Assassin’s Creed Mirage developers worked with experts to ‘tackle some common cliches’ about Baghdad

destructoid.com:

After a long period of rumors followed by an official announcement, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is finally nearing launch. Ubisoft’s next installment takes place in 9th-century Baghdad, with Basim Ibn Ishaq taking center stage. Mirage is said to return to the Assassin’s Creed series roots, embracing stealth and parkour.

As the case with past Assassin’s Creed games, Mirage features historical locations and figures that complement more fantastical aspects of its story. In the latest developer behind-the-scenes, the Mirage team discussed the meticulous details and research that went into making Mirage. It’s all in an effort to deliver a more authentic recreation of Baghdad—one that doesn’t fall victim to common tropes and cliches.

With its rich history, Baghdad is an easy city to draw inspiration from. It was once the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, and it had the honor of being one of the world’s biggest cities during the Islamic Golden Age. Even so, despite its rich history, Mirage developers were aware modern depictions of Baghdad often neglect this rich cultural heritage.

According to artistic director Jean-Luc Sala, research for Mirage was a little harder than usual because, unlike other settings, “almost nothing from the period has survived to the present day.” Hence, they consulted various experts and relied on descriptions from Medieval travelers, as well as archaeological findings from neighboring cities. Using this information, the team carved out their rendition of Baghdad into four distinct regions:

In the video, Sala highlighted how modern depictions of Baghdad in movies and games often portray it as a ruined landscape. While developing Mirage, the team took their approach the opposite direction, attempting to