Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series has become the company's flagship franchise since its first game became available way back in 2007. In an industry that was becoming widely dominated by first-person shooters, the deep dive into actual historical locations in an open world stealth experience was like a breath of fresh air. Of course, aside from the gameplay mechanics present in the game, one of the pivotal aspects of the original Assassin's Creed was its captivating plot twist. As is common knowledge by now, all the ancient history portions of the game are experienced by what is basically virtual reality, through the eyes of characters in a modern day setting.
The first few installments in the franchise followed the adventures of Desmond Miles, as he peeked back in time and witnessed the lives of his many ancestors. The Assassins's Creed franchise has since moved onto a new protagonist in Layla Hassan, first introduced in 2017's Assassin's Creed: Origins. The modern day portions of each game has always been present, but never at the forefront and certainly not the main attraction. It remains to be seen just how long the series will go on for, but it would be an interesting change of pace for Ubisoft to commit to at least one game set in a modern environment.
Bringing the Entire Assassin's Creed Story Together
Ever since the franchise first began in 2007, the Assassin's Creed narrative and lore has only deepened and become more complex. Extraterrestrial meddling with human affairs, doomsday prophecies, technological conspiracies and more await under the surface of these numerous action adventure games. It can be a little daunting to fully dive into, especially for a player only jumping into the franchise now, but there is a storyline richly packed with mystery and fascinating characters.
Of course, as interesting as any story is, it must all come to an end someday. It is unlikely that this will be anytime soon, as sales for the Assassin's Creed franchise continue to be strong. For whenever Ubisoft does plan the grand finale, it would be a fun twist to finally see the action take place in modern times. Characters like the aforementioned Desmond and Layla learned new techniques by experiencing the actions of Assassins in the past. They then use these newfound abilities to assist them in modern times, as seen in a few notable sequences in Assassin's Creed 3 as well as in Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
For as many answers that have been offered to clear up mysteries in the series, even more questions have arisen with each new installment. The ever-growing tensions between the Assassins and Templars have been brewing for generations, and could reach a satisfying conclusion in the present. Two parties, each representing the warring groups above, can make ultimate use of all the knowledge and fighting prowess learned by their ancestors. After all, the overarching narrative has always implied that the events of the past did have an impact on the present. Ubisoft will eventually run out of significant historical time periods as well, so bringing it all together would be a significant way to cap everything off.
Assassins's Creed Gameplay in a City Location
As interesting or engaging as the plot can be often be, most players do return to the Assassin's Creed universe to be able to explore exciting new worlds. Whether it is Ancient Greece, the front lines of the American Revolution, or sailing the high seas as a pirate, the franchise has always done a great job of bringing fresh new locations to the forefront. However, as mentioned above, with so many of the most notable eras and historical conflicts already tackled, Ubisoft may be running slim on possibilities of where to go next.
From a gameplay perspective as well, each subsequent entry can only do so much to differentiate itself from the last. The more primitive technology of the past limits combat to swords and shields, while travel is usually by horse or boat. However, a modern day Assassin with access to new gadgets and technology to compliment their fighting ability and parkour skills would make for an exciting new spin to the formula. Ubisoft has already done something similar with its own Watch Dogs series, as players control characters that blend into the shadows and use stealth to overcome obstacles. Simply adding the robust parkour systems found in Assassin's Creed to this format would already be a great start.
One concern that may come up with a modern day Assassin's Creed is that the setting itself won't be as dazzling or memorable as the stunning locales from prior games. Ancient Egypt and Renaissance Italy are tough to beat, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the modern day isn't without its own wonders as well. Marvel's Spider-Man showed just how gorgeous New York City can be, while Grand Theft Auto 5 recreated what is essentially Los Angeles in video game form. For added fun, a modern day Assassin's Creed could revisit previous locations like Italy or England to compare and contrast the new with what had come before.