Ubisoft is launching a short manga promoting Assassin's Creed Valhalla ahead of its release next month. The comic is a crossover between the upcoming game and the iconic Viking-themed manga Vinland Saga, drawn by the author of the latter.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla marks the return of the Assassin's Creed series after going on hiatus for about two years. The latest installment follows Eivor, a ninth-century Viking, as they explore the land that would become England. Ubisoft has gradually released information about the game over the last few months, including some unexpected collaborations. For example, Reebok will release Assassin's Creed Valhalla shoes and clothes in upcoming months.
Ubisoft Japan revealed the manga via Twitter. Although the motion comic included in the announcement tweet hints at an exciting adventure, the manga is unfortunately only six pages long. It depicts a brief encounter between Eivor and Thorfinn, the main character of Vinland Saga. Eivor sieges a fleet of ships and ultimately knocks out Thorfinn before leaving. The encounter is presumably non-canon to Assassin's Creed Valhalla, unlike the prequel graphic novels releasing next year.
It should be noted that Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Vinland Saga don't actually take place at the same time, so this crossover would be impossible. The game takes place in the ninth century, while the manga takes place in the eleventh century. This kind of contradiction has never stopped exciting crossovers before, but it is strange given the game's adherence to historical accuracy. For example, even though Eivor can visit the famed Sherwood Forest in-game, they cannot meet Robin Hood, as Eivor is there a few centuries too early for that.
Dedicated Assassin's Creed fans may be confused by the choice to include the male iteration of Eivor in the crossover manga. The prequel novels will treat female Eivor as canon, but the actual Assassin's Creed Valhalla game treats both genders as canon. As the crossover manga simply can't be reconciled with the canon of either franchise, perhaps it is best to take it on its own terms. Eivor remains obscured until the manga's final panels, so fans of the female Eivor can at least imagine her to be under the hood for most of the manga.
Although the manga doesn't do much in the way of world-building, Assassin's Creed Valhalla will expand its world in exciting ways via post-release season pass content. Namely, players will be able to visit Ireland and France, allowing Eivor to play an important role in even more historical events. Plus, Eivor will experience an in-canon crossover of sorts with a quest modeled after Beowulf, the famous English epic poem.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla launches on November 10th for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It will release for PlayStation 5 on November 12th.
Source: PCGamesN