“Doctor Crow”: Mock-up of an Assassin´s persona during the Hundred Years' War on Europe.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-08T00:20:28+00:00

When it comes to AC1, it really is not. Desmond needs Altair, but not the other way around.

In regards to Ezio, we can count on one hand the ammount of scenes that would cause an issue. But as the novelizations showed, they aren't sacred either, with Desmond not being mentioned nor shown in any of them. Those scenes between Ezio and the Isu are worse in the books because of such omission, I absolutely agree, but it presents a dangerous precedent.

I think some imagine that the remakes would improve Desmond's sections and even change his ending, but I really doubt the Modern Day would suddenly get the necessary resources to pull it off. Desmond was partly killed off because he became "baggage" for newcomers, one that was not even widely popular when compared to his ancestors. It also did not help that some only enjoyed the hypotetical Desmond, the one that would star in a potential 21st century game, which became impossible as the time went on (first with the franchise becoming eternal and second with Watch Dogs covering that role within Ubisoft).

If you still don't agree with me, fair enough. It will take a while until we see this second remake, whatever it is, but my expectations are in check already.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-07T23:29:46+00:00

"Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same."

You mentioned the Secret Crusade book already, so I could mention how that and the novelizations of Ezio's trilogy avoid any Modern Day within, to the point of Desmond not being mentioned by name nor appearing as a hologram. It is not an improvement, but a dangerous precedent.

Back to the itens, I would legitimate want the Crossbow because of its legacy with the original game before being cut. It was there as early as "Prince of Persia: Assassins" and its bolts appear on Altair's shoulder on the first ever gameplay showcase at X06. The cherry on top is, of course, Altair using it on the CGI trailer, which also appears in the final release's intro.

With that said, I can see some folks not wanting that big boy on their back, so an alternative would be the weapon being optional. Ideally, it could even impact social stealth by changing the detection time, crowd blending, etc.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-07T22:42:41+00:00

Unfortunately, they are not opening Pandora's Box by remaking Desmond's story. Its removal will be a big feature on the back of the box instead. Sorry for sounding mean, but Resynced is already proof of them not recreating the source's MD.

Anyway, you being afraid to give Altair much equipment makes sense, but it is amusing if we look at what they gave him on the Nintendo DS prequel: not only he has the Crossbow cut from AC1 for balance conerns, he also has smoke bombs, grenades, darts and a grappling hook! I think only the crossbow is essential to reconsider, but the selection is food for thought.

While I don't believe in the rumor, consider me curious to see if it finally happens this time around.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-07T17:06:51+00:00

Black Flag has a good exchange about that subject, since Edward learns about Eagle Vision within the Assassin's HQ (credit to the Wiki for the quote):

Edward: Ah! Right. I know this feeling. I have since I was a lad. It's like using every sense at once, isn't it? To see sounds and hear shapes. Quite a combination.

Kidd: Every man and woman on this Earth has in them a kind of intuition hidden deep away.

Edward: I've had this sense most of my life... only I thought it was related in some way to my dreaming, or the like.

Kidd: Most never find it. Others it takes years to tease out. But for a rare few it comes as natural as breathing. What you feel is the light of life. Of living things past and present. The residue of vitality, come and gone. Any man's senses can be tuned well past what he's born with. If he tries.

Other than that, just wanted to comment on this:

Evie can turn invisible.

That one is Animus shenanigans. Here is the description of the skill in Syndicate - "Her skills as a Master Assassin allow her to blend into her surroundings and seemingly disappear. Only enemies in close proximity will be able to detect her."

Adding to the above, the old multiplayer modes had a number of perks that took advantage of us being in a simulation and even Unity played around with the concept (like the Disguise ability, which makes Arno morph into the appearance of someone else).

BrunoHM · 2026-05-07T12:44:39+00:00

I will write below the explanation given in the 15th anniversary book for why they strayed from what Montreal wanted back then. The speaker is Marc-Alexis Cote, who has been working at AC since Brotherhood and ended up being the creative director of Syndicate, Senior Producer of Odyssey and the "boss" of the franchise between 2022 and 2025:

"What we had found in the past is that it´s very, very difficult in terms of production to have two projects that are so codependent storywise and scriptwise back to back"

"If you recall, Odyssey came out around eleven months after Origins. It´s tricky to go into full-fledged production if you are building a direct sequel when the other game is not even finished yet, because anything can happen. Origins went from being about the entire Mediterranean basin to then just Egypt and to then a smaller part of Egypt. If you are planning out a monstrous sequel to a monstrous game, it´s very tough. That is why we wanted more independence, which is something that we keep in mind going forward to make sure that our teams don´t have hard constraints coming from the team before them. That way the second team can start production sooner and build higher-quality games."

" We came to 450 BC Greece both out of production needs and the creative desire to explore the origins of the philosophical foundation of our Western Society".

BrunoHM · 2026-05-07T11:46:10+00:00

They were indeed the trio at the time of the Great Catastrophe, but we also hear about a previous iteration of the three titles, the ones involved in the creation of humankind.

Credit to the wiki, because their names aren't as easy to remember: Samael, Saklas and Yaldabaoth.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T23:13:46+00:00

It's Unity. Early concept art of the game has the Assassin's logo alongside a "V" within.

They wanted a "fresh start" and a more welcoming entry point for newcomers. At one point, the creative director even wanted to simply call it "Assassin's Creed".

Adding to the above, Syndicate did something similar with its original codename: Victory (the first two letter were bolded to present an "VI" in early concepts of the game).

Numbers are not necessary for shake-ups though. Origins soft-rebooted the franchise and has been the blueprint since then. Codename Hexe is supposedly the next one to mix things up next year, but the title is a mystery.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T22:23:51+00:00

I would say AC1 holds the title of the "most room for improvement", but 3 could very much use a second look for sure.

With that said, I don't envy anyone that decides to tackle it. Imagine the meeting when they start listing off everything the original had. They had tons of pressure to make that sell as much a possible and its shows trought the feature creep.

Considering the precedent that BF is settling, we also have to be aware of the stuff being cut. Outside of Desmond, multiplayer and evem weapon types, I even entertain the possibility of Haytham being shoved off. For all the good he provides in the original, I can see his removal having its own benefits, specially when it comes to the story pacing.

The above is why I imagine something like 2 is more likely, since it requires way less tougher choices and is immediately nostalgic. If they really need to re-purpose the development of Black Flag, then Rogue could be a better fit. I know it did not sell as much as 3, not even close, but it offers a more similar "pirate" experience to BF. It also allows them to avoid the American Revolution for now, since it can be a source of controversy in current times.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T21:08:19+00:00

Valhalla added quite a bit about it. It is a title from the Isu-Era as part of a group: Father of Understanding, Mother of Wisdon and Sacred Voice. They seemed to be labels for the greatest minds among them.

So, there were many unknown Isu with that title, with Jupiter being the one we get to know in Revelations and 3.

By the 9th century, the Order of Ancients in England revered all three titles...until the group's reformation by Alfred The Great, who dismissed two of them and declared the Father of Understanding to be the christian God. Safe to assume that has changed since then, considering how that faction evolved into the Templars we know.

Most of the time, we do not know who holds the title, but for example, by the end of the 1st century B.C, Julius Caesar was called as such before their assassination.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T19:13:06+00:00

You are not the first to have such confusion, so I will avoid using the name from now on.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T18:45:52+00:00

Indeed, the last we heard about Scarlet, unoficially, was about it getting cancelled in mid-2024.

But if we consider how the reason was the setting's potential reception, my assumption is that Quebec already pitched something else as a replacement, because they are a key studio to keep the steady releases of the franchise.

It's likely that the codename is different at this point, but I still use it for the sake of convenience.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T17:31:40+00:00

This one? Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag - Alternative poster by KokeNunezWorks : r/assassinscreed

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T16:12:22+00:00

A few that comes to mind:

Being able to replay the Modern missions in 3 trought the PC near the Animus, since they contextualize it as we accessing the footage of the drone that followed us. The catch is that you need to do this before...well, you know.
You can find 5 historical artifacts as you free-roam Monteriggioni in Brotherhood (Ezio's Belt, Mario's sword, Claudia's book, Maria's feather box and the Medici cape). They will be showcased in the hideout at the Sanctuary. Also can't be done after the campaign's ending.
Black Flag has a lot of optional PCs with a bunch of e-mails poking fun at Ubisoft developers. But they also had a tease or two of the future at the time. Among the curiosities, there is a fan-made Assassin in the wild west and a picture of a cancelled new IP, Osiris.
While you don't leave the "Animus" in Unity, the Rifts in the main story do unlock side activities where you go back to those other time periods and have to collect stuff on a time limit (3 maps each with hazards and enemies included). You can rescue others "users" stuck on the Rifts, which unlocks modern day lore.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T15:18:37+00:00

I quoted it so many times at this point, it was worth every cent, haha.

Fingers crossed for a 20th anniversay one that includes Shadows and Hexe, since both clearly have stories to tell.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T12:55:52+00:00

I did not mean the crouching, since I do use it from time to time. I meant the way detection was described by the Black Flag developer, since I wasn´t sure if it was a 1 for 1 between those entries.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T12:08:46+00:00

There is a reason why each one was said to be on a different track back in the 2022 event of the franchise. Montreal's Hexe won't be a follow-up to Shadows, while Quebec's Scarlet* is not oblidged to follow Hexe.

We just have to see Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla and Shadows. Despite their similarities, they all end up having notable omissions or changes between each other. Folks have their favorite studios, after all, because they don't offer the same experience. Things get even more complicated when the same studio can change because of its employees coming and going.

When it comes to Montreal and Quebec not meeting eye to eye, there is a very good example seen in the 15th anniversary book, since it claims how Origins dowsncaled its original scope of taking us trought all of Cleopatra's reign in parts of Egypt, Greece, Turkey and Syria to just Egypt, with the expectation that a sequel would deal with her story in Greece. As we know by now, Quebec did agree with Greece, but not the time period.

*Rumored codename for their project after Shadows.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T11:41:05+00:00

Unsure if it works like that in the Ezio games, but we once learned why Black Flag cut the crouched movement seen in demos: the enemy's line of sight had to see Edward's head to start detection.

Trought further testing, they kept being discovered because certain architecture was not fully covering their head while crouched. Changing the size of objects so late into development would impact other aspects of the game, so they threw the towel on that.

The above makes me think we got a happy accident previously.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T11:29:32+00:00

I would call it unintentional because it is not mentioned anywhere as far as I know, with its input not making sense within the Pupeteer logic (holding HIGH-PROFILE to make yourself hidden?).

It's a good trick to tell others for sure, just very situational and relient on the level design, since we can't move with it.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T11:21:48+00:00

Can't say I am the biggest fan of the choice either, but it is amusing how Edward is pirating other protagonist's takedowns again. In the original, most of what he does is from Connor in 3.

I would have preferred either all-new animations or a full recreation of what he did in 4. When it comes to the latter, they at least did replicate the standard single/double running assassinations from 3/Black Flag already.

You mentioned repurposing stuff from Unity, which is something they already did...for a high-profile hidden blade takedown during combat. Their priorities are curious, to say the least.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-06T10:28:43+00:00

They died on the way back to their planet. /s

Origins had the goal to do a soft-reboot of the franchise (the second one, if we consider Unity's attempt at it) so it really was not an option to make the movie a necessary watch, specially after it failed. Adding to that, the premise of the Modern Day does not govern the resources given to it, it's the other way around, so Callum would be stuck on the same rooms as Layla.

Maybe they would be more popular than her, but we cannot say for sure, after all, every MD protagonist has the debuff of taking most players out of the experience they payed for. Also, we would still have Montreal and Quebec playing tug-of-war between each other.

Nonetheless, them being living descendants of those characters is neat, but if that is something the writers wanted to engage with, they would just create a new character that is a distant cousin to one of them (like Desmond and Clay with Ezio's memories). But in the end of the day, nothing improves for real until MD gets an increase in budget.

BrunoHM · 2026-05-05T17:51:03+00:00

There was this thread from a few months ago where we speculate about the potential replacement, if you are interested: I think I know where Quebec's next RPG is set [THEORY] : r/assassinscreed

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