The Assassin’s Creed games have always told two parallel stories—one a historical fiction and fantasy that explores different periods of the real world, and the other a modern-day tale of two competing groups trying to make sense of that history. Over time, the modern storylines in the Assassin’s Creed titles have become an afterthought, and each game cares less and less about the modern narrative. This approach is probably a chance. Ubisoft said that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will tell a new modern story that will create a “significant contrast between the past and the present.”

The modern history of Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Ubisoft VP and Assassin’s Creed executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté talked about updating the modern storyline in the next Assassin’s Creed game at last week’s BAFTA event, Eurogamer reports. Côté said that the modern narrative in recent Assassin’s Creed games has become “repetitive” and peripheral to the action-packed past timeline — “more of a side quest than an integral part of the overall experience.”

“Moving forward, our goal is to put story back at the center of the player experience,” Côté said at the event. — The modern narrative will enhance, not overshadow, the historical journey. creating a stark contrast between past and present, we aim to restore the balance that was once the franchise’s hallmark.”

The Ubisoft executive said the series’ modern-day story will explore themes of “memory, identity and autonomy,” making meaningful connections between the past and the present.

“The foundations for this new direction will be laid with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which will set the stage for this evolution of the narrative to grow in the years to come,” he said.

The original series of games in the series followed the modern-day story of Desmond Miles, a descendant of popular series hero Ezio Auditore da Firenze and a member of the Assassin Order. Miles’ story was completed in 2012’s Assassin’s Creed 3, and Ubisoft has since tried to add meaningful modern storylines to subsequent AC games.

Desmond Miles’ storyline was completed in Assassin’s Creed 3
Photo: Ubisoft

Although the publisher did not share details about the modern narrative of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the historical story of the action adventure is set in 16th century Japan. The game will feature a dual protagonist, the samurai Yasuke and the shinobi Naoe, both members of the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows was originally supposed to be released on November 15, but Ubisoft delayed the game after the disappointing launch of Star Wars Outlaws. The next Assassin’s Creed game has been met with serious backlash since its launch — some in the form of justified criticism of the price and launch strategy; others in the form of racist malice against one of the game’s two main characters, the real-life historical figure Yasuke, a samurai of African descent.

The game will now be released on PC (with a simultaneous launch on Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series S/X on February 14, 2025.