Summary
TheAssassin’s Creedfranchise is known for many things, chief among these being its use of history to tell its storyline. The first game in the series was set against the backdrop of the Third Crusade, while the second game moved forward in time to the Italian Renaissance. Since then the series has explored events such as the American and French Revolutions, gone to exotic locations such asPtolemaic Egypt, and even taken players to the golden age of piracy.
There is, however, a wealth of potential locations and events that the series has yet to cover. Many of these potential settings fit perfectly within the framework of a typicalAssassin’s Creedgame, from the Mongol Empire to the American Civil War.
6The Russian Revolution
While the Russian Revolution has been covered before in theAssassin’s Creedfranchise via comic books and the spinoffAssassin’s Creed: Chronicles, neither it nor Czarist Russia, in general, has made an appearance in a mainline game.
Compared to past games, which have been mostly set during periods of antiquity, a future game set duringthe early 20th century(at the tail end of WW1 no less) would be very different from an environmental standpoint alone, never mind the gameplay potential that comes with the relatively modern technology of the day. Consequently, setting a game during the Russian Revolution would be the perfect opportunity to experiment with new ideas.
5The Wild West
TheRed Dead Redemptionseries has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that an open-world game set during the Gunslinger era can be an amazing experience. WhileRed Dead Redemptionis set mostly within a fictionalized version ofthe American West,Assassin’s Creedcan lean on real history to tell its story.
Imagine seeing figures like Wyatt Earp or Geronimo but in the context of a typicalAssassin’s Creed-type story, or witnessing events such as Custer’s last stand (AKA the Battle of Little Big Horn). The Wild West is typically portrayed as lasting from just after the American Civil War to the 1890s, which gives anyACgame plenty of room to tell an interesting story.
4The Mongol Empire
The cool thing about setting anACgame during the height of the Mongol Empire is that it roughly overlaps with Altair’s era. In fact,Altair is canonically one of several assassinswho made the journey to Mongolia to assassinate Genghis Khan himself.
While this story has been told via tie-in novels and comics, it would be amazing to see it adapted as a fully-fledged Altair-centric game (which would be the first to even feature him sinceAssassin’s Creed: Revelations), especially since it would allow for a much more in-depth look at Mongolian society during its height. Of course, there’s always the potential for an original story as well.
3American Civil War
If there was ever a quintessential story about freedom and slavery, it was the American Civil War. Given thatAssassin’s Creedis fundamentally a story about freedom versus tyranny, it is a wholly appropriate setting. Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to interact with titanic figures of American history like Abraham Lincoln or Ulysses S. Grant, it would be the perfect opportunity to explore the complex political atmosphere surrounding the war and how slavery played a role in shaping it.
It would also allow the series to update its combat systems by taking advantage of repeating firearms and Ironclad warships. It would also be nice to revisit some of the ideas thatAssassin’s Creed 3had about large-scale military engagements but with a more modern engine.
2First Century Judea
Part of the foundation of theAssassin’s Creedworld is that virtually all of Humanity’s religions are either fabrications or misunderstandings due to the technology left over from “those who came before.” These “pieces of Eden” allow mortal men to possess the powers of a god, reshaping the world around them. In particular, figures like Jesus of Nazareth are mentioned in the first game as being in possession of pieces of Eden.
How interesting it would be, then, to have a game set during his lifetime in Judea, where he began his ministry. Something like this would certainly be controversial, but also rather bold at the same time if done respectfully.
1Nazi Germany
For something completely different, theAssassin’s Creedseries could try its hand at WW2 WW2-themed game set in Germany, with the player serving as a resistance fighter/spy type of assassin. Of course, the traditional melee-focused combat would feel out of place in this setting, so maybe this would be the perfect opportunity to mix shooting combat with stealth/espionage, and perhaps even make a switch tofirst person similar toResident Evil 7: Biohazard.
Several infamous figures of the Nazi leadership could be included on both sides, such as Erwin Rommel, Claus von Stauffenberg, Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler.
