Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has taken us to many places within each game, and this time we’ll be playing in the much anticipated London Town.. Except back in the Victorian era.. Which is far better! The creative director, Marc-Alexis Côté, has recently said that his decision to modernise the Assassin’s Creed sandbox has really pushed his team at Ubisoft Quebec to truly revolutionise every element of the franchise. “One of the things that I think the series needs in order to innovate is to have a more modern setting; to modernise the experience,” says Côté. “Both in terms of gameplay and in terms of narrative, and there’s no other place to do that than an age of transformation. An age like the Industrial Revolution.”
Many revolutions in London throughout the ages have made the town what it is today, but it was London in the 1800’s which fascinate Côté and his Quebec team the most. “Our biggest investment, without a doubt, is in the city itself. In creating a city that lives and breathes. A city that is, for the first time in the history of the franchise, full of movement,” Côté says. “The city is split into seven different boroughs. The key to the experience is to make each of those boroughs feel very different for our players. I want our players to have a voyage through the city as they travel from the riches of Westminster to the poverty of Whitechapel.”
Victorian London has pretty much been at the top of fan lists for ‘most wanted Assassin’s Creed setting’, and it’s interesting to think why the team have waited until now to set this particular game in London. “I think there were a lot of different ideas that really factored into the decision,” comments Côté. “Victorian London has much wider streets. It’s got a long field of view, as well. I think we needed to wait and have the power of next-gen to showcase it in a way that would do the setting justice. And you just have to take a look at the Thames as well… The Thames was filled with boats which is something I’m really excited for our players to see because they are as exciting as all the other vehicles.”
