Leaked screenshots may offer us our first look at the setting and protagonist of the next Assassin’s Creed game – or at least one of them. According to a source speaking to Kotaku, there will actually be two coming this fall: one for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and one for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Both may make their way to PC as well, but no word yet on the Wii U.
The same source also passed on a series of screenshots giving us a hint at one of the settings, which appears to be 18th century Paris. The shots show several familiar Paris landmarks, as well as a new, male assassin an earlier source told the Examiner is named Arno. That source also claimed the game would offer four player co-op.
According to Kotaku’s source, the projects are currently known under a pair of codenames. The game known as “Unity” is for the new consoles and will be set during the French Revolution. That event took place between 1789 and 1799, but could trace its origins to several events prior to that, including the American Revolution. During what became known as the “Reign of Terror,” a one-year period that lasted from 1793 to 1794, more than 40,000 people in France died.
Although Ubisoft is not commenting on any of this, the time period would fit well with many of the philosophical concepts the Assassin’s Creed series has featured. It would also, in theory, allow for the return of Assassin’s Creed III star Connor, or at least continue the family line that expanded with Connor’s grandfather in Assassin’s Creed IV.
The second project, which is being developed for the PS3 and Xbox 360, is being developed under the codename “Comet.” It isn’t clear how, or if this game will be related to Unity. It may be a companion, an unrelated game, or even a different type of game altogether (like the board game-like mobile title Assassin’s Creed: Recollection, for example).
This won’t be the first time a pair of Assassin’s Creed games were released around the same time: In 2012, Assassin’s Creed III was joined by Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, a completely separate, but related title, exclusively for the PS Vita. It would be an interesting shift for a developer to create two completely different games in the same franchise for different generations of consoles though, rather than just porting one to the other as Ubisoft did with Assassin’s Creed IV.
At the moment, this is all unconfirmed, though it does fit with previous rumors – at least the French Revolution setting. But until Ubisoft officially unveils the game (or games), keep in mind that this is all from an anonymous source.
Still, if the rumors and screenshots do prove to be true, what do you think? Does the French Revolutionary time period get you excited for the next AC game?
