing conflict between Assassins and Templars during that particular time period. Perhaps we might even get some further details regarding Edward Kenway post-AC 4.
While the decision to expand to two Assassin's Creed titles for 2014 might be met with some raised eyebrows, it's still a little too early to start writing of Comet just yet, especially if it builds on the open sea navigation of Black Flag. Moreover, the opportunity to play an entire game as a Templar could lend itself to new gameplay opportunities - freshening things up beyond the typical Assassin's formula. In all reality, the franchise has been moving towards a fully fledged Templar game for some time - both Assassins Creed 3 and 4 let players control Templar characters, kind of - so it was only a matter of time before they took the leap. Hopefully, Ubisoft steps in to set the record straight soon.
What do you make of these alleged Assassin's Creed: Comet rumors? Are you intrigued by the idea of playing as a Templar?
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