Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed story has been shrouded in a lot of mystery thus far. Gamers have been given little bits and pieces that hint at what the over-arching story is actually about - but it hasn't been much. To be sure, there's certainly more questions than answers and especially when it comes to series protagonist in the present, Desmond Miles.

Assassin's Creed Revelations is reportedly poised to change that.

DISCLAIMER: This is a spoiler heavy look at the storyline which spans Assassin's Creed,Assassin's Creed 2, and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. Proceed with caution!

During an interview with GameInformer, Assassin's Creed script writer Darby McDevitt revealed that Assassin's Creed Revelations will be taking a more in-depth look at Desmond - after the shock of what happened at the end of Brotherhood left him incapacitated. Now that the animus is acting as a sort of life support for him, there's going to be a lot more opportunity to explore his own past in the next installment of the story - without bringing him back to the present.

The bits of the game that take place in the present have only given us a glimpse at what's actually going on in the universe of the game. We know that the assassins are trying to stop the Templars from obtaining access to powerful artifacts called the Pieces of Eden - which would enable them to enslave mankind. While Assassin's Creed Revelations won't be bringing us the conclusion of this conflict, it will be focused on Desmond's role in the on-going drama.

“It won’t go into huge details about the present-day Assassin/Templar conflict; you won’t see any modern-day swordfights. The character development opportunities are huge, though. Because he’s alone in the Animus, we have an opportunity to pause. There’s still a bit of forward momentum in our present-day story, but we get to push the pause button more often and really build his backstory.”

While both Ezio and Altair have been fleshed out in their own ways, Desmond has (on the whole) been left a blank slate. We know when he was captured by the Templars in Assassin's Creed that he was working as a bartender, but how did he fit into the Assassin picture before that?

“That’s a lot of what’s going to be revealed in this story. The first conversation Desmond has in the AC series is where Vidic basically says, ‘We know what you are. You’re an assassin.’ Desmond says he isn’t anymore, and that’s a tease. Yes, Desmond was a part of this, and at some point he escaped, and he’s been bartending.”

Since ancestry is such an important and integral part of the series' storyline, its a wonder we haven't heard anything yet about Desmond's parents - and where they've been. Assassin's Creed Revelations is going to be giving gamers their first look at Desmond's direct ancestry.

“You see what he grew up in and what eventually led to him sitting in an Animus and captured by Templars. We definitely find out more about his relationship with his father and mother through his time in the Animus. Because of the coma, it’s offering a very different opportunity to tell a very different kind of story.”

This is probably the most blatant confirmation of something which was hinted at with the teaser videos that came prior to the Game Informer reveal: family, once again, is going to be a central aspect explored in the game. With several of the main character's birthdays listed in the animus loading sequence, it's certainly possible that players could even get to take on various roles (maybe child and father) throughout the course of the game.

What are you hoping to learn about Desmond in Revelations?

Assassin's Creed Revelations is going to drop us back into the Animus on November 8, for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Source: GameInformer