Assassin's Creed Ragnarok may or may not be the next Assassin's Creed title currently in development at Ubisoft, but right now all signs are pointing to yes. Over the years and course of the franchise, Ubisoft has explored many different time periods and cultures worldwide, but it has yet to touch on the early Scandinavian Vikings.
A game focusing on Viking and Norse culture would certainly make sense, considering that some incredibly successful games have done the same in some way, including Bethesda's Skyrim. Therefore, in the event that Assassin's Creed Ragnarok is indeed the title in progress at Ubisoft, let's take a look at the realities of the Viking era: the culture, fact versus fiction, and which elements might be used in the game.
Viking Timeline and Culture
First, the basics: the age of Vikings lasted roughly from the late eighth to early 11th century. Vikings themselves were a seafaring people who made their mark on the world as warriors, traders, and explorers. Yes, they fought and conquered other European territories, but that wasn't the only aspect of their culture and history. In addition, the Vikings weren't a homogenous "race" all sharing common ancestry; instead, they're better defined as a people who all came from a foreign land to new waters--and they were not (unlike the rest of the "civilized" world at the time) Christian.
Many Vikings were, as is commonly known, from Norse territories that are now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but those aren't the only places they hailed from; other Vikings made their nautical journies from what is now Finnish, Estonian and Saami areas. There's not really a single concrete reason established for why the Vikings left their homelands, but it is agreed that the Viking age began in 793 A.D. when Norwegian invaders attacked the unprotected Lindisfarne monastery and sent shockwaves through the Catholic church in Europe.
The Vikings were known for their hit-and-run-style attacks on coastal settlements and monasteries, though they usually didn't completely destroy the places they invaded. Furthermore, raiding wasn't the only goal of those Viking expeditions; just as many expeditions that the Vikings mounted were done with the goal of trade instead. Thus, throughout the age, Vikings expanded their presence to all corners of northern Europe and far beyond what is now Greenland and Iceland. In fact, Vikings found and explored the Americas long before Christopher Columbus mounted his brutal expedition--and unlike Columbus, the Vikings peacefully erected a temporary settlement for themselves on the land they discovered, on what is today the coast of Newfoundland.
Though they weren't artists in the classic sense, Viking culture did place a premium on artistic and creative endeavors, as seen especially in the quality of carvings and other artisan-made objects. Then, there was the Vikings' main mode of transportation: their ships. Viking longships are all the proof of that peoples' ingenuity needed, as today they're considered a technological miracle for the time in which they were built. Naturally, ships were at the core of Viking culture, and as such, they weren't just built with practicality, but with artistry--some of the best examples of Viking art can be found carved right into their ships. Knowing all that, what might Ragnarok include?
Myths That Won't (Or Shouldn't) Be In The Game
General word-of-mouth today paints Vikings as an unkempt, uncivilized people, and that just wasn't true. Sure, England saw them as uncivilized, but that was mainly because the Vikings weren't Christian. Plenty of the negative Viking stereotypes that persist into the current era are the result of Catholic propaganda that began circulating after the Vikings attacked their facilities; in order to stir up hatred of the Vikings, the church sought to dehumanize them. However, the upcoming AC Ragnarok would have a different perspective.
In truth, Vikings were well-kempt compared to the rest of the world and even compared to those "civilized" people in Europe. Archaeologists studying them regularly find a wide array of grooming utensils that suggest Vikings as a whole were pretty dedicated to their personal hygiene. So, no, Assassin's Creed Ragnarok won't star some hyperbolized filthy warmonger as its main character--or, at least, it shouldn't so long as Ubisoft sticks to the relative historical accuracy it usually goes for (minus the whole Assassins, Templars, and Pieces of Eden thing, of course).
To get even more specific, there's one element of the stereotypical Viking warrior that really isn't accurate: the horned helmet. Vikings actually didn't wear those at all; more commonly, Vikings would either wear simple leather and metal helmets or went without headgear altogether. The whole horned helmet thing is a later invention, coming to popularity during a Victorian-era Viking revival. Horned helmets might still appear in the game, considering that Assassin's Creed armor sets always come with some sort of headpiece, but who knows? There are certainly other options to consider.
Elements That Will (Or Should) Be In The Game
Now, let's talk about the things that should absolutely be included in Assassin's Creed Ragnarok from the above exploration of Viking culture, starting with their ships. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey placed some emphasis on naval exploration and battle, and Black Flag before it even more so. It's possible that AC Ragnarok will take after Black Flag in that respect more than the other AC games, seeing as ships were so integral to Viking culture; the main character of Ragnarok having their own ship certainly seems likely more likely than not.
Given that Vikings were traders and explorers in addition to warriors, there's also a possibility of building that into the game; the main character could very well be as much a diplomat as an invader, depending on the land they sail to. And, while it seems most likely that AC Ragnarok will remain within the confines of northern Europe, it doesn't have to. The breadth of Viking exploration in the real world leaves a lot of exciting possibilities for Ragnarok's world map to incorporate.
Even though Vikings weren't only invaders, it still seems most likely that players will have to invade and conquer areas as well. AC: Odyssey had a similar mechanic where the Eagle Bearer would visit different provinces of Ancient Greece and win them (temporarily, at least) for either Athens or Sparta. Ubisoft could adapt that mechanic for AC Ragnarok, though it's doubtful players would have a choice of which side to fight for; instead, players might sail up and down the European coast winning island settlements for the Viking people.
Taking that idea further, the game could also have players setting up a settlement of their own--something Vikings did as much as they conquered. It'd be interesting to see players upgrading and adding to a personal ship, making it their own, and perhaps also to see players overseeing the development of a settlement...in between all the fighting and assassinations, of course.
The age of Vikings ended around the year 1066 A.D. Considering the events of the very first Assassin's Creed take place in the late 1100s, the player character (tentatively named Jora) might not actually be an Assassin yet. Perhaps the Assassins are something the player character will encounter when they begin exploring Europe, or perhaps they will already be a member. Either way, it's clear that the age of Vikings represents a vast and colorful sandbox for Ubisoft to play in, and should Ragnarok end up being real, it'll be fascinating to see what direction the game takes.
Assassin's Creed Ragnarok is rumored to be in development now.