The creator of Assassin’s Creed 3 reveals how the success of the saga changed the course of the planned ending
For years, fans of Assassin’s Creed have followed the story of the Assassins and Templars through countless games, spin-offs, and reinventions. But what few know is this The saga had to end with Assassin’s Creed 3with the final death of Desmond Miles as a closing of the cycle.
Own Alex Hutchinsoncreative director of Assassin’s Creed 3revealed in a recent interview with FRVR that the original plan was much smaller: “The idea was for it to be a trilogy. Two games and then one all about Desmond, and that was it.”.
Assassin’s Creed, the end that never came
According to Hutchinson, the third chapter was supposed to move all the action to the present, concluding the story of Altaïr and Ezio’s descendant. However, the enormous success of the first two games The roadmap has changed radically. Ubisoft, seeing the commercial potential of the saga, has decided to extend the story with new episodesand so they were born Brotherhood Yes Revelations.
Creativity sums it up neatly: “The problem with success is that it lengthens everything. Ubisoft put two games in the middle before they could close the story”.
Actually, Brotherhood It wasn’t even intended as a full title. Hutchinson explains it Initially it was just a DLCbut it eventually became a large-scale game. And although it was a success, the story began to deviate from the historical focus that characterized the saga.
Desmond Miles and the attempt to return to his origins
Against Assassin’s Creed 3the team tried redirect the narrative towards that original spirit. Hutchinson recalls that one of his biggest fears was that the franchise would become too dense for new players. “We didn’t want to become a saga where die-hard fans controlled every detail of the plot”he states.
Therefore, the death of Desmond Miles was conceived as a form of close a chapter and offer a new entry point for future titles. In fact, according to the director, “in series like Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry there is always a clear point from which anyone can start without having the feeling of having lost something”.
Desmond’s sacrifice, while controversial, It began a new era for the sagaallowing Ubisoft to experiment with different historical contexts and protagonists. And seeing how the franchise has survived nearly two decades, it seems like the gamble paid off.
From the closed trilogy to the infinite universe
What started out as a story about genetics and conspiracies ended up becoming one one of the longest-running universes in modern video games. From the Italian Renaissance to feudal Japan, the saga has covered practically every era possible.
Hutchinson explains it with a touch of self-criticism: “If you look at how franchises die, it’s when they become too obsessed with their own lore. We didn’t want that.”. And despite Assassin’s Creed 3 It was supposed to be the final point, Ubisoft has found in its success a mine impossible to close.
Today the saga is still alive and well Assassin’s Creed Shadowsset in 16th century Japan, and that even is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 this December. That original trilogy project is long gone, replaced by a legacy that mixes history, mythology and non-stop action.
The legacy of an idea that refused to die
Sometimes great stories don’t end up where expected, but where the audience takes them. AND Assassin’s Creed is a perfect example: a saga that survived its end.
Desmond Miles may be dead, but his mark is still present in the franchise’s DNA. Ubisoft knows this and each new installment continues to pay homage, in one way or another, to the man who united past and present in an eternal struggle for freedom.
