It’s been an interesting month for Ubisoft’s stab-a-palooza series. Last week, Assassin’s Creed saw rumors that the yearly installment for 2016 would be sidelined for next year, while the second chapter in their Chronicles side trilogy is out this week. This installment, set in India, tells the story of Arbaaz Mir as he attempts to recapture a Piece of Eden during a war between the East India Company and the Sikh Empire. What’s the most surprising about both these games is that they’re both set in decidedly Eastern parts of the world.
Since the release of Assassin’s Creed 2 in 2009, the series has been primarily relegated to Europe and the Americas, despite the original game taking place in the Middle East and 2011’s Brotherhood returning to wrap up Altair’s story. The other two Ezio games have been set in Italy, 3 took us through the American Revolution, 4 the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean, and the more recent Unity and Syndicate took place in French Revolution Paris and Industrial London, respectively.
Aside from the concerns about annualized sequels, a common complaint among fans is that the series doesn’t really seem to embrace its global Assassin Order concept like one would expect. It’s hard to believe a centuries old war between secret societies only goes on in the Americas and Europe, after all. The world is a big place, and fans have been pining for cool, globe-trotting settings.
