Assassin's Creed boss admits the series grew "more predictable" after the third game, but says Shadows can change the "perceived inconsistency in quality" at Ubisoft
The Assassin's Creed franchise's boss has admitted that the series' "modern storyline struggled to find its footing" after the third game, but Ubisoft will take a "new direction" with it in Assassin's Creed Shadows - a game which could also let the studio overcome criticisms about the quality of its releases.
As Eurogamer reports, Ubisoft's vice president executive producer for the Assassin's Creed series, Marc-Alexis Coté, spoke at BAFTA event last week, where he admitted that the "modern day story arc" which focused on Desmond Miles ultimately led to "a creative crossroad" at the end of Assassin's Creed 3. Without spoiling anything, he says that deciding to end Desmond's arc was "difficult," and after that, "the modern storyline struggled to find its footing."
Coté explains that the "continued focus on characters hunting for Isu artifacts" – which had previously been driven by Desmond's own journey – "made the narrative more predictable," and ended up reducing "the conflict between Templars and Assassins" in favor of controlling "magical relics." He continues: "This shift pulled focus away from what had always been at the heart of the franchise: exploring our history."
This isn't a shift that went down well with everyone, as Coté acknowledges that the approach "became repetitive," with the modern-day storyline feeling like "a secondary concern" rather than "an integral part" of the narrative. With all this in mind, Ubisoft has a plan for the future of the franchise that'll begin with the upcoming feudal Japan adventure, Assassin's Creed Shadows.
"As we move forward, our goal is to put history back at the center of the players' experience," Coté begins. The modern-day narrative will, of course, still exist, but it'll "serve to enhance, rather than overshadow, the historical journey," and Ubisoft aims "to restore the balance that was once the hallmark of the franchise" by drawing "meaningful contrast between past and present."
Clearly, Shadows is just the start of
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