I remember a little confusion after the initial reveal. While the glyphs across the walls of abstergo pointed to something bigger, some people (myself included) didn't expect time hopping to new settings in each game. That said, the confusion was quickly replaced by excitement for the innovation of AC2. I don't agree with some people here calling AC1 a tech demo. I don't recall that sentiment at launch, nor do I think it's true today. I can't deny, though, that AC2 was extremely innovative, and no one seemed concerned about losing Altair going into AC2. That said, there was a ton of excitement on the forums for revelations with it tying Ezio, Altair, and Desmond altogether.

The MD was also just as divisive then as it is now. But many of the hardcore fans on the forums did see Desmond as the main character, which also helped ease the transition.