The lore of the Assassin's Creed franchise runs deep, not only in terms of the hidden content littered throughout the open world games, but also in the comic books, short films and novels that expand the universe. Everybody's favorite Italian playboy assassin, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, got an emotional farewell in the animated short Assassin's Creed: Embers after appearing in three of the main game titles, and now Assassin's Creed: Unity's protagonist, Arno Dorian, will get an introduction in a new animated short at San Diego Comic-Con.

Little is currently known about Arno, other than the fact that he (like several other main characters in the series) suffered from a terrible loss early in life that spurred him into joining the Assassins, so that he could help to save other people from losing their loved ones as well. The game is set during the French Revolution, so Arno may have his work cut out for him.

That's especially true if the details behind the animated short are anything to go by. In an Assassin's Creed: Unity demo and Q&A on Friday 25th July, titled "Heads Will Roll," Ubisoft will reveal new details about the game and debut the animated short film, which comes from The Devil's Rejects director Rob Zombie and The Walking Dead co-creator Tony Moore. Weather forecasters are predicting a shower of gore.

Other short films set in the Assassin's Creed universe include Assassin's Creed: Lineage, which centred on Ezio's father Giovanni and was directed by Yves Simoneau, and Assassin's Creed: Ascendance, which bridged the narrative gap between Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Since the franchise is so narrative-driven, these expansions are definitely worth watching for anyone who enjoys more than just the jumping around and stabbing in the Assassin's Creed games.

The panel will also feature members of the creative team behind Assassin's Creed: Unity, and should be a good opportunity to learn further details about this new chapter in the series. Ubisoft's presentation of Assassin's Creed: Unity at E3 ended up attracting a considerable amount of negative attention due to the fact that it will be the first game in the series not to feature playable female characters since multiplayer gameplay was introduced in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. For Ubisoft's sake, let's hope that this panel goes a little smoother.

Check out Heads Will Roll! from 2-3PM on Friday July 25th in Room 6BCF at San Diego Comic-Con.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity will be released for PC, PS4 and Xbox One on October 28, 2014.