While perhaps not the most popular entry in the franchise,Assassin’s Creed 3has shaped and molded several titles that followed it, including the upcomingAssassin’s Creed Red.AC3’s sailing mechanics were vital toAC RogueandAC Black Flag,while itslore and setting tie intoAssassin’s Creed Valhallaand Eivor’s trip to Vinland. There’s certainly more if one looks closer, but perhaps the most interesting connection right now is toAC Red.
As revealed during Ubisoft Forward,Assassin’s Creed Redis the next open-world RPG in the franchise, set in Japan. That was basically it though, as it is a couple of years away it seems. However, this specific setting made sure it generated as much hype as the ‘back-to-basics’ approach inAssassin’s Creed Mirageand the mysterious allure ofAssassin’s Creed Hexe. Many are excited about the Japan setting for as long as it’s been requested, while others are concerned aboutAssassin’s Creed Redbeing aGhost of Tsushimaclone/visiting this setting too late. Stuff like that remains to be seen, but it’s clear as far back asAC3that Ubisoft has considered it, even if it ignored its own tease for more than a decade.
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Assassin’s Creed 3 Proves AC Was Always Going to Japan…Eventually
Assassin’s Creed 3players come across this above shot at one point in the game, and at the time, it seemingly hinted at a trilogy consisting of Egypt because of the Eye of Horus,Greece because of the Omega Symbol, and Japan because of the Torri. Following AC3, however, the franchise went to many locations like France and London, but never Japan. OnceAC Originscame out though, many may have thought this trilogy was coming to fruition. It seemed even more likely whenAssassin’s Creed Odysseycame out, but instead of going to Japan after, it went toViking-era England.
Now, the franchise is likely to visit at least one more location before Japan,Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Baghdad setting, but it’s clear it was always going anyway. This may or may not be the only direct connection betweenAC3andAC Red, but it is still there. Furthermore, comeAssassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag, players could find the below Abstergo e-mail that also seemed to hint at several locations, including Ashikaga Shogunate in Japan. Some of these exact settings and time periods though seem more like red herrings, but Japan has clearly long been a goal for the franchise…even, again, if it took Ubisoft some time to get there.
Of course, some have gone on to say now that it’s unnecessary because ofGhost of Tsushima.Many have comparedGhost of Tsushimato anAssassin’s CreedJapan gameever since its launch, but this thinking is, at best, reductive of Japan. There’s plenty more to explore and plenty of ways that Ghost of Tsushima 2 and Assassin’s Creed Red could come out, without each stepping on the other’s toes. The stories, for one, will be a major point of difference, asAC Redis unlikely to take place in the same time period asGoT.
It should also be said that, whenGhost of Tsushimawas revealed, one dev commented thatSucker Punch was happyAssassin’s Creedwas not going to Japan. Perhaps both at once would have been a bit much, but Ubisoft’s “delay” in going into Japan allowedGhost of Tsushimato shine. And that’s only good for both franchises, so it’s nothing to be worried about.
