10 Things You Didn't Know About 'Assassin's Creed'

Video Games

May 17

Think you’re an expert on Assassin’s Creed just because you’ve played all fourteen main games, expansions, spin-offs, mobile games, and read the novels… Okay, that’s a lot of content. But there might be some things that you didn’t know about Ubisoft’s bestselling franchise.

10. The Real-Life Levantine Brotherhood

The Levantine Brotherhood was loosely based on a Muslim order of assassins that lived from 1090 and 1275 AD in Persia (modern-day Iran). They were known as the Hashashin and were the basis for Batman’s famous nemesis Ra's al Ghul. The real order didn’t come across the Knights Templar, however, they did have skirmishes with agents of King Richard I and other crusaders. The game has many nods to the group, including Almut Castle (the Hashashin’s real-life base, which still exists today in Iran) featured in Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.

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9. Assassin’s Creed Was Inspired By An Obscure Novel

Assasin's Creed book — Image Source: YouTube

The Inspiration for Assassin’s Creed was a Slovakian Novel by Bartol named Almut (after the Hashashin fortress). The antagonist convinces the Assassins that they will go to heaven if they fall in the line of duty by creating a fake paradise within the fortress. The motto of the book is “Nothing is an absolute reality, all is permitted.” It’s an excellent novel, but unfortunately out of print, so getting hold of it (especially in English) is nearly impossible.

8. Ubisoft Paid To Dig Up An 18th Century Pirate

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag has plenty of historical figures within the game, including Blackbeard and Calico Jack. But one that didn’t appear was the famous Spanish pirate Amaro Pargo. Pargo’s burial was a mystery in itself as he left a will containing a description of a hidden treasure, and a book which presumably contained its location, but it was never found. Ubisoft, the game’s creators, financed the excavation of Pargo’s tomb (as well as DNA tests and facial reconstruction) as part of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag's marketing campaign. No sign of the treasure, though.

7. Lucy Stillman Was Voiced By A Disney Princess

Lucy Stillman was one of the architects of the Animus project, and she appeared in multiple games in the franchise. She was voiced by Kristen Bell (Anna) from Frozen and The Good Place. Bell is reportedly a huge gamer, but unfortunately, she became too expensive, which is why Stillman died in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

6. Gamer Tourism

Tourism Ireland used Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla to encourage visitors to the Emerald Isle. A video was made in conjunction with Ubisoft showing the locations in the game (such as Benbulbin, the Giant's Causeway, and Dublin) versus the real scenery.

5. Ubisoft Stepped Up To Protect Staff From Online Harassment

Ubisoft put together a comprehensive anti-harassment plan for the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, because one of the game’s playable characters was a black samurai. Ubisoft received backlash from both the right and the left for the lack of historical accuracy. Yasuke was based on a real person, but not a samurai. Ubisoft worked with a number of governments, including the Canadians and the French, to shut down any online harassment of their staff before it escalated. They had dedicated surveillance teams monitoring platforms like X, YouTube, Reddit, with Lawyers were on standby to file complaints for anything that was directed at their employees. They also offered their staff mental health support if anything occurred. Ubisoft had to respond to misinformation that the game was being banned in Japan because of Yasuke’s inclusion. This was false. The game did have to remove a few of the more violent/graphic deaths from the cut scenes, but this happens to many video games when they cross over into that market.

4. Super Mario

There are references made to the Nintendo character in Assassin’s Creed II and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. Brotherhood had two Mario-themed achievements to unlock, titled “Principessa in Another Castello" (Princess in another castle, a Mario quote) and Plumber.

3. National Geographic

The National Geographic Museum used gameplay from Assassin’s Creed: Origins as part of its Ancient Egypt exhibit. Developers put in a lot of research to make the Assassin's Creed franchise as accurate as possible, as shown by the fact that the museum displayed it as an example of the period.

2. Fixing Unity

Assassin’s Creed: Unity was notoriously glitchy, with players reporting crashes, disappearing through the floor, or getting stuck halfway up a climb. It took a massive 40GB update to make it playable, and Xbox One owners often had to uninstall and reinstall the game to get it to work.

1. Is John Wick A Member Of The Order?

There’s a fan theory that John Wick is a member of the order despite there being no connection between the two franchises. There are good reasons for this. John Wick cut off his ring finger to pledge loyalty, just like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and the symbol on the back of John Wick’s blood oath marker matches the Assassin's Guild. The High Table is based in the desert and makes references to the Hashashin, drawing from the same source material. There’s been no reference to Wick in any of the games yet, and there’s no hidden blade, but the fans are ready for it.

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