Back before the Assassin’s Creed series became the open-world action RPG we know it as, it was more stealth focussed and even had a parallel storyline set in the modern day. Remember Desmond? Last seen in Assassin’s Creed 3, Desmond was the modern-day protagonist whose memories we were playing as.

However, once his story came to fruition – spoiler: he died – the parallel story formula that Ubisoft adopted went a bit off the rails. Not many players care about the current modern-day avatar of Layla Hassan, and the studio has still not managed to recapture the magic of the initial games.

Desmond Held It All Together

After Desmond’s death, the Assassin’s Creed series started getting very complicated, with players not really caring about Layla’s plot. According to Assassin’s Creed franchise boss Marc-Alexis Coté, this is the biggest issue plaguing the series.

“When the Assassin’s Creed franchise was created, it introduced a bold and innovative narrative structure, a modern day story arc centred around Desmond that was intertwined with historical adventures,” said Coté in a conversation with Eurogamer. “Desmond’s journey was at the heart of the modern day conflict driving the search for powerful Isu artefacts – Pieces of Eden – that could change the course of history. However, with his death at the end of Assassin’s Creed 3, we faced a creative crossroads.”

Desmond’s journey ended after he sacrificed his life in Assassin’s Creed 3. However, we also got a glimpse at what an Assassin’s Creed game set in the modern world would have looked like. Unfortunately, that was the closest we’ve ever gotten to a modern game in the series, and the hope of one died with Desmond.

“Ending Desmond’s arc was a difficult decision,” explained Coté, “and afterward, the modern storyline struggled to find its footing.”

He went on to reveal that the Assassin’s Creed series wants to put history back at the centre of the player experience. “By drawing meaningful contrast between past and present, we aim to restore the balance that was once the hallmark of the franchise,” he added.

He detailed the new formula that the series will follow, where the modern-day will explore themes like memory, identity and autonomy, which will allow us to focus on current contemporary issues through the lens of the past. This new formula will start with Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.