While perhaps not the most popular entry in the franchise, Assassin's Creed 3 has shaped and molded several titles that followed it, including the upcoming Assassin's Creed Red. AC3's sailing mechanics were vital to AC Rogue and AC Black Flag, while its lore and setting tie into Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Eivor's trip to Vinland. There's certainly more if one looks closer, but perhaps the most interesting connection right now is to AC Red.
As revealed during Ubisoft Forward, Assassin's Creed Red is the next open-world RPG in the franchise, set in Japan. That was basically it though, as it is a couple of years away it seems. However, this specific setting made sure it generated as much hype as the 'back-to-basics' approach in Assassin's Creed Mirage and the mysterious allure of Assassin's Creed Hexe. Many are excited about the Japan setting for as long as it's been requested, while others are concerned about Assassin's Creed Red being a Ghost of Tsushima clone/visiting this setting too late. Stuff like that remains to be seen, but it's clear as far back as AC3 that Ubisoft has considered it, even if it ignored its own tease for more than a decade.
Assassin's Creed 3 Proves AC Was Always Going to Japan...Eventually
Assassin's Creed 3 players come across this above shot at one point in the game, and at the time, it seemingly hinted at a trilogy consisting of Egypt because of the Eye of Horus, Greece because of the Omega Symbol, and Japan because of the Torri. Following AC3, however, the franchise went to many locations like France and London, but never Japan. Once AC Origins came out though, many may have thought this trilogy was coming to fruition. It seemed even more likely when Assassin's Creed Odyssey came out, but instead of going to Japan after, it went to Viking-era England.
Now, the franchise is likely to visit at least one more location before Japan, Assassin's Creed Mirage's Baghdad setting, but it's clear it was always going anyway. This may or may not be the only direct connection between AC3 and AC Red, but it is still there. Furthermore, come Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag, players could find the below Abstergo e-mail that also seemed to hint at several locations, including Ashikaga Shogunate in Japan. Some of these exact settings and time periods though seem more like red herrings, but Japan has clearly long been a goal for the franchise...even, again, if it took Ubisoft some time to get there.
Of course, some have gone on to say now that it's unnecessary because of Ghost of Tsushima. Many have compared Ghost of Tsushima to an Assassin's Creed Japan game ever since its launch, but this thinking is, at best, reductive of Japan. There's plenty more to explore and plenty of ways that Ghost of Tsushima 2 and Assassin's Creed Red could come out, without each stepping on the other's toes. The stories, for one, will be a major point of difference, as AC Red is unlikely to take place in the same time period as GoT.
It should also be said that, when Ghost of Tsushima was revealed, one dev commented that Sucker Punch was happy Assassin's Creed was not going to Japan. Perhaps both at once would have been a bit much, but Ubisoft's "delay" in going into Japan allowed Ghost of Tsushima to shine. And that's only good for both franchises, so it's nothing to be worried about.
Assassin's Creed Red is in development.