There are several Easter Eggs, historical allusions, and tie-ins throughout the popular Assassin's Creed video game series by Ubisoft.
For Ubisoft, the Assassin's Creed video game franchise has proven to be very successful and popular, attracting a devoted following. Since the debut of the first game in 2007, the series has grown to be a multi-million dollar franchise with a number of tie-ins, including the 2016 film, comic books, short films, and board games.
Despite its immense popularity, there are a few historical details, Easter eggs, and behind-the-scenes facts that only die-hard fans would be aware of. Given the fact the games draw from a rich global history of politics and warfare, there is a lot of scope to be interpreted by fans.
There is currently a televised adaptation in the works from Netflix.
While very little is currently known about this adaptation, what is known is that this isn't the only project from Netflix involving the franchise. In fact, they are looking at creating a shared universe that takes full advantage of the wide range of stories that have already been told.
12 Connected Novels
Some fans might have been absolutely involved with the games, but never looked at the expanding materials. Much like so many other sci-fi and fantasy franchises, Assassin's Creed has ventured into the publishing territory with 12 mainline books based on each of the games.
While the expanded materials also extend far beyond these, these crucial releases help to tell the stories of the leading protagonists and their supporting cast of characters. They are perfect companion pieces, but what's more, act as a brilliant shared universe in their own right.
There Are Mobile Spin-offs
The console games aren't the only installments to the series that fans should be looking out for. For far too long, the mobile releases have been overlooked, with many players unaware that these companion titles even exist or actually expand the main stories in small ways.
Titles such as Identity, Pirates, and Rebellion are some of the best in the series, using the best of modern mobile technology to tell new tales that help to expand the shared universe further. Each new console release will continue to see more mobile side titles that are usually can't-miss.
Valhalla Is The Most Successful
The Assassin's Creed franchise has seen its fair share of success. While it might have undergone a period of rejuvenation, it is now bigger and better than ever. That has been reflected in the sales, with Ubisoft's most profitable release having actually come out recently.
Valhallahas surpassed $1 billion in sales (per CBR) which makes it the most successful release in the franchise thus far. Critically it certainly lives up to those profits, and any future releases are definitely going to be looking to rival those sales if the series continues to thrive.
There Are Upcoming Titles
Fans are looking for a certain range of elements from an Assassin's Creed title, whether it's the surprising twists, period setting, or brilliant combat gameplay. All of that is being promised by Ubisoft, which has recently announced the latest standalone title after it was leaked.
Mirage is set in Baghdad and features an entirely original protagonist. Details are thin on the ground, but early promotional images have suggested that this will be a release unlike anything seen before. The Ubisoft Forward event is sure to showcase the title in more detail.
The Basic Premise Is Inspired By A Slovenian Novel
Assassin’s Creed centers around a cult of assassins that have worked against the Templar Knights for centuries. Throughout most of the Assassin's Creed games, allusions to the real-life Hashshashin (Order of the Assassins) have been made. While there are plenty of medieval history sources to draw from, the historical fiction novel Alamut also delves into the history of this sect of assassins who murdered who they felt were “enemies of state”.
Alamut is a 1938 work by Slovenian author Vladimir Bartol that dealt with the life of Hassan-i-Sabah, the founder of the Order. Even if the game might not be a direct adaptation, the novel does share similarities in terms of the storyline and characters. For instance, in the novel, one of the Assassins' targets is Conrad of Montferrat. Conrad’s father William V also appears as a Templar in the first game.
The Assassin's Creed Symphony Tour Began In 2019
To celebrate the franchise's music, a 2019 tour was kicked off with orchestral performances in Los Angeles, Montreal, Berlin, Milan, London, Zurich, and San Francisco. The show featured performances by a symphony orchestra and choir, set against interactive holographic 3D backdrops.
A treat for fans of the Assassin's Creed video game soundtracks, the Assassin's Creed Symphony was supposed to return in 2020. However, due to the onset of COVID-19, all dates were called off.
Characters Like Altair And Ezio Appear In Other Games
Because of their extreme popularity among gamers, characters like Altair and Ezio appeared in several unrelated games too. For instance, Altair is a playable character in Nintendo Wii's Academy of Champions: Soccer. Altair's outfit is also an unlockable feature in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
As for Ezio, the Assassin is a playable fighter in Soulcalibur V and his costume also finds its way as one of Sackboy's outfits in LittleBigPlanet.
Far Cry Is Filled With Assassin's Creed References
The Leap of Faith sequence in the Assassin's Creed games is so popular that other Ubisoft properties also reference it at times. A major example can be seen in the Far Cry games with Far Cry: Primal involving an unlockable achievement called Kanda of Faith. This basically involves players jumping off a cliff into a well just like how the Assassins jump into the haystack.
In the same game, the eagle sound from the Leap of Faith can be heard as two characters learn how to fly with homemade wings.
Kristen Bell Appeared In Three Of The Games
The games boast an interesting voice cast including the likes of recognizable video game voice actors like Nolan North (who plays Desmond Miles) and Fred Tatasciore (who plays Maurio Auditore). Apart from these names, a major film star also appears as Lucy Stillman in three installments of the franchise.
Kristen Bell provided both her voice and likeness to the character in Assassin's Creed, reprising the role in Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood. The actress would go on to achieve more fame in voice acting with the Frozen movies, in which she plays Princess Anna.
The First Game Was Intended To Be A Prince Of Persia Sequel
Before Assassin's Creed came into the picture, Prince of Persia was the most popular title for Ubisoft. In fact, the creative director behind the first two Assassin's Creed games, Patrice Désilets, rose to fame as the director of the classic game Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Désilets noted that his brain was wired to make another Prince of Persia game while he was working on Assassin's Creed. He also mentioned his inspiration for the Animus came from the Prince of Persia games, "Some things you keep and some things you redo, and the Animus was just the device that replaced the Prince talking to Farah."
Riz Ahmed Has An Assassin's Creed Connection
Academy Award-nominated actor Riz Ahmed has appeared in several movies and TV shows in recent times. But what many might not know is that he is also involved with the Assassin's Creed franchise through a voice role in Assassin's Creed Gold. The Audible audio drama follows an original storyline in which a card shark relives the memories of her 17th-century ancestor Omar Khaled.
Ahmed plays the ancestor who is revealed to be a blind Assassin allied with the British Brotherhood. At one point in time, Omar also served as an apprentice under the scientist Isaac Newton.
The Short Films Are Canonical
The Assassin's Creed live-action adaptation turned out to be one of many failed movies based on video games. In contrast, there are three official short films by Ubisoft that are very much part of the video game canon.
The first short film was Lineage, which offered more background on Ezio's father, serving as a prequel to Assassin's Creed II. This was followed by Ascendance, which served as a middle chapter between Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood. Similarly, Embers acted as the epilogue of Ezio's character arc.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles Has A Manga
Among the many Assassin's Creed comic books and novels, a spin-off was released in the manga format. Assassin's Creed Blade of Shao Jun revolves around the adventures of the titular protagonist from Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China.
The manga tells the story of Shao Jun seeking revenge for her fellow Assassins' death at the hands of the Ming Empire. While much of the action is set in China, the lead character also has a brief detour in Europe.
It Is Ubisoft's Highest-Selling Franchise
As of February 2021, the Assassin's Creed franchise is the highest-selling video game series for Ubisoft, superseding the likes of Far Cry, Prince of Persia, and Tom Clancy. The Gamer mentions that the total sales of the games around this time came up to 155 million copies.
Odyssey, Origins, and Unity are the biggest moneymakers for the franchise, with each game having sold 10 million copies worldwide. This was followed by Assassin's Creed at 9 million.