Ubisoft, at least as far as theAssassin’s Creedfranchise has been concerned, has never shied away from teases. Many remember the beginning ofAssassin’s Creed 3seemingly teasing an Egypt-Greece-Japan trilogy, whileAssassin’s Creed 4has a database of possible locations like theSummer of Love. It is somewhat surprising then that some of the most blatant teases for future games took place inAssassin’s Creed 2but have gone unsung for so long.
In fact, it seemsAssassin’s Creed 2beatAssassin’s Creed 3to the punch, directly teasingAssassin’s Creed OriginsandOdysseyyears prior to their release. It’s not a stretch to think that Ubisoft has a long-term plan for these games, while at times making it up as it goes along. After all, ifAssassin’s Creed 3were right,AC Japanwould be releasing this year, notAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. Either way, these teases are something fans of the franchise may want to keep tabs on.
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Assassin’s Creed 2 Teases Origins and Odyssey
Those who played throughAssassin’s Creed 2may recall retrieving several Assassin seals in order to unlock and then equip Altair’s armor to Ezio. These seals were relegated to a specific Assassin, but at the time, many likely shrugged this off. Ubisoft’s franchise was still a sapling, and these statues may have just been seen as attempts at world building in the earliest days. Nonetheless, these statues have taken on a new importance in light of recent releases.
Specifically, there are two statues belonging to two assassins, Darius and Amunet. This means that the female lead ofAssassin’s Creed Origins, Aya, who would eventually become Amunet, existed all the way back inAssassin’s Creed 2. She is listed as having assassinated Cleopatra inAC2, whereas inOrigins, she simply assisted in her suicide. Considering history changes over the course of many years, this isn’t a surprising “oversight” or change. Darius, on the other hand, may have suggested a Persian game at the time, yet he’s a lead character inAssassin’s Creed Odyssey’s Legacy of the First Blade.
Characters important to both games, in one shape or another, appeared as the statues here; however, what that means is players should look at the other Assassins for potential teases.
Other Assassin’s Creed 2 Teased Locations
Alongside Darius and Amunet inAssassin’s Creed 2, players found statues for Iltani, Wei Yu, Qulan Gal, and Leonius. Iltani was an Assassin who managed to poison Alexander the Great, leading to his eventual death. However, because these events took place in 323 B.C.,Iltani wasn’t a true assassin. Instead, she was a member of a “secret order” which eventually became the Babylonian Brotherhood, meaning her followers may have eventually sync’d up with the Hidden Ones before becoming proper Assassins. Either way, a game as Iltani could take players back to the B.C. era, or she could just be a tease that goes unfulfilled.
Wei Yu was not an Assassin in name, but he was responsible for the assassination of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang, with a spear. Because of this, the brotherhood eventually came to honor him as one of their own, so even if players weren’t exploring 200 B.C. China, this could be taken as a Chinese location tease (which could easily expand on Wei Yu’s lore). What makes this even more interesting is Ubisoft’s reputation for leaks. Fans knew aboutAssassin’s Creedgoing to the Viking Era months before its reveal, and it seems aChineseAssassin’s Creedgame may have also been recently leaked. If that eventually holds water, that would be three games thatAssassin’s Creed 2has teased thus far.
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Qulan Gal was a member of the Mongolian Brotherhood, who alongside Altair’s son Darim, assassinated Genghis Khan. It’s unclear what this could tease, if at all, as Gal’s story has mostly been told. Nonetheless, a mongol Assassin would at least distancetheACfranchise fromGhost of Tsushima.
Leonius was a Hidden One operating in Rome during the first century. As surprising as it may seem, this location has a lot of potential. Not only hasAssassin’s Creedreturning to Rome been floated by fans and rumors before, but it would be a good way to show off more of theHidden One’s history, build fromAssassin’s Creed Origins, and see yet another part of history. Leonius was responsible for the assassination of Caligula, so whether Leonius was the playable character or just an Assassin ally, there’s lore to build from here as well.
Teased Assassin’s Creed Locations
Notably, this would not be the only set of teases fans have received from Ubisoft, as aforementioned. Within each, there’s also reasonable Red Herrings to keep fans guessing at what could come next. For example,Assassin’s Creedexploring the Summer of Love just doesn’t seem likely, while Qulan Gal and Iltani seem unlikely compared to Wei Yu and Leonius being seen as teases. One could even make the argument thatAssassin’s Creed RogueteasedAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, so the franchise is certainly no stranger to teasing fans. Regardless, here’s a list of potential locations that have been teased directly, yet never appeared adjacently or otherwise in-universe.
SinceAssassin’s Creed 4, it seems Ubisoft has become more nuanced about hiding teased locations or has avoided it in recent games. After all, Japan is one of the most highly-demand locations, and Ubi is well aware. That’s not to mention a ton of factors that could go in this decision, but regardless, it’s clear there are a ton of locations the franchise could go in the future. If it ever ends, it won’t be for a lack of source material.
Assassin’s Creed Valhallareleases November 17 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions to follow.
