One of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed games is getting something rare.
Ubisoft is reportedly giving players of the Assassin’s Creed game codenamed “Red” the opportunity to play both a samurai and shinobi character in-game.
There is still no definitive release date for the game, though Ubisoft is making itself busy developing other Assassin’s Creed games.
Assassin’s Creed Red Protagonists Details
Ubisoft is no stranger to using two characters for an Assassin’s Creed game. You may remember that in Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, players can switch between the Frye twins, Jacob and Evie, whenever they want.
The same is somewhat true with Assassin’s Creed: Origins, the game directly following Syndicate. In Origins, players play as Bayek of Siwa for most of the game, while they can play as Aya in specific sections of its story.
If Insider Gaming‘s sources are on point, we could see either of the two mechanics for the Assassin’s Creed game codenamed “Red.” The publication’s sources, who are familiar with the game’s development, revealed that Ubisoft would allow players to play as two separate protagonists – one will be a samurai, and the other will be a shinobi – a ninja.
(Photo : Ubisoft | Screenshot taken from the official Assassin’s Creed: 2022 Showcase video)
The sources also revealed that the character shown in Red‘s official short teaser was the game’s samurai, who turned out to be a female, while the shinobi is a male African refugee who learned the way of the Creed.
Having an African present in Japan is not historically inaccurate – the Encyclopedia Britannica states that Oda Nobunaga had an African warrior in his ranks by the name of Yasuke, widely considered the African Samurai of Japan’s Warring States Period (Sengoku Jidai).
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However, whether the shinobi in question will be Yasuke is still debatable despite Ubisoft’s inclination to feature historical figures in its Assassin’s Creed games.
The identity of the African shinobi aside, Insider Gaming’s sources also revealed that Red would put a heavy focus on stealth gameplay, with Ubisoft Quebec deciding to take a Splinter Cell-esque or Hitman approach to the game, such as hiding bodies, hiding in tall grass, and extinguishing lights so the protagonists won’t cast a shadow.
To be fair, Assassin’s creed games already have features that allow protagonists to hide bodies and hide in tall grass, such as in Assassin’s Creed III, Black Flag, and Rogue.
Assassin’s Creed Red Predicted Release Date
Assassin’s Creed “Red” is internally scheduled to release in Fall 2024, though it wouldn’t be surprising if the game hits store shelves in 2025.
Ubisoft working on other Assassin’s Creed games at this time, with Mirage being the one it is currently working on to release sometime in 2023, per Comicbook Gaming.
Aside from Red and Mirage, Ubisoft is developing Assassin’s Creed Infinity, Assassin’s Creed codename “Jade,” Assassin’s Creed codename “Invictus,” and a survival horror Assassin’s Creed game called “Project Hexe,” per Games Radar.
There is also a possibility that the game could get canceled midway despite Insider Gaming reporting that the game is already in “good shape.” Alex Hutchinson, the creative director for Assassin’s Creed III, said that while feudal Japan works as an Assassin’s Creed game, it would feel too familiar due to the many games featuring that period in Japanese history, such as Nioh, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Ghost of Tsushima.
Although two of these games do not feature historical characters or settings, all three give players the feel of being a ninja or samurai, especially in Ghost of Tsushima, which is its main selling point.
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