The early years of Assassin’s Creed saw players explore both the past and the modern day through its protagonist Desmond Miles, and while recent games have focused less on the person inside the Animus, Ubisoft plans to address that in the future.
In a recent interview, Assassin’s Creed boss Marc-Alexis Coté reflected on how recent games struggled to create a meaningful connection between the past and the future. In the context of Assassin’s Creed, ancient history is recreated through the Animus, a virtual-reality machine that taps into a subject’s DNA and allows them to experience the genetically inherited memories of an ancestor. At the center of this idea was Desmond Miles, who entered the Animus and became a narrative anchor point for the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
“Desmond’s journey was at the heart of the modern-day conflict driving the search for powerful Isu artifacts–Pieces of Eden–that could change the course of history,” Coté said to Eurogamer. However, with his death at the end of Assassin’s Creed 3, we faced a creative crossroads. “Ending Desmond’s arc was a difficult decision, and afterward, the modern storyline struggled to find its footing.”
To address this, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will lay the groundwork for the future of the series, as it’ll be integrated inside Assassin’s Creed Infinity, a hub presented as an in-universe Animus that will host the ongoing modern-day narrative. Coté explained that this will allow the contemporary storyline to “enhance” rather than overshadow the historical journey, creating a “meaningful contrast between past and present” that will focus on how the past shapes the present and themes of freedom versus control.
“The groundwork for this new direction will take shape with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which will lay the foundation for this narrative evolution that will grow in the years to come,” Coté said.
Originally scheduled to launch in October, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was delayed to February 14, 2025. Ubisoft said at the time that the delay was made to give the developers more time to polish the game, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ early access has also been canceled.