Apparently “women don’t sell,” according to Ubisoft’s former Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoet. TheAssassin’s Creedseries has had a wealth of strong female characters, all of whom’s roles were either reduced severely or relegated to the background. Work culture at Ubisoft has been described in multiple cases as akin to that of a frat house. As a result of actions from major players at the company, along with the indifference of Ubisoft’s executive board, many women and allies have spoken up and taken legal action against this abhorrent behavior. It will be a long struggle, but hopefully this leads to a creative community at Ubisoft that’s free from prejudicial behavior.
It is beyond a shame, especially considering all of the existing and potential women in theAssassin’s Creeduniverse whose stories should be told. There have likely been many moments in history, centered on impactful women, that were likely shot down or restructured to fit Ubisoft’s agenda forAssassin’s Creed. One historical moment in particular, that’s already part of theAssassin’s Creedcanon, would be the perfect candidate for a mainline game: the assassination of Alexander the Great by the Hidden One known as Iltani.
Who is Iltani?
Iltani was one of the first Hidden Ones responsible for the assassination of Alexander the Great. Iltani first entered the series officially withAssassin’s Creed 2, in the form of a commemorative statue in Monteriggioni. Her statue wasone of the six Assassin seals (alongside Amunet fromOrigins)that held Altair’s armor in the sanctuary under the Auditore villa. Iltani was a founding member of the Babylonian Brotherhood who witnessed the conquering of Persia by Alexander and the Macedonian Empire. Backed by the Templars and powered with a Staff of Eden, Alexander the Great swept through Iltani’s homeland without fail, empowering her with the resolve to end Alexander’s reign.
Iltani ventured to Herat (a region of modern-day Afghanistan) after tracking Alexander and his military to the Middle East. Her subsequent efforts to assassinate Alexander the Great were detailed acrossseveral database entries inAssassin’s Creed Chronicles: India. Alexander the Great had paused conquest after resting in Nebuchadnezzar II’s palace, which Iltani attempted to infiltrate several times. Alexander the Great discovered her first attempts utilizing the Staff of Eden, so instead Iltani utilized a different method of assassination. Iltani somehow afflicted Alexander with a slow poison, eventually leading to his death in June of 323 BCE.
Fighting the Oppression of Alexander the Great
Whether as a mainline title or a spin-off of some kind, Iltani’s story would be an awesome (if a bit ironic) story to tell in anAssassin’s Creedgame. Expanding on Iltani’s journey across Persia to end Alexander the Great’s reign has a lot of potential, and could flow well with the current framework ofAssassin’s Creedgames. As the story progresses, Iltani’s assassin brotherhood could work to destabilize the conquered regions of the Achaemenid Empire.Liberating regions like inAssassin’s Creed Odysseycould lead to slowing down Alexander’s conquest, contextualizing the reason why many of his Macedonian soldiers mutinied and petitioned against the invasion of India near 323 BCE.
Chasing Alexander the Great across Macedonia would bean interesting premise for anAssassin’s Creedgameand has plenty of room for historical cameos and nods as well. It’d be interesting to see a meeting between Iltani and Antipater, who many of Alexander’s subordinates believed had orchestrated the assassination. Not to mention any of the other iconic generals working under Alexander, of whom didn’t take kindly to Alexander and in some cases attempted to kill him as well. Plus there’s the opportunity of references to the Assassin order that Amunet started in Rome, or Iltani’s notes that were discovered by the future Assassin Arbaaz Mir in India.
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Iltani, the Legendary Persian Assassin
Centering anAssassin’s Creedstory on a grand chase across Persia, frankly, would be an awesome premise. Chasing Alexander the Great is just the grandiose story Ubisoft’s flagship franchise specializes in. The story of Alexander the Great’s assassination is ripe withAssassin’s Creedlore as well, withAlexander wielding a Staff of Edenthat was supposedly entrusted to him by proto-Templars. Iltani also marks the perfect opportunity to centralize a narrative around one of the most legendary Assassins in theAssassin’s Creedcanon.
That’s without even recognizing the kind of statement it would make centering a mainlineAssassin’s Creedgame on one of the strongest women in the game’s universe as well.Ubisoft promises to do right by its employeesand its fans, and Iltani’s story being realized inAssassin’s Creedwould be a fantastic way to do so.
Assassin’s Creed Valhallareleases November 17 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions to follow.
