We've waited so long for Assassin's Creed in Japan – can Codename Red live up to the hype?
And just like that, Assassin's Creed is heading to feudal Japan. After years of online speculation, longing fan conjecture, wistful rumors and ill-fated 'leaks' from those clearly no more in the know than any of the rest of us, The Animus has hit the jackpot. In the briefest of teases during Ubisoft's jam-packed Assassin's Creed Forward event – in celebration of the long-serving stealth 'em up series' 15-year anniversary – we saw a curved sword-donning ninja gracefully leaping onto a building, arms aloft, against a blistering blood red sunrise. Perched on a rooftop ridge, the hooded figure then flicked their wrist to reveal a concealed blade from within their sleeve, before smoke flooded the screen and a header read: Assassin's Creed Codename Red.
"This is Codename Red, our next premium flagship title and the future of our open-world RPG game on Assassin's Creed," said Ubisoft's Marc-Alexis Cote thereafter. "Developed by Ubisoft Quebec, the studio behind Assassin's Creed Odyssey, it will let players explore one of their most awaited settings, feudal Japan, and they'll live a very powerful shinobi fantasy."
Which, for many Assassin's Creed fans, will sound absolutely fabulous. My only concern at this early stage, though, is how well Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Nioh and its sequel, and Ghost of Tsushima have portrayed fantastical and realistic slants on feudal Japan in recent years. Couple this with Ubisoft's signature deference to history and setting in this series, as well as the fact players have been screaming for this location since Assassin's Creed 2's release in 2009, and I reckon Ubisoft Quebec not only has its work cut out for it here, but really must get this one right.
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