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What to Expect in Assassin's Creed Shadows News Share 21 Jun 2024 Written By: Edited By: Hayden Bird Colum Blackett Back To Database When Ubisoft initially announced the existence of a new Assassin’s Creed , it was given a codename, which was referred to as just ‘ Codename Red ’ for quite some time, leading fans into excitement for what the future had in store. It had gamers across the world excited for the next chapter in the beloved and long-running ‘ Assassin’s Creed’ series, which has gained a huge following since its creation in 2007. The series is loved for many reasons, including its classic parkour, storytelling, and charisma of the protagonists, and much more. It was a monumental and groundbreaking game back in its beginning, and the series is still running strong to this day, with no signs of slowing down. For a long time, fans had been asking and hoping for an Assassin’s Creed game set in Feudal Japan, as it had been a highly requested era in history fans have been wanting to visit for as long as the series has been around. Now, all our wishes have come true, as Ubisoft has announced ‘ Assassin’s Creed Shadows ’ officially to the public. Fans of the series, and even those unfamiliar with the series, are counting down the days until November 15th, 2024. ‘ Shadows ’ recently had a big gameplay reveal shown off at Ubisoft Forward in June of this year. Both protagonists Yasuke and Naoe were shown off. Yasuke, a Samurai, and Naoe, a Shin obi, are teaming up together to fight the injustice in Feudal Japan. The ga me will be adding a fan-favorite, and heavily requested addition to both our protagonists this time around: The ability to freely switch between characters. This option was first introduced in 2015’s ‘ Assassin’s Creed Syndicate ’, where you were able to switch between the twin Assassins, Jacob and Evie Frye. This was a fun, but short-lived feature in the Assassin’s Creed series, and now fans can rejoice as Ubisoft is bringing it back in ‘ Shadows ’. You will now be able to pick freely anytime between both Yasuke or Naoe. This is a change from the recent dual-protagonist feature Ubisoft introduced with 2018’s ‘ Assassin’s Creed Odyssey ’, allowing the player the choice to play the game as either a male or female protagonist, but by selecting a character, you were unable to switch again for the rest of the game. This theme continued with ‘ Assassin’s Creed Valhalla ’, once more allowing players the choice between male or female Eivor, and still selecting that character will lock you in for the full game. It was a formula fans enjoyed, as it brought new life into the series that was once only one male protagonist each game, with the lack of a choice between Assassins. Now, sk ipping ahead to ‘ Shadows ’, you can pick and choose which character you’d like to play as for any mission, and also be able to switch freely at any time, just like ‘ Syndicate ’. This offers players a choice of strategy. Yasuke, being the combat expert Samurai, will be useful for missions requiring more muscle, and brute force , or you can choose to pick Naoe, a much quieter approach to be able to sneak in and out of trouble. Each mission should give players a real decision about which direction to take, and which playstyle best suits the mission ahead. Ubisoft has also shared that the size of the map in ‘ Shadows ’, will be similar to that of 2017’s ‘ Assassin’s Creed Origins ’, rather than that of ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’. For example, the map will be large again, but will feel just right for the setting of Feudal Japan. Also allowing players to experience more of what Feudal Japan has to offer rather than potentially spending a lot of time traveling across the entire map, it should provide players a more direct experience. From what we all have seen through the gameplay revealed earlier this month, expectations are high amongst both fans and critics, who are all looking forward to getting their hands on ‘ Shadows ’. The more recent ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ titles, also known as the “RPG” games in the series, have followed a similar format. A leveling system, skill trees, upgradable gear and weapons, and a healthy dose of side quests to choose from. Fans should expect some of the same with ‘ Shadows ’. It gives players the opportunity to explore the map more, rather than potentially rushing through the main missions. Each player has their own choice of how they want to play, and Ubisoft is catering to all fans with all interest levels. They know fans are wanting to be invested in this game, and giving the players plenty to do along with the main storyline. A lot of fans of the series were ones who started with the “RPG” titles, bringing a new audience to both new and old fans, as Ubisoft’s current formula has satisfied both classic and newer fans. We can expect some of those same elements in ‘ Shadows ’, such as the combat with dodging and parrying attacks, and the use of special abilities to give the player an edge over tricky enemies. Last year’s ‘ Assassin’s Creed ' game was ‘ Mirage ’, which was a smaller scale game suited to please fans of the classic format, and it was well received. It has now been four years since we had a game this size in 2020’s ‘ Assassin’s Creed Valhalla ’, and it should satisfy fans knowing they are in for a full on journey into Feudal Japan. With the game set for a November release date, there is plenty of marketing to be done on Ubisoft’s end, such as more gameplay videos or new information about the game to get fans excited even more as it comes closer to release. Many expect Ubisoft to create another masterpiece in the long running series. Fans have grown accustomed to a great experience with each game released. The hype of ‘ Shadows ’ is currently at an all time high, for both fans and even those who are skeptical, and will possibly need to see more of the game to persuade them into purchasing. For some, the whole idea of an ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ game set in Feudal Japan is almost too good to be true, which could easily attract the fans who aren’t familiar with the series, and even some who may have never played an ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ game in their life. ‘ Shadows ’ should do a great job being appealing to anyone, whether they be new or returning. One way or another, we can all expect fans of this series to come together again once the fall season rolls around, and celebrate another great adventure into history by Ubisoft. The countdown to November 15th is well and truly underway! comments debug Comments (1) Write a comment Write a comment Sort by: Newest Guest Jun 21, 2024 Awesome review! Like Reply About the Author Hayden is a passionate Freelance Writer based in South Carolina who joined TOWCB's Writing Team in 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic, writing articles on all things Assassin's Creed Valhalla. He left the group to focus on studies, joining our Alumni program, but triumphantly returned with fresh ideas in 2024 to pick up where he left off, only this time covering Assassin's Creed Shadows. In 2025, Hayden took on the position of Team Leader for TOWCB's Writing Team, overseeing article releases, assisting with recruitment and providing assistance with internal operations. Hayden Bird

Christmas Giveaway: Lisa Zaman Art Community Share 24 Dec 2019 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database We're proud to announce that we have collaborated with graphite portrait artist Lisa Zaman to produce a special Christmas themed Assassin's Creed art piece for our festive giveaway. Although this is new territory for Lisa, she has exceeded our expectations in producing a unique and interesting design capturing the essence of Christmas in the world of Assassins Creed. As a member of the AC Partnership Program, Lisa will be producing a variety of content for TOWCB. Back in May, she turned her attentions to the world of Assassin's Creed art, and began creating lifelike portraits of key characters. By joining the program, Lisa's work will be viewed by a larger number of community members, allowing her to build a captive audience. The partnership also means that we will be working closely with Lisa for more future art giveaways and competitions for the community. Stay tuned for more projects! 1x A5 art print for one lucky member of our community! To Enter: Follow @ACFirstCiv Follow @LisaZamanArt RT Ends 30/12/19. Open Worldwide. Good luck Assassins! Merry Christmas from TOWCB Admin Team and all our Partners! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

Assassin’s Creed Virtual Photography: 15th to 26th January Community Share 5 Jan 2024 Written By: Edited By: Aaron Young Colum Blackett Back To Database Welcome to the biweekly virtual photography roundup hosted by Aaron Young from the AC Partnership Program. Every two weeks we will be picking our top 5 favourite Assassin’s Creed shots and showcasing them on The Ones Who Came Before website, in order to promote virtual photography and talented content creators within the community. This theme has been run alongside @ UnfazedVP aka Julio “Lion Heart”. Julio has been a member of our community for quite some time now and recently joined @ CreedScholars as a video editor. In addition, Julio is a member of @ vpgamers_ where he continues to support virtual photography. Keep an eye on the site as more shots are added, we are looking for captures across all Assassin’s Creed games. Tag your photos to #ACFirstCivVP for a chance to be featured. This week’s theme: Assassin’s Creed Combat The 300 Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey VP Artist: @ Lvl_hed The Ones Who Came Before Photo of the Week Judge: @ UnfazedVP This shot is very representative of the hashtag, the pose of the first line attack is amazing, and the atmosphere compliments the perfect battleground. Aaron “This is where we hold them”. I believe that one of the reasons the Assassin’s Creed series has done so well is its ability to recreate history/popular culture. Being able to play as a Spartan on the battlefield is so cool and something I could only dream of as a kid. This cinematic shot has the wow factor for sure. I love the action pose with the spear about to be thrown, the lighting is very nice illuminating the arrows wedged into the floor. Fantastic use of the depth of field to focus on Leonidas with his warriors deep in battle behind. I must credit the colours too, impressive how the background is so cold, but you have that orange glow on Leonidas. A glorious shot to kick start the theme. Leaping Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey VP Artist: @ AkiraAoyama_VP “You would fight me?” Assassin’s Creed Odyssey features epic conquest battles where you can side with the Spartans or the Athenians to gain control of that region. It’s a cool idea and certainly allows for some awesome virtual photography. I just wish they didn’t reset after a short time. This capture looks like it is straight from one of those battles. Fantastic timing to get Kassandra mid jump, I really like how the Spartan is on his knees about to face death. The lighting is nice, with the sunrays bursting in from the left. A very cinematic shot that captures the grandeur of these huge battles. Flaming Sword Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey VP Artist: @m_nt_13 “I am your monster no longer”. The Assassin’s Creed RPG games have brought a more diverse array of weapons and action to the old stealth/counter gameplay. This has led to characters that resemble warriors more than assassins. It’s not been to everyone’s liking but I have enjoyed the change of pace. I must say this shot is giving me strong God of War vibes, especially with the multiple weapons and chained arms. This is a great combat shot with the blood and sparks flying everywhere. I am enjoying the pose too with Kassandra reaching for the spear. The flaming sword must be the standout, love how it is on fire at the business end, wouldn’t want to be on the other end of it. Streets of Baghdad Game: Assassin’s Creed Mirage VP Artist: @ PodToGo “What was it like, the first time you took a life.” Assassin’s Creed Mirage doesn’t have the depth of combat its predecessor did, but the attempt to balance the old and the new led to some excellent finishers. I just wish we had a bit more variety. I really enjoyed the sword and dagger gameplay, plus it makes sense that combat is the last resort for Basim. Pod’s capture has Basim mid fight with one of the guards, the composition is on point and showcases them excellently. I adore the details on both outfits and the poses are great. The colours are so bold and inviting, with the warm sun-drenched background. The blooded dagger suggests this encounter is almost over. An Axe to Grind Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla VP Artist: @ secondcapture “Always remember to finish off your opponents.” The Wolf-Kissed one is the ultimate warrior, her skills with the axe are unrivalled. I did really enjoy the special moves in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but one of my favourites has the be throwing axes. This capture is perfectly timed, with Eivor mid throw. The depth of field has been implemented perfectly, allowing full focus on Eivor. She definitely has a Viking/assassin look here, I love the mix of cloak and Basim outfit. The mound of bodies in front of her is not a good sign for the Saxon in the background, he is going to need that shield. Here is our January showcase video containing captures submitted via #ACFirstCivVP and #ACCombatVP ! Created by Turið Torkilsdóttir from TOWCB Virtual Photography Team! Show some love for the artists: @ RossHiroAsmara @ SubspaceNinja_ @ UnfazedVP @ CrimsonLenz @ cop_filip @ PodToGo @ m_nt_13 @ secondcapture @ AkiraAoyama_VP @ lvl_hed And that sums it up for this Assassin’s Creed virtual photography recap list! Thank you for checking out the photo collection. This would not be possible without the virtual photographers out there so a huge thanks to them. Until next time keep those shots coming in! comments debug Comments (1) Write a comment Write a comment Sort by: Newest Guest Feb 06, 2024 Hello ! Thank you so much for this wonderful article. You were able to perfectly describe each part with a nice capture and it's an honour for me do be amongst such talented VPhotographers! You so much for this detailed and beautifully written article Aaron Young! AkiraAoyama_VP Like Reply About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who joined our AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer back in 2021 after the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. After building momentum and interest on TOWCB website for Virtual Photography, Aaron established TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, of which he is now Team Leader. Throughout 2024, TOWCB VP Team will be sharing community captures in dedicated articles, and providing a positive environment on Twitter for gamers to share their shots. Aaron Young

Assassin's Creed Shadows Stealth Article Breakdown Breakdown Share 21 Nov 2024 Written By: Edited By: UbiCypher (Joe) Colum Blackett Back To Database The first Assassin's Creed Shadows article has been released giving us insights on the game's stealth system and how it will apply to the world's environment, enemies and traversal, let's recap the article's highlights! It is abundantly clear that Assassin's Creed Shadows is focusing on stealth making it the prime element to play with in the world Ubisoft will make us explore on February 14th 2025, to the point of borrowing certain elements inspired by other IP's in their roster of games. 👁️ Observe 👁️ This new feature will allow Naoe and Yasuke to display additional information about their targets and environment on-screen as well as loot & collectible locations and quest objectives. It will be possible to pair it with a Synchronization Point to further analyse the area. 🦅Eagle Vision🦅 We know how it works, however, only Naoe will be able to access it hence why the Observe mechanic was developed in order to not undermine Yasuke's involvement in infiltration and exploration since these two mechanics work independently revealing different information for us. The Shinobi Art In the likes of Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon, for the first time in the Assassin's Creed Franchise we will see the addition of a feature that will allow us to hide in the shadows as well as create hiding spots by taking out light sources in order to covertly move around. ⛩️Crouching⛩️ They have cranked up the stealth penalties by having the guards extremely sensitive to your movement in order to force you to be thoughtful of your actions pushing you to the limit making the most of the overhauled stealth system allowing you to go prone outdoors and indoors. ⚔️Their Arsenal⚔️ Smoke bombs are making their return -although properly this time- as consumables rather than passive or active perks. We will be able to use throwable Shinobi Bells to distract enemies, Kunais to one-shot enemies with precision and Shurikens to create environmental distractions. ⛩️Hiding Spots⛩️ Given her size, Naoe can squeeze through tiny wall cracks, and she can hide inside small storage spaces and boxes to avoid detection as well as perform assassinations. Now, if you want to take down an enemy from a bush you'll have to manually grab them and drag them in with you. ⚠️Detection System⚠️ When spotted and breaking the enemies line of sight, they will remain in a constant state of alert and "suspicion" that will make them hard to lure into traps and hiding spots, actually, attempting to do so will result in a logical and straightforward reaction from them: spot you. ⛩️Enemy Archetype Reactions⛩️ Samurais won't be able to be One-shotted and will evade the area of effect produced by a smoke bomb, they can also deny your assassination attempt, this will be distinguishable when you'll see a red prompt over their heads meaning they can't be killed via the Hidden Blade. Ashigaru soldiers (weak enemies) are however, easily dispatched, the same goes for the Servants (Alarm Ringers). (It is important to note that Smoke Bombs can be used to disperse Samurai groups ought to engage in combat with you, allowing for a swift escape for Naoe). All in all, the Assassination system will be classified as follows: 🔴 Red for Assassination Denial. (Samurais & Elites). 🟡 Yellow for Assassinations that deal some damage. ⚪️White for Insta-kill Assassinations. ⛩️Stealth for Yasuke⛩️ While the whole article seemed to have centered around Naoe and her Shinobi mastery of assassination and traversal, Yasuke will also have some balanced attributes to level the playing field between the two, of course, keeping in mind that he will be mainly combat-oriented. When he uses his bow for example, Yasuke can deliver stealthy blows without ever needing to draw his katana if precise. He can even sneak behind enemies and assassinate them silently with an aggressive yet swift kill with his devastating arsenal blending close combat with stealth. This is it for now! Ubisoft will be releasing more information soon. Next up, they will drop yet another detailed article about Yasuke's role and gameplay. Stay tuned Assassins!🦅 Did you enjoy our breakdown? Check out the original thread on the Isu_Network X account! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author UbiCypher (Joe) is an Assassin's Creed Transmedia expert who worked as the Lead Admin for the Isu_Network social media team, providing consistent social media content in the form of Assassin's Creed lore trivia, puzzles and news coverage, spending countless hours researching the series and real history. In 2025, he stepped back from his social media duties to pursue other opportunities. UbiCypher (Joe)

Codex Transferendum v2.0.2 | The Isu-to-English Dictionary & Language Guide Released Analysis Share 16 Mar 2024 Written By: Edited By: ActualSpider-Man Colum Blackett Back To Database Welcome to Codex Transferendum v2.0.2 , where Isu 101 is only the beginning! Inside there are 460 pages of sourced breakdowns, sentence complexity, a formulaic list of every word we’ve seen and how they’re built, followed by a comprehensive compilation of every possible rearrangement and conjugation of every root word, interpreting quite a few fun possibilities for words unseen! Hopefully this translation and language guide can help all of us solve any upcoming Isu puzzles that much faster, and for anyone interested it is entirely free to download. Enjoy, and always remember: ṇoænos wahæáid oænosr zàrhṇdichṛ Your Friendly Neighborhood Mentor PDF Download comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Author of the all-encompassing timeline, Codex Temporis, and the Isu-to-English dictionary, Codex Transferendum, Your Friendly Neighborhood Mentor is here to help unweave the confusing web of AC! ActualSpider-Man

AC Community Questions: ActualSpider-Man // IMHOZen1 (Writer for TOWCB) Community Interviews Share 23 Mar 2023 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database For this round of Assassin's Creed Community Questions, we invited ActualSpider-Man from TOWCB Writing Team. Col: Thanks for joining us today! Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role within the Assassin's Creed Community. ActualSpider-Man: It’s an honor, thank you so much for having me! I go by a few anonymous names online: Some know me as IMHOZen1 (“I am a chosen one”), a few have heard the name “Peter Parkour”, but most know me as Your Friendly Neighborhood Mentor, ActualSpider-Man. For the better part of 5 years now, I’ve been attempting to untangle the entire twisted, time-hopping web of secrets and history scattered across Assassin’s Creed into a single thread of a chronological, what I like to call “Temporized” timeline. To make a long story short, I try to make Assassin’s Creed make sense in a linear fashion. Now I get to flex those same muscles, writing for TOWCB! Col: When did you first get involved within the AC Community, and how did it all start? ActualSpider-Man: Well, to answer that requires a bit of history: The AC obsession originally bit me when getting the first game on PS3 in 2007, and it’s been my favorite franchise to collect ever since. I’ve always loved the incredible depths each entry went to allow us to experience historical events we’ve all heard about, but my self-imposed “responsibility” of unraveling it all was an idea spurred on by the artist of my AC tribute tattoo, who wanted to hear anecdotes while he inked me, and made me realize I had waaay too much “useless” knowledge about this series to not do something with it. However, what truly kicked off my desire to Temporize everything came from seeing many similar questions and confusions from fans on r/AssassinsCreed where I had been a silent lurker for years - specifically about when certain games or media would fit in the timeline. So I took it upon myself to try and answer any and all chronological questions of “who did what when, with which Piece of Eden, for whose cause?” by creating my first Codex Temporis, Latin for “Book of Time,” in 2018, and people seemed to really enjoy it, along with those that knew more cluing me in on plenty I had missed in that first draft. Non-stop since then, I’ve been expanding and correcting those findings to encompass as much fictional and real-world history as I can, working with other super-sleuths under the mantra, “With great Assassin knowledge comes great responsibility to the Creed!”® Col: What do you consider to be your top Assassin's Creed Community moment? ActualSpider-Man: Oh, man! You mean apart from scoring the chance to join TOWCB? I’ve had a few very lucky happenstances, but by far the most jaw-dropping Community-fueled moment to happen to me has to be teaming up with a couple other Isu language aficionados (shoutouts to u/bool0011 and u/bpotatoes for their invaluable insights!), who helped me build my Isu-to-English dictionary Codex Transferendum, Latin for “Book of Translation,” which we then utilized the words and rules discovered to attempt to say the Assassin motto, “Nothing is true, everything is permitted” in Isu! Our powers combined were shared to Twitter and Reddit, where the developer that built the Isu language for Valhalla, Antoine Henry, not only came to our aid on both platforms with the correct way to phrase it, but even gave us an exclusive word for “permit” (‘zàrh’) that isn’t seen anywhere else in Assassin’s Creed!!! The implications of the Assassin motto being spoken in Isu are worthy of spinning theories all their own, but for those that may not even know it exists, the full Isu phrase looks, sounds and gets broken down like this: Col: Have you always enjoyed writing, and how much research goes into one of your Codex projects? ActualSpider-Man: I’ve whiled away countless hours as an avid artist and word smith since childhood, be it drawings, stories, essays, poetry, music; no matter the form, I’ve found creative endeavors to be the most cathartic ways to express myself - if my rambling doesn’t get in the way, that is. What’s funnier is I used to dread history classes in school, and only through researching the franchise did I learn to love learning about it! If more world history and social studies teachers were as engaging as AC, I think more people would stay awake during lessons! As for time spent on my projects, it might be easier to express in months or years, as daunting as it sounds… Codex Temporis 1.0 was released in 2018 after about 5 straight months of hardcore research, while Codex Temporis 2.0 took another 2 years of compiling to come out in 2020. My Codex Transferendum was built through 6 months of Isu language practice, and now Codex Temporis 2.01 is about ready to release with another 3 years worth of findings including all that added in. But this series is like a near-infinite jigsaw puzzle: There’s ALWAYS more tidbits to piece together and put in place, to the extent that I can see myself unwinding the tapestry for as long as Ubisoft keeps the franchise going, and probably even then some! If you’re wondering just how much of my week is spent researching & writing though, I’d say for the last 5 years it’s been at least 10hrs/week if not more when something’s really caught my attention! In my defense, I justify spending all that time so other fans won’t have to - and so I won’t need to do it again - so it’s all worthwhile to me! Col: Do you have any project plans for 2023? ActualSpider-Man: Even if you’ve only heard of me up to here, you might guess by now I’m always spinning several plates, trying to balance my many avenues of relaying AC fun-facts and such, though “Parkour luck” often skews to my best laid plans’ detriment… So without dedicating any hard dates to anything just yet to avoid Murphy’s Law, I do have enormous updates to both Codex Temporis (2.01) and Codex Transferendum (2.0.2) in the works, alongside more focused articles for TOWCB, as well as those findings turned into scripts to revamp visually for my YouTube channel, so stay tuned for more on all that! Col: Do you have any personal AC goals you would like to achieve? ActualSpider-Man: I’ve always wanted to have my PSN profile show platinum for every AC that has trophy support on PlayStation. I have a 100% sync save for AC1 before trophies were implemented - I never owned it for Xbox 360 for the achievements - and my first ever platinum trophy was for AC II back on PS3, having since gotten the platinum again for AC II and Brotherhood in the Ezio Collection and Origins & Odyssey’s platinums on PS4. While I’ve spent dozens if not hundreds of hours beating all the rest, I’ve still got a long way to go to re-complete and earn every trophy out there, with some of my saves in the past going to other friends’ or console’s profiles, so that’s something I’ll have to one day grind back out to get full synchronization! Col: Which game would you consider to be your favourite? ActualSpider-Man: While I’ve grown to adore every entry for differing reasons, from AC1’s foundations, II’s literal birth of an icon that punches the Pope, Revelations’ seamless blend of stories across centuries, III’s history hitting close to home, Black Flag’s blue-watered beauty, Rogue’s enigmatic secrets, Unity’s parkour, Syndicate’s campiness, Origins’ emotional moments, Odyssey’s meme-able moments, through to Valhalla’s Isu Era history and language, I always circle back to how - in my humble opinion - even compared to games today, Brotherhood is a master class in quest design. The scope of the locale was big, and goes beyond Rome’s borders, but wasn’t as gigantic or filled with fluff as the newer titles. Every memory, whether main story or a contract or side content, even the ones set before the main events like the Cristina memories, all have direct impact on the narrative whole, and fill in holes and questions left by AC II in a way that isn’t just “filler” or “more AC II”, but a BETTER AC II. One where Ezio’s at the top of his game as an unstoppable killing machine, who’s also a less brash and bold, more level-headed, philosophical, pensive and wisened Mentor of the Brotherhood. We got to see Ezio grow to surpass his father’s greatness before him, and got to feel like WE built and trained the Assassin recruits to be as deadly as him, culminating in some of the most important beats in the Modern Day storyline like witnessing the last time we’d hear Kristen Bell voice Lucy Stillman - and that’s without mentioning the best multiplayer in the series - certainly cements Brotherhood as my #1 favorite of the franchise. So much so that I have 3 different PS3 variants (a regular cased copy, a sealed Dr. Malfatto Jack-in-the-Box edition, and the Codex Edition), and didn’t mind buying it a 4th time for the PS4’s Ezio Collection! Col: Do you have a favourite piece of Assassin's Creed merchandise? ActualSpider-Man: Actually, I have “2” - or “21” if you wanna get technical - that are too special to me to split up here: I made a friend across the pond in the UK through my research that was kind enough to buy 16 of the Official Collection figurines and ‘zines and send them to me in the States. I then of course immediately paid them back in full, but this was the only way I could get some of those elusive reads and hand-painted figures in my own collection, having only been released in that side of the world. The other are the 5 Brotherhood of Venice figures another good friendo I know state-side painted for me, the posse of Ezio in Altaïr’s Armor and the core Venetian crew of Alessandra, Benedicto, Claudio, and Dariâ done up to look game-accurate in their black robes, and I’m utterly amazed by the details on my painted mini Assassins Brotherhood! Col: Have you visited any of the locations from the games? ActualSpider-Man: I have been to a handful of spots in my home country! I’ve passed through Louisiana on a family trip as a kid, had a layover in Denver International Airport and walked some of the Revolutionary War battlefields in a couple of our 13 colonies on the eastern seaboard. But sadly I did not find the Fountain of Youth when I went down to Florida, nor have I had the chance to visit the Grand Temple in Turin, and haven’t travelled across the Atlantic to any AC locales below or further to the east… yet, fingers crossed! I would absolutely leap at the chance to sight-see Egypt’s many wonders, or backpack across Italy, especially to visit Monteriggioni, Il Colosseo and Il Vaticano! Col: Which Assassin's Creed character would you say you have the most in common with? ActualSpider-Man: I’d like to think Desmond and I are somewhat kindred spirits, having a take on his tattoo on my own skin; we both were so naive to all the history until it was flooded into our brains so quickly that there was no way not to come out on the other side a lot more analytical and understanding. And if you know about the aftermath of his fate, I kinda feel like The Reader too, now being able to use all my findings to pluck at the branches of the Calculator of Futures and peer into time whenever and wherever I please, thwipping through my Codex projects. Col: If you could retcon / change a piece of Assassin's Creed lore, what would it be and why? ActualSpider-Man: I could go the extra-cheesy route and say that Ubisoft should’ve let us defeat Juno in-game in the Modern Day rather than reading about it in Uprising - though if my handle isn’t enough giveaway, I’m a huge comic nerd too, so I really didn’t mind that all too much, having been in the major minority of those who followed the comics during releases. Or that there’s a handful of things I consider “wrong” written on the fandom wiki. But there is a small, offhanded bit of lore from the words of narrative director Darby McDevitt himself that I wholeheartedly disagree with, and refuse to acknowledge in my headcanon of Isu geography: Darby once said, “Jotunheim is not in North America.” I disagree. There are simply far, far, FAR too many numerous allusions and outright canon connections to the Grand Temple being referenced and visited in Jotunheim’s citadel of Utgard, along with landmarks that line up when overlayed with Vinland, that I can never concede to his “opinion” on that front. In my Codex, Jotunheim, Vinland, and Turin, NY are all the same place, and I go into more depth on that “debate” as well. Col: Are you excited for the launch of Assassin's Creed Mirage? ActualSpider-Man: I am very excited for what they say will be a return to form with a more focused narrative on a reasonably sized map, and of course I’m intrigued to see where they go with the Modern Day and Isu plot lines with so much cliff hanging off Valhalla’s endings, but I am still trying to keep my excitement tempered with all the too-good-to-be-true news floating around this early in development without gameplay to go on. Though I can’t deny, an Aladdin-style AC revolving around a young street-urchin Basim sounds like more fun than 40 thieves! Col: What would be your dream setting for the upcoming AC Netflix TV series? ActualSpider-Man: This is tough… There’s so many good choices they have yet to cover! My overly-analytical self wants to factor in that Michael Fassbender has been claimed to be on the live action Netflix project, but there was also tellings that he wasn’t going to reprise his role as Callum Lynch in this series, which makes me kinda wanna see him try the Spaniard accent some more for something fresh. Like maybe instead of Aguilar, we could see a different descendant between Aguilar and Cal? Maybe a Spaniard Assassin that gets mixed up in the conquests of Aztec/Incan/ Mayan areas in 16th century Mesoamerica? Or in a perfect world, he’d use his natural Irish accent to fill the open shoes of the 1919-1921 Irish War of Independence Assassin that headlines the once-mentioned Helix project, ‘Hell in Hibernia’! If either of these grain of salt context clues line up in the finished product, I’ll eat my mask, but I’d enjoy each bite! Col: Where can our community members find you online? ActualSpider-Man: You can thwip on over to my Twitter @ Spider_Mentor , wall crawl into the shadows of my subreddit at r/CodexTemporis for more frequent updates on all my projects or to posit your own queries and theories, tune in to a few early lessons and listen to a few Ezio’s Family mashups on my YouTube channel @ actualspider-man9004 , or subscribe and all that jazz for much more to come on Isu Geography and Language 101, as well as deep lore dives there in the near future - I swear, they’re coming! I might randomly swing in to stream on Twitch @ ActualSpider_Man , or if you ever wanna play a friendly round of Rocket League, my PSN handle is ActualSpider-Man , ditch the space, respect the hyphen! Thanks again, Col and TOWCB for the opportunity to share my insanity with you all, and always remember: ṇoænos wahæáid oænosr zàrhṇdichṛ • Your Friendly Neighborhood Mentor ;) We would like to say a huge thank to ActualSpider-Man for joining us for this interview! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji DLC New Teaser Breakdown Breakdown Share 30 Aug 2025 Written By: Edited By: Zephryss Colum Blackett Back To Database Ubisoft has finally revealed the release date for Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji DLC, which is launching on September 16, 2025. They have also shared a brand-new short teaser for the DLC. Here is the full breakdown of the new teaser. In the opening scene you can see a mysterious character from behind, holding a kanabo. He wears a dark red armored outfit with gold shell-like patterns on the sleeves. The symbol on the back of the character in the image appears to resemble a stylized wood grain pattern, which is highly likely to be a mon (family crest or emblem), a traditional Japanese symbol used to represent clans, families, or organizations. The pattern looks natural and abstract, evoking the look of topographic lines or swirling wood grain, which might symbolize strength, nature, or lineage. The 2nd scene shows a dark, shadowy figure crouching on a tree branch in the middle of a forest at night. This could be a member of the new enemy faction, Sanzoku Ippa. Moonlight shines through the trees, lighting up the figure just enough to reveal their armor and a curved weapon in hand. The enemy looks ready to strike or watch from above, hidden in the darkness. In the 3rd scene a person is seen running through a forest path, unaware that he's triggering a tripwire trap stretched across the ground. The wire is connected to trees on both sides and is barely visible in the dim lighting. In the bottom image, the trap has been activated, an explosion erupts in the background with sparks and flames bursting out violently. This trap appears to have been set by the new enemy faction, Sanzoku Ippa. In the 4th scene Naoe is fighting with two enemies. She is flipping over two enemies while holding a long staff weapon called a Bo. This seems to be a new skill that lets her attack while jumping through the air. In the 5th and final scene, Naoe shows her hidden blade to a mysterious woman, who immediately recognizes her and calls her by name. It looks like Naoe has finally found her mother, Tsuyu, in the Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji DLC. Also, check out our full review of the new Summer Roadmap for Assassin's Creed Shadows. We've covered everything in detail. What are your thoughts on the new teaser for Assassin's Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji DLC? How excited are you for the DLC? Share your thoughts down below! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Zephryss is a passionate social media manager based in India who joined TOWCB's Social Media Team in Summer 2024 to help the team prepare for coverage of Assassin's Creed Shadows news and updates. Recently, he completed his Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and is now preparing to take on a PhD. He loves video games very much, and since childhood has enjoyed playing various types of games in different genres He also has 3 gaming channels (Zephryss, Assassin Zephryss & Spider Zephryss) where he uploads gameplay videos regularly. Zephryss

AC Community Questions: Ben Weal (TOWCB Digital Analyst) Community Interview Share 14 Apr 2023 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database For this round of Assassin's Creed Community Questions, we invited Ben Weal, Digital Analyst for The Assassin's Creed Partnership Program // TOWCB's Core Team. Col: Hi Ben. Thanks for joining us today! Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself, and your role within the Assassin's Creed Community. Ben: First of all, hi Col and thank you for welcoming me to The Ones Who Came Before. So, at the moment I am currently working in London in private healthcare but would like to move more into a marketing role. That is what led me to get in contact with you to try and get some experience by working with you on TOWCB community. So, my role within the community will be to help with the analytical side of things, helping us understand what our audiences like and what they want to see more of. I will also be assisting with the social media side of things to help increase our following within that department. Col: How did you end up joining The Ones Who Came Before Team, and how are you finding it so far? Ben: As I was saying I am currently in private health care but I am interested in moving into a more marketing type role. I am specifically interested in the numbers and the statistics of things. For example, seeing how many people visited a certain page and the percentage of those people who returned to that page. So far, I’ve just been going over the analytics side of things and making notes on what pages are performing well and what can be improved on. I’m excited to delve deeper and get my teeth stuck in! Col: Do you have any project plans for 2023, and what are you hoping to achieve by joining TOWCB? Ben: I don’t have any specific plans for 2023 but I am excited to be a part of the TOWCB team and to help you guys grow as a community. Col: Do you have any personal AC goals you would like to achieve, or for The Ones Who Came Before? Ben: I think the main goal for me is to help increase TOWCB presence and improve the site's SEO throughout the coming year. Col: Are you looking forward to working alongside the team to help boost The Ones Who Came Before on social media channels and search engines. Ben: I’m very excited to get cracking with the rest of the team and to help out in any way I can. I believe me and Michael will be working alongside each other on some social media projects to help improve the community's presence. This will be very interesting and insightful for me as I know Michael has quite a good knowledge around this sort of area. I’m looking forward to learning lots of new things from the whole of the team! Col: Which game would you consider to be your favourite? Ben: I first started playing Assassin's Creed when I got an Xbox 360 which was a while ago now. I believe it was Assassins Creed II but I have been playing the games ever since then. The franchise has come so far since then, it’s crazy. I think my favourite game at the moment has to be Odyssey. I’m big into Roman times and love all films that have to do with that period of time. So the fact that I could Sparta kick NPCs non stop was such a win for me. Valhalla is a close second but it has to be Odyssey. Col: Do you have a favourite piece of Assassin's Creed merchandise? Ben: I do not have any merchandise myself but I am a big fan of the replica sword that you own Col. I remember the first time I went round to yours and it was the first thing you showed me. Very cool! Col: Have you visited any of the locations from the games? Ben: When I went to Greece on holiday it was my plan to try and visit some of the places from the game but unfortunately I did not manage it. Maybe next time. Col: Which Assassin's Creed character would you say you have the most in common with? Ben: Difficult question. I cannot remember the characters name but it was in Odyssey on the first island you start on. The character gives Alexios tasks to do which eventually helps him to leave. The character was just very chill and laid back; not much stressed him out. I like to think I am similar in that respects. Col: Are you excited for the launch of Assassin's Creed Mirage? Ben: I am looking forward to the new game. I have not seen too much about it as I like going into it without knowing too much. From the same bits that I have seen though it kind of looks like the Assassin's Creed of old, which is very exciting. Col: What would be your dream setting for the upcoming AC Netflix TV series? Ben: My dream setting for the series would obviously be based around Greece like the Odyssey game. Col: Are there any cut features from the series you would like to see return in the next installment? Ben: One of my favourite side quests within any game has always been hunting mythical creatures and collecting their special items. It was done well in Odyssey and Valhalla so Im excited to see if they will keep that in Mirage. Col: Where can our community members find you online? Ben: I can be found on instagram under BGW1703. We would like to say a huge thank you to Ben for joining us for this round of AC Community Questions! . His work behind the scenes will massively boost our digital profile, and we look forward to working alongside him and the rest of the team to leave our mark on the Assassin's Creed community. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

Interviews Interview With Magnus Bruun, Up Now On YouTube 28 February 2026 Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) Interview Read More AC Community Questions: Phie // CaptureCreed 25 February 2026 Phie // Capture Creed Interview Read More AC Community Questions: Calvin Whiteway 3 February 2026 Calvin Whiteway Interview Read More AC Community Questions: RS (WonDerNooB) 4 January 2026 RS (WonDerNooB_VP) Interview Read More AC Community Questions: TheAssassinLord (Charlie Cooper) 9 August 2025 Charlie Cooper Interview Read More AC Community Questions: Aita_Sageblood (Nathan) 19 July 2025 Aita_Sageblood Interview Read More AC Community Questions: James Davis 2 July 2025 James Davis (TopChef1288) Interview Read More AC Community Questions: Jebs 29 June 2025 Jebs Interview Read More Interview with Charles Benoit: Assassin's Creed Shadows Game Director 17 March 2025 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Interview with Simon Lemay-Comtois: Assassin's Creed Shadows Associate Game Director 17 March 2025 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Exclusive Interview with Roger Craig Smith Released 2 March 2025 Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) Interview Read More AC Community Questions: The Ælchemist 5 February 2025 TheÆlchemist Interview Read More Community Questions & Answers: Zephryss 16 October 2024 Zephryss Interview Read More AC Community Questions: Laury_Runs 27 September 2024 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Interview with Jesper Kyd 22 August 2024 Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) Interview Read More AC Community Questions: Andy (SisterlyThrower) 11 July 2024 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More AC Community Questions: Hayden Bird (TombAssassin) 10 July 2024 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More AC Community Questions: Louise (TheNerdyArcher) 8 July 2024 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Interview with an Assassin - A Character Discussion with the Cast of The Resurrection Plot 11 June 2023 Michael Smith Interview Read More TOWCB Interview with AC: The Golden City Author Jaleigh Johnson 30 April 2023 Michael Smith Interview Read More Interview with Carlo Rota (Basim/Loki in Assassin's Creed Valhalla) 30 April 2021 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Interview with Magnus Bruun (Eivor in Assassin's Creed Valhalla) 21 December 2020 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Benoît Richer Interview: Assassin's Creed Valhalla Co-Dev Game Director 14 October 2020 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Q&A with Eric Baptizat: Assassin's Creed Valhalla Game Director 6 September 2020 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Carlos Ferro Interview: Da Vinci's Destiny 31 March 2020 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Roger Craig Smith Interview: The Life of an Assassin 1 March 2020 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Anthony Del Col Interview - Assassin's Creed Transmedia: Past and Present 15 February 2020 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Jesper Kyd Interview 31 October 2019 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Q&A with Chris Wildgoose 14 August 2019 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Q&A with with Thibaud de la Touanne (Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice) 10 August 2019 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Q&A with Chantel Riley (Layla Hassan) 14 February 2018 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Q&A with Nadia Verrucci 10 June 2017 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Q&A with Abubakar Salim 9 January 2017 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More Q&A with Aymar Azaïzia 7 May 2016 Colum Blackett (Col_96) Interview Read More

In June 2025, Jebs joined TOWCB's Art Team in an effort to widen the variety of art styles on the team. She is known online for her unusual art style, which can be described as a mix between doodling, sketching and anime, pieces which are often animated, bringing a ton of personality and fun to her work. Throughout 2025 and beyond, Jebs will be working alongside TOWCB's Art Team on a variety of projects which range from creating art for fundraising to live art creation watch-alongs! By joining the AC Partnership Program, we aim to boost her profile within the community and create a meaningful relationship with Ubisoft. Previous Next Jebs Art Team In June 2025, Jebs joined TOWCB's Art Team in an effort to widen the variety of art styles on the team. She is known online for her unusual art style, which can be described as a mix between doodling, sketching and anime, pieces which are often animated, bringing a ton of personality and fun to her work. Throughout 2025 and beyond, Jebs will be working alongside TOWCB's Art Team on a variety of projects which range from creating art for fundraising to live art creation watch-alongs! By joining the AC Partnership Program, we aim to boost her profile within the community and create a meaningful relationship with Ubisoft. TikTok │ Twitter │ Instagram Work

Ben is a Digital Analyst working alongside TOWCB Core Team to assist with SEO, branding, and social media to increase our overall digital presence. By joining the AC Partnership Program, Ben hopes to gain experience he can use in his future marketing career. He is a driven behind-the-scenes Assassin doing great work helping the admin team grow our online community. Previous Next Ben Weal Digital Analyst Previous Partner Ben is a Digital Analyst working alongside TOWCB Core Team to assist with SEO, branding, and social media to increase our overall digital presence. By joining the AC Partnership Program, Ben hopes to gain experience he can use in his future marketing career. He is a driven behind-the-scenes Assassin doing great work helping the admin team grow our online community. Instagram Work

Learn about the reasons for the creation of Assassin's Creed Day Community Interview with Benoit Richer: Valhalla Co-Dev Game Director Interview with Eric Baptizat: AC Valhalla Game Director Interview with Jordan Van Andel (JorRaptor) Colours in Assassin's Creed: A Short Review 6 ways to stay entertained in the Assassin's Creed Community during isolation Interview with Carlos Ferro - Da Vinci 5 ways you can support TOWCB Interview with Jesper Kyd The Assassin's Creed Community are raising money for Ocean Conservancy. Donate today History Female Vikings: The Real History Save 10% on officially licensed Assassin's Creed Origins merchandise with the code "TOWCB" Top Stories 27/10/20 By Lauren Harris Edited by Ashlea Buckley Share When the first trailer for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla released and fans were introduced to the protagonist, Eivor, who can be played as either male or female, it was the subject of much discussion. Fans debated over how realistic the concept of a female Viking warrior was. Could a female Eivor be historically accurate? Or was it simply a gameplay decision made for the benefit of representation and player choice? In this article, we look at the true history of women during the Viking era and the role they played in their society. According to Judith Jesch, Professor of Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham and the author of Women in the Viking Age (1991), women could not be Vikings as the Old Norse word “vikingar” only applied to men. The idea of female Viking warriors being a historical fact seems to have originated with a DNA study into the remains found in a grave in Birka, Sweden, in 1889. For over one hundred years, the remains were assumed to be of a male warrior. However, in 2017, DNA proved that the bones belonged to a woman. The researchers then published their assessment that the deceased must have been a warrior woman. The reasoning for this was due to the possessions found in the grave, such as pieces of a chess-like board game. Items like this were often found in the graves of warriors, and so the assumption was made that this must have been a warrior. Vikings historians were quick to dispute this conclusion, however. For one, there was no concrete evidence that board games had any connection to warriors. Also, it was very possible that bones had been mixed together during burials, and that this was not specifically a warrior’s grave. Sadly, most scholars believe that female Viking warriors simply did not exist. However, that does not mean that women had no role in Viking society. Actually, research shows that Viking era women had a level of equality with men that most societies would not achieve for many, many years. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, players can let the Animus choose which perspective to view the memory stream from depending on its strength. This is to encourage fans to play as both characters, rather than as just one. Women had a number of important roles in Viking society. Many of these involved work around the house and farm – but women were not simple housewives. In fact, they were responsible for all the wealth in their household. The women controlled the money and the keys to the property. If the men wanted to use either of these things, they would have to go to their wives first. Additionally, since the men were often away exploring, raiding, or voyaging, the women were in charge of making the decisions. They were the ones left behind to keep the economy flourishing and prevent the village from falling apart. In what was an incredibly progressive move for the time, women were allowed to have occupations outside of the home. They were traders, priestesses, and even rune masters. Often, women would produce textiles and sell them in the village. Sometimes, the power of a woman could overshadow her husband. Some men would admire their wives for this fiery personality, but others would feel emasculated. Regardless, society always respected a powerful woman. Evidence of a powerful Viking era woman was found in a burial in Oseberg. Remains of a woman, assumed to be of nobility or even royalty, were found buried in a large ship. She was interred with carved wooden furniture, a tapestry, fine bedding, and household utensils. This suggested that she had power within the society and was respected by her peers. Law was also much fairer to women in the Viking Age than in other periods of history. Women were able to inherit land from their parents, though less than their brothers would receive. A woman would also receive money from her groom upon marriage, of a similar value to the dowry she would present to him. Married couples in the Viking Age were able to divorce, a progressive concept in itself, and if they did, the woman would get to keep her own dowry and that of her groom. They were also free to remarry without judgement. Abuse of women was not tolerated in Viking society. Rape of a woman was a crime punishable by exile, and a woman could demand a divorce if her husband hit her three times. That said, female infidelity was not acceptable and was punished, though men were allowed to have mistresses. Another way that Vikings showed their appreciation for the women in their lives was through rune stones. Whilst most rune stones were erected for men, many were also erected in memory of women. This shows that Vikings wanted people to remember their women and felt that they deserved the same memorial as the men. Despite the historians suggesting that female Viking warriors did not exist, there are many stories in Norse literature of women riding into battle alongside the men. Where did these myths come from? The Icelandic sagas with tales of Viking shield-maidens and Valkyries were written centuries after the Viking Age, which makes it difficult to believe the stories they tell. However, what these sagas do show is the way the Norse respected and admired strong women in their society. The women in these stories were depicted in various ways. Some were Valkyries sent by the god Odin to retrieve fallen warriors from the battlefield and bring them to Valhalla. Some were mortal but with supernatural powers, like fortune tellers and prophets. Others were regular humans who picked up a sword and shield and went into battle with their male counterparts. Famous female warriors in Norse literature include Sigrdrifa the Valkyrie, who appears in the poem Sigrdrífumál also featuring Sigurd the Dragonslayer. While little historical evidence has been found to support the idea of Viking warrior women existing, there have been some accounts which could lend support to the theory. One is from an Irish history book written in the 12th century which speaks of a warrior named “The Red Maiden” who attacked Munster with a Viking fleet in the 10th century. Another is from 11th century Greek historian Johannes Skylitze who recorded that there were armed female Vikings among the warriors who attacked the Byzantines in Bulgaria in 971. As with the Icelandic sagas, though, the fact these sources were written hundreds of years after the Viking age makes the stories less credible. Other evidence which could suggest female Viking warriors existed comes from two sets of remains found in Norway. One set was the skeleton of a woman around 20 years old who was buried with a complete set Viking weaponry. The other was a skeleton of a woman around 18 years old who had a full set of weaponry along with equipment for a horse. There is little reason for the women to be buried with these possessions unless they were important to them, suggesting that they could have been warriors themselves. However, under Viking law, a woman would gain all her husband’s belongings upon his death. It could be that these weapons belonged to their warrior husbands and were buried with the wives for sentimental reasons. To conclude, historians believe that the existence of Viking warrior women is unlikely – and so too would be a character like female Eivor. However, it is clear that women held more power in Viking society than any other culture for years to come. Women were not subservient and they were free to make their own decisions in life. It is said that no one could tell a Viking era woman what to do. We have to wonder then if a woman wanted to be a Viking warrior, who was going to stop her? In that case, maybe there were female warriors lost to the annals of history – and maybe Eivor was one of them. About the Author Lauren is a online article writer who loves the Assassin's Creed franchise. As a member of the AC Partnership Program, she will be writing regular articles for the AC community, and her work can now be found in the Community Hub. Lauren is especially interested in Assassin's Creed lore, and will be exploring this more in future articles. Lauren Harris Support TOWCB Support TOWCB By using our Amazon Links Save 15% with the code 'TOWCB' Eivor is a fierce Viking warrior, and the leader of the Raven Clan. Available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Store on Windows PC, as well as on UPLAY+, and Stadia. Also coming to PlayStation®5. 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Possible Ubisoft Employees spotted photographing Italian architecture Rumor Hub Share 30 Jul 2018 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Colum Blackett Back To Database Freelance journalist Jordan Oloman recently visited the area surrounding Lake Como in Italy, which is situated roughly 2 hours away from Milan. On his travels to the beautiful location, Jordan and his travelling companion Helena had the opportunity to visit Villa del Balbianello, which was used for the filming of Naboo in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Image by Jordan Oloman Image by TREMEZZINA It was on this visit to Villa del Balbianello that Jordan and Helena noticed two possible employees from Ubisoft taking very particular photos of the architecture. He notes that the two people carried a Ubi30/ UbiProud bag, which were campaigns run by the company. After describing the two individuals, Jordan jokingly wondered if the sighting could be connected to an unannounced Assassin's Creed project. Could the two employees be location scouts? Although the Assassin's Creed franchise has already visited Italy in two major installments (AC2& AC Brotherhood), rumours circulating in 2017 suggested that the franchise would be soon be introducing an Ancient Trillogy, visiting Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. The reveal of Assassin's Creed Origins confirmed these rumours for many fans, and the introduction of Assassin's Creed Odyssey made the claims even more believable. We contacted Jordan, who informed us that he has no concrete proof that the two individuals worked for Ubisoft, and may have just be tourists interested in Italian architecture. Do you think that the two individuals were Ubisoft Employees scouting out locations for an unannounced AC Project or just tourists? Could the Assassin's Creed Franchise be heading to Italy? Would you like to see the franchise return to the country? Does this sighting confirm the Ancient Trilogy rumors for you? Photos by Jordan Oloman You can find Jordan on Twitter Information source comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

Weekly Assassin's Creed News Recap: 10th - 16th July 2022 News Share 17 Jul 2022 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Welcome to a new weekly Assassin's Creed News Recap series, hosted by Colum Blackett (Col_96) from The Ubisoft Star Players Program (Formerly Mentors Guild). Every week, we will be rounding up Assassin's Creed News and sharing it here on The Ones Who Came Before website. Keep an eye on the site every Sunday for more weekly recaps, or check out our social media links down below to stay updated on everything Assassin's Creed. 1) This week, Laced Records revealed the upcoming Assassin's Creed 15th anniversary vinyl box set, which includes: 5 LPs 70 tracks | 12 games Laced-exclusive Limited Edition Slipmat + Art print Pre-order available now . Shipping est. January 2023 2) To liven up a relatively quiet week in the Assassin's Creed Community, we here at The Ones Who Came Before released content every day! Aaron Young from the Writing Team released a new Virtual Photography article, which you can check out here, this time covering portraits! 3) Some really strange news to report this week... According to Daily Mail, a Fraudster took £25,000 in wages after supplying the name of Assassin's Creed video game character Layla Hassan on an official reference. Angelica Stoichkov, 32, was ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work with an additional 30 days rehabilitation activity requirement. A very unusual bit of news that we hope doesn't happen again. You can read more about it here. 4) After the news broke about the closure of The Mentors Guild Community Program, many feared that their ties with Ubisoft would be cut, but thankfully this has not been the case. Many who were members of TMG, including myself, Ashlea and Lisa from TOWCB have been offered a place on the new Ubisoft Star Player 2.0 Program, and this week more Assassin's Creed Community Members announced that they too would also be joining the program. Congratulations to the following Assassins! AshMakesStuff ValorianRu Brendan Quinlan NaryaCosplay Kim Beacham Carlos Cuevas 5) Easily the biggest news of the week. Secret Lab unveiled the stunning new Assassin's Creed Collection, a collaboration between the award-winning gaming chair designers and Ubisoft, marking the 15th Anniversary of the iconic AAA fan-favourite franchise. The stunning collection features the Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 Assassin's Creed Edition gaming chair and MAGNUS desk accessories, created with fans in mind, paying ultimate homage to the series. Learn more here 6) Our Assassin's Creed Community Questions series made a return after a short hiatus! This week, we released our interview with Egyptian Assassin's Creed community member Mohamed Abdelkader! Mohamed is the admin for Facebook Page The Jackdaw Tales and Member of the Assassin’s Creed Arab Community. You can find the interview here! 7) The Memory Corridor podcast returned with another retrospective episode. On Episode # 21, Gargudon was joined by Isu Network Member ActualSpider-Man , and reflected on the highs and lows of Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) 8) Another great podcast worth mentioning is Let's Talk Assassin's Creed , which released a special episode this week dedicated to Fan Community Access the Animus. Congrats on the 9 Year Anniversary ATA Team! 9) Speaking of podcasts, we re-released our Ultimate Assassin's Creed Podcast Guide with major updates! Happy Listening Assassins! 10) Final one from us for this week! We released an Assassin's Creed Wrath of the Druids Art Exhibition, showcasing some of the official concept art created for the DLC! Check it out here! We hope that you enjoyed this Assassin's Creed News Recap! You can look forward to more articles like this, dropping every Sunday! What was your highlight of the week? Let us know in the comments! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

TOWCB VP Team Members Aaron Young and Turið Torkilsdóttir Featured on Pixel Focus Podcast Episode 8 News Share 6 Mar 2024 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) TOWCB Team Back To Database Pixel Focus podcast is a show hosted by N7_spectres and Son_OG5 that provides insight into the world of Virtual Photography across a wide spectrum of gaming communities. In episode 8, the hosts are joined by two members of ACFirstCiv . Representing The Ones Who Came Before Assassin's Creed fan community via the AC Partnership Program ( Isu_Network ) were Aaron Young (FalconSwift87) and Turið Torkilsdóttir . Aaron and Turid make up 50% of TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, and in episode 8, they discuss their passion for Virtual Photography, time management when capturing VP shots as parents, and working alongside TOWCB to establish a VP branch. It's always fascinating to hear the inspirations that motivate players to take particular shots in gaming worlds, whether it be story driven, landscape photography or portraits. Are they planned or do moments just appear as you play is a question that is posed in the episode, and does gaming provide an outlet to escape outside of parenthood. This episode was particularly thought-provoking and reflected the dual balance of life and gaming that lots of gamers experience. You can listen now on Youtube or Spotify (below) Turið Torkilsdóttir is a member of the Isu_Network Virtual Photography team, and a moderator of our VP community. Back in 2020, she began sharing her Virtual Photography captures on Twitter, and interacting with the gaming community. In 2023, she joined TOWCB VP Team, and has been working behind the scenes on a number of social media and website strategies that spotlight community captures. She has also been contributing towards our VP projects, such as our bimonthly articles and showcase videos. You can normally find Turid interacting with community members in our Twitter VP community, spreading positivity and words of encouragement. Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who joined our AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer back in 2022. After building momentum and interest on TOWCB website for Virtual Photography, Aaron established TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, of which he is now Team Leader. Throughout 2024, TOWCB VP Team will be sharing community captures in dedicated articles, and providing a positive environment on Twitter for gamers to share their shots. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Music Fan Theme - The Wind Between The Cherry Trees - Available Now! Breakdown Share 27 Mar 2025 Written By: Edited By: Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) TOWCB Team Back To Database Link to listen on Apple Music Link to listen on Spotify For a while now, we here at The Ones Who Came Before have been getting into the world of music, interviewing composers who have shaped the sound of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, covering iconic tracks, as well as writing our own original fan themes inspired by different instalments. This tradition of course continues with the newly released AC Shadows, hence we are excited to announce our newest original track inspired by the new game - The Wind Between The Cherry Trees - written, arranged and produced by Gargudon from the TOWCB team! This is an in depth look with the brains behind the track, at the process of how it came together, as well as some of the influences behind it. And of course, make sure to also check out the full track, available now wherever music is streamed! Track breakdown & writing process I had so much fun creating this new fan theme for the new instalment, at last heading to a fan favourite location over many years, 16th century Feudal Japan. Before I even started properly producing the track, I already had a very good idea of how I wanted it to sound, what elements I wanted to be at the forefront of it, and what ambiences and emotions I wanted to capture. The setting of the new game meant so many fun opportunities and possibilities for choice of sounds and instruments; I always knew I wanted emphasis on something very ambient and tranquil sounding, with lots of Japanese stringed and wind instruments. The opening and final sections of the track, are meant to capture the peace and tranquillity of the vast forests of Japan that can be explored in the game, filled with massive waterfalls, blue skies, diverse wildlife, and like the title suggests of course, blooming pink cherry trees, or as they call it in the native tongue, sakura. I feel like the prominent koto, fused with the ambient plucks and pads, perfectly captures these sceneries, and can serve as the soundtrack to meditating and or practicing katana moves on the highest mountain. In between these two sections though, is a perhaps slightly darker and more intense, yet also quite cinematic sounding interlude. I wanted this part to mainly centre around massive sounding percussion with big taiko drums, while also giving it an element of traditional African music, as an homage to Yasuke’s native background. My favourite part about this interlude section though, is easily the throat singing, a common ritual practiced throughout Southeast Asia. Recording those parts was also super fun and challenging in a good way, as it had me looking into different techniques, learning something new in the process. When I tracked them, my voice was also pretty rough, following a nasty round of sickness, which in the end may or may not have been an advantage, it then having a certain rawness to it. Track influences There was a number of different influences for the track, from things I’ve written myself earlier on, Jesper Kyd’s iconic AC soundtracks, to a couple of “normal” songs even and more. Two songs that were major influences, were actually these two by Nashville artists Alana Springsteen and Robyn Ottolini, “Look I like ” and “ House I Grew Up In ”. First of which I also did a super fun remix of it once, reusing a lot of elements, sounds and melodies for this new track. For songs labelled “Country”, both have a lot of sounds and ambiences you wouldn’t necessarily associate with the genre, having prominent sections with what sounds like a koto, or some other Eastern stringed instrument. Robyn’s song was a major influence for the first section, recreating certain sounds and vibes, and reusing the chord progression and koto melody. Alana’s (and my remix of) served as influence for the final section, also reusing the chord progression and a certain melody played on koto. Additionally I once again used the melody from my AC Unity inspired fan theme “French Highlands”, it being played on flute during the middle interlude. If a new version of Ezio’s Family can be written for almost every game, so can I reuse my own written themes. Of course I also turned to the master Jesper, using some ambient samples reminiscent of his legendary AC2 soundtrack, samples of birds singing and a waterfall to create a very lively soundscape and some realism, and of course as mentioned, throat singing, where a major inspiration was the loading screen music from another massive Ubisoft game, Far Cry 4, also set in a similar culture and part of the world. And that concludes this in-depth look at our newest original AC inspired musical fan theme! Once again, make sure to check out the full track, available wherever music is streamed, add it to your playlists, maybe even having it on in the background while exploring Japan! That and let us know what games you would like to see inspire future fan themes! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Gustav / Gargudon is an active community member, who started out in podcast hosting in 2016, but today mostly specialises in video creation, interviews & composing. By joining The Ones Who Came Before in 2019, originally reviving 'The Memory Corridor' podcast, which had been offline for nearly a year, he has had the opportunity to expand his audience and further develop his skills.

 His unique skill set made him the perfect candidate for our team. Among other things, he is known in the community for the Sounds Of History project - an original Assassin’s Creed inspired instrumental music project, featuring five tracks inspired by as many different games - other original fan themes plus covers of iconic AC tracks, as well as video interviews with a number of high profile names in the world of AC, from Roger Craig Smith, Jesper Kyd and more. Fun fact, among his growing colourful tattoo collection, Gustav is the only member of our team to have the TOWCB logo inked. Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon)

AC Community Questions: Aita_Sageblood (Nathan) Interview Share 19 Jul 2025 Written By: Edited By: Aita_Sageblood Colum Blackett Back To Database Welcome back to another article in our Assassin's Creed Community Questions series, made up of interviews with Assassins based around the world. This week, we are joined by Nathan ( Aita_Sageblood ), who recently joined our Assassin's Creed Partnership program as an Art Team Member! Col: Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role within the Assassin's Creed Community. Nathan : Hello, my name is Nathan, also known as Aita_Sageblood on my socials, I am a 25 year old self-taught digital artist from the UK with a…borderline unhealthy obsession with the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Regularly playing the games and drawing fanart of the characters since early 2018-19. I have been a fan of AC since about 2013 when I found a “Brotherhood and Revelations” game bundle in a game bargain bin; quickly fell in love with the games, everything from the (at the time) world breaking graphics, the more mature gameplay and an intricate and fascinating story that spanned many games, what wasn’t there to love? And, well, the rest is history! My love for the franchise only grew further when I found myself on an App called Amino, where I was a curator of the AC fan group for a time; finding so many likeminded fans thoroughly cemented my passion for AC as a whole. Col: Are you looking forward to working alongside the team during the launch of the 2025 AC Community Fundraiser? Nathan: I had heard of groups such as the "Mentor’s Guild" and "Isu_Network" over the years, both from what they do and their close relationship with Ubisoft. I had always held a dream of one day being fortunate enough to take part in such a group, yet thought it was nothing more than a fantasy. So, when I was invited, needless to say I was over the moon at the prospect of lending my skills to the group. Col: How excited are you for the future of Assassin's Creed? Nathan: The future of Assassin’s Creed is certainly a tantalising prospect to consider, from its moderately humble beginnings to current day, it’s been a long journey and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Will we see more of Basim/ The Isu Reborn in future instalments? How about finally uncovering the secrets of the Isu before the Toba Catastrophe? Will Shaun Hastings be involved? (He better be!) Col: Which Assassin's Creed game have you been playing recently, and which game are you playing next? Nathan: After recently getting the platinum on AC Shadows, I have since gone back and started my fourth playthrough of Origins, which has to be my absolute favourite AC game and protagonist in the entire series. Col: Have you visited any of the locations from the games? Nathan: I have actually recently come back from a holiday to Egypt! Starting in Cairo, then down to Luxor and back again, it was a childhood dream come true, even if my tour guide was starting to get a little tired of me saying things like "I climbed that!" and "Bayek did X-thing here!" :P Col: Which Assassin's Creed game is your favourite and why? Nathan: As I mentioned previously, Assassin's Creed Origins has to be my absolute favourite in the entire series, not only because I have been obsessed with Ancient Egypt since I was a young boy, but also because of just how amazing Bayek's story was, from a grieving and vengeful father to a wise and talented mentor of the Hidden Ones. Aya and Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins (2017) Col: Have you attended any events within the Assassin's Creed Community? Nathan: Unfortunately, not... unless attending MCM Comic Con in homemade cosplays of Ezio and Jacob Frye? Col: Do you have a favourite Assassin's Creed community moment/ story you would like to share? Nathan: A personal favourite moment from my time in the Assassin's Creed community over the years, has to be during MCM ComicCon 2018, where I met up with many fellow AC fans in cosplay, had many a good laugh and eventually played hide and seek to see who of us was a "master assassin" in disguise. (IE grown adults in hiding in crowds of other cosplayers and avoiding each other.) Col: What would be your dream setting for the upcoming AC Netflix TV show or future game? Nathan: Seeing as we were already lucky enough to experience the founding of the Hidden Ones through Bayek and Aya's journey; my dream game or show would be the flipside and experience the founding of the Order of The Ancients/Templars similar to Shay's story in AC Rogue. Especially as they seem to have been aware of humanity's original purpose as slaves to the Isu during pre-history. Col: Do you have any personal AC goals you would like to achieve? Nathan: While it has been a far-of-dream of mine to be a part of a group such as the Isu-Network, a personal goal of mine is to one-day be lucky enough to visit the Ubisoft Montreal offices; however, I don't believe that'll ever be possible as its closed to the public; but you never know? Ubisoft Montreal Studio (Via Ubisoft) Col: What would you say is your most significant community achievement to date? Nathan: The fact that there is still an incredibly active fanbase for a game that is so passionate about Assassin's Creed is already and achievement in and of itself; but I believe that the most significant has to be how a large percentage of us regularly get together to find ways to support charities all around the world. Col: What is your favourite part of being a community member? Nathan: I have only been a part of the Isu_Network for just over a month, but the fact I have already been welcomed in with open arms and given the opportunity to share my thoughts/opinions with the group as a whole is incredibly heart-warming to me; I cannot wait to see what the future holds. Col: Do you collect AC merchandise? If so, what is your favourite item? Nathan: Hehehe, may not be an American, but I plead the fifth. Joking aside, yes, I suppose it could be said that I have an...extensive collection of Ac merchandise; everything from collector's editions of every game to the statues by PureArts. However, as hard as this is to choose, my absolute favourite bit of AC memorabilia has to be a pack of limited edition playing cards that I was lucky enough to be sent from Ubisoft during the 15th anniversary where they had seen my fanart and had chosen me to receive such a lovely gift. Col: What advice do you have for people looking to get into content creation? Nathan: While I should recommend things like looking at current trends and analytics; what I would personally recommend is finding something that you personally enjoy doing, whether fanart, fanfiction or something else entirely; and simply making/sharing it when you've finished. It doesn't have to be a certified masterpiece or the next big thing; start small and work your way up. As long as you're passionate about it, share it with your fellow fans, the majority of us will support you. Col: Where can our community members find you online? Nathan: You can find on various social media platforms. Like Instagram , X (Twitter) and Cara , under the name Aita_Sageblood... look, I'm not the most creative with usernames, ok? :P However, I most frequently use Instagram, so if you'd ever like to have a chat, ask for art advice or anything else, please do not hesitate to pop me a message. :-) We would like to say a huge thank you to Nathan for joining us for this interview. Keep an eye out for his content on his own personal channels (above), and also TOWCB social media platforms (below). comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author In June 2025, Aita_Sageblood (Nathan) joined TOWCB's Art Team in an effort to widen the variety of art styles on the team. He is known online for his vibrant digital artworks, bringing colour and energy to each and every project. In January 2026, Nate was promoted to Art Team Leader, and throughout 2026 will be working alongside TOWCB's Art Team on a variety of projects which range from creating art for fundraising to live art creation watchalongs! By joining the AC Partnership Program, we aim to boost his profile within the community and create a meaningful relationship with Ubisoft. Aita_Sageblood

Quick-Fire Community Questions - Round 4: McHeisenburglar (Irakli) Community Interview Share 30 Sept 2018 Written By: Edited By: Ashlea Blackett Colum Blackett Back To Database Ashlea: Hello Irakli, thank you for taking part in round four of our Quick-Fire Community Questions series! We would love to ask you a few questions about your work as an admin for The Ones Who Came Before and your time as a Star Player at Gamescom. As we already know you are one of the fellow admins here at The Ones Who Came Before, but tell us a little more abut yourself and the role you play in the Assassin's Creed Community. Irakli: My name is Irakli, though I mostly go by McHeisenburglar online, and I’ve been a member of the community for a couple of years now. Most of my work involves graphic design for Assassin’s Creed-related projects, such as the yearly Assassin’s Creed Marathon, the Assassin’s Creed subreddit, and, of course, The Ones Who Came Before. Ashlea: We know that you do a lot of work behind the scenes work within the Community. Please tell us more about this. Irakli: All the projects I am or have been a part of are team-based, so they’re often a cooperative effort with a lot of moving parts. For example, I help organize the Assassin’s Creed Marathon, and while I do take care of the designs you see online, I also help with the schedule of the Marathon, formatting and updating our daily threads, figuring out giveaway details and so on. On the subreddit, I help with updating the CSS, reworking the rules, wikis, FAQs, configuring AutoModerator. Ashlea: So when did you first start playing Assassins Creed, which game was the first you played? What intrigued you about the franchise leading you to start playing? Irakli: The first Assassin’s Creed game I played was AC3, though I had heard about the franchise for years. It was when one of my favorite YouTubers started a walkthrough for Assassin’s Creed 3 that I was intrigued by the idea, the gameplay and even the graphics. A couple of weeks later I got the game, and I played through it right away. While I did enjoy the single player, it was AC3’s multiplayer that really got me hooked and kept me playing for months, and I still consider AC3 to have the best multiplayer in the series. PvP was initially the only reason I purchased AC4 the following year, though it wasn’t long before I played the story of that as well and officially became obsessed with the series. A couple of months later, I bought all of the games I had been missing and played through the series in a little DIY-Marathon. Ashlea: How long have you been a part of the Community? How did you first become involved with The Ones Who Came Before? How long have you been involved with the AC marathons and as a Reddit moderator? What do you enjoy most about each of these roles you have? Irakli: I have been part of the online/Reddit-based Assassin’s Creed community for a little over three years. I visited the subreddit for the first time in June 2015, after watching the E3 gameplay of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and wanting to discuss it online. There, I saw an announcement for an ‘Assassin’s Creed Marathon’ and was drawn to it right away, and decided to reach out to the team and offer to help out. That’s really when I first started taking graphic design and project work seriously. A couple of months later, as the 2015 Marathon was already underway, I reached out to The Ones Who Came Before regarding some of their designs. We had been working with TOWCB for Marathon promotion and I’d spoken with Colum personally, and I thought I would give feedback on their graphics and suggest things they could improve for their branding, and within a couple of hours I was offered to join the team as a graphic designer. I spent the next two years working on annual Assassin’s Creed Marathons and making designs for The Ones Who Came Before, and in 2017, in preparation for that year’s Marathon, I talked frequently with Dylan/Turul, one of the subreddit moderators, as the Marathon had always been a cooperation between our team and the subreddit mods, to allow things like custom user flairs and daily stickied posts. There were a lot of things we needed to get done, and some of them would’ve been impossible through Twitter DMs alone, so I was given a temporary moderator role on the subreddit. This was primarily for Marathon purposes, but I was free to help out with other subreddit matters, as a ‘trial’ for being a permanent moderator. Over the following weeks, I helped fix some CSS issues, rework the rules and open up the official r/AssassinsCreed Discord Server, and by the time Origins rolled around, I was announced as an official addition to the team. I like these roles (and other ones I’ve had in the community) for different reasons, I suppose. The Marathon remains the project I’m most passionate and sort of ‘protective’ of, so whenever I’m not that free, I try to use most of my AC free time to help out with that. I really enjoy working on TOWCB because of how much graphic design experience and skill I get out of it. The logo we unveiled in 2017 remains one of my single favorite design projects to date. The subreddit, on the other hand, has taught me what moderating forums is actually like, and what goes into a well-managed and run subreddit/forum. Plus, 90% of the CSS I know is thanks to the AC subreddit. Ashlea: What is your favourite part of being in the community? Irakli: The memes are nice. Ashlea: Your Twitter name is quite unusual, could you tell us where the name McHeisenburglar came from? Irakli: Honestly, I don’t remember exactly how it all happened. A couple of years ago I had to register for some site, and I guess ‘McHeisenburger’ was pretty funny (I was binging Breaking Bad at the time), and I didn’t give it a second thought. Years later I had to register for Reddit, and I saw that ‘mcheisenburger’ was taken, so on a whim I decided to change the ‘burger’ to a ‘burglar’. It sort of stuck once I joined the community. Ashlea: One of your main responsibilities with The Ones Who Came Before is you Graphic Design work how did you get into graphic design? Are you self taught or was it something you learnt at school? Irakli: I initially got into graphic design when I watched some YouTube videos of people making graphics and wallpapers and whatnot, and thinking it was the most incredible thing in the world. I couldn’t fathom someone making their own wallpaper. So then I pirated a bunch of Adobe programs, including Photoshop, and tried it out for myself. I was not good AT ALL, but that didn’t stop me from making dumb crap every once in a while, including YouTube channel artwork and logos for fake companies. It was really the Assassin’s Creed projects that made me take it seriously, and really pushed me to actually be decent at design. The 2015 Marathon was the first project I worked on, and a lot of the tasks I had were things I’d never done before, so I learned it through trial and error, and they turned out good because I worked with a team that didn’t hesitate to criticize. Other projects followed it, including TOWCB, The Bureau Podcast, ‘Assassin’s Creed Legacies’, all of which helped me improve, even if incrementally. Now it’s fun to look back on those old designs and see the progress I’ve made. Ashlea: What it means to you to be selected as a Ubisoft Star Player? Was it something you were expecting or was it a complete surprise? Irakli: I would be lying if I said that I didn’t expect to be selected this year. I had been active in many parts of the AC community over the years, and had worked on various somewhat-known projects. However, I wouldn’t have been so confident if Sofija hadn’t been picked the year before. That invite made it clear to us that being a Star Player was actually realistic, even if by doing just project work like we were. Ashlea: As a star player you recently attended Gamescom, what were you most looking forward to about the event? Did it live up to your expectations? Irakli: In the weeks leading up to Gamescom, I didn’t know what I was most excited about, though I knew it wasn’t Odyssey. As we got closer to the event, a Twitter group was created of all the Assassin’s Creed people that would be attending Gamescom, which made it clear what Gamescom was going to be about — meeting people. In the end, the best part of the event was really the opportunity to meet so many Assassin’s Creed community members and other Star Players. I had known a lot of these people online, and actually having a face-to-face conversation felt surreal. The event itself was also outstanding, especially with the VIP treatment we got from Ubisoft, getting to play the games early, etc. Overall, the two days were unforgettable. Ashlea: Were you excited to be able to play AC Odyssey early? What were your thoughts about the game? Irakli: I had very, very little hopes going into the Odyssey demo. I was not excited for the game at all, and barely kept up with the news and marketing (definitely a first for me). I played the demo twice at Gamescom, and it was almost exactly what I imagined. It’s a beautiful, well-built game with a lot of stuff to do, but I have a hard time seeing its place in the Assassin’s Creed series. I don’t think it will be a bad game, in fact, I think most people that enjoyed Origins will have a good time with this game as well. Unfortunately, I don’t consider myself to be part of those people. Ashlea: Do you have any hopes for things you would like to see in the game? Do you have any concerns about anything? Irakli: Still have a bit of hope that the marketing isn’t telling the whole story, and there are more ‘Assassin’s Creed’ things in the game that we have yet to see. I’m hoping it enriches the lore and treats it carefully, though I don’t think that is too likely. As is the consensus, I’d love to see a lot of First Civilization exposition and involvement in Odyssey, as there is not much else to do in a time period that predates even Bayek. Ashlea: Now that you have been to Gamescom what do you have planned next within Community? Irakli: Honestly, I am not sure. Right after Gamescom I moved to Germany to start university, and so the last month has been a great change of pace for me. Unfortunately, this also means I don’t have as much time or heart to pour into Assassin’s Creed anymore, but only time will tell. I’ll try to stick around, but with university taking up more and more of my time and interest (and Odyssey… not), it might be time to take a small step back. Ashlea: Thank you so much for taking part in our fourth round of Quick Fire Community Questions. You can find Irakli on Twitter here comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Ashlea is the Editor/ Charity Project Coordinator for The Ones Who Came Before on its wide variety of social media platforms. Her main responsibilities for TOWCB involve creating and editing articles, organisation of events and coordinating our charity fundraising, as well as hosting the Rally The Creed Podcast. Ashlea Blackett

Futuristic Time Jump : Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game Share Written By: Edited By: Reporter Name Back To Database Could the 'present-day' be replaced by a futuristic storyline? TOWCB Team members Gargudon and Ubicypher (Rally the Creed #6 ) pitched the idea of transporting the modern day segments into the future. They noted that Ubisoft have always been extremely cautious about real-life current affairs, avoiding mention of wars or ongoing issues, even recently glossing over the Covid-19 pandemic by only referencing it in an in-game email. Dataminers uncovered an unreleased cutscene in the files for Assassin's Creed Mirage which featured a conversation between two Animus operators, discussing DNA found by Assassin Mentor William Miles. The pair refer to the 21st Century as 'Ancient History', suggesting that they are much further ahead in time The Evidence Canon In the Assassin's Creed Brahman graphic novel, Jasdip Dhami, a member of the Indian Brotherhood of Assassins encountered Abstergo Operatives wearing futuristic head gear, a mission to locate the Koh-i-Noor diamond (Piece of Eden) which ended in failure, and the deaths of Siobhan Dhami (Assassin) and Monima Das (actress). Jasdip returned in the Assassin's Creed Uprising comic book series (2017) by Titan Comics, continuing his search for the Koh-i-Noor diamond, this time representing the Instruments of the First Will after leaving the Assassins. This shows that technology which could be classed as 'futuristic', or ahad of its time still exists within the Assassin's Creed universe. The armour worn by Sigma Team in Assassin's Creed Origins (2017 ) is somewhat reminiscent to Predator, giving it an almost-alien-like feel. The team returned in the long-running Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple manhwa (online graphic novel), wearing the same outfit. Non Canon In the 'Assassin's Creed Visionaries' comic book series, issue #2 variant cover art by Moy R. Marco featured a giant Assassin robot, similar to a Transformer. The cover was created to showcase a short story within the issue written by Kevin Roditeli, titled 'Project Altair'. Synopsis by AC Wiki ''For the past two years, giant creatures have appeared at random to cause destruction, razing everything in sight and vanishing as quickly as they appeared with apparently no rhyme or reason for it. Humanity has finally developed a possible way to counter these monsters: giant robots. Atop a building, Minerva watches another monster attack. She removes her cloak and performs a Leap of Faith down into her giant robot, Altaïr-01. Her support team confirm that all systems are ready and, from the command chair, Minerva activates her plasma Hidden Blade and, with it, the machine. Minerva then maneuvers the robot towards the creature and engages it in combat, having Altaïr-01 strike it with its own Hidden Blade.'' Fan Content Over the years fans of the franchise have dreamt up countless possibilities for future projects, including a game set in the future. Seeing all the great ideas brought to life by artists makes us here at TOWCB wonder if it's only a matter of time before Assassin's Creed takes the leap forward in time Pitching a Futuristic Assassin's Creed With the difficulties that come with setting a game in reality, Ubisoft could commit to a time jump where Abstergo have finally taken over civilisation through technology, and the Assassins are fighting back. This could look very similar to 'In Time', or 'The Hunger Games'. Access the Animus released a really intriguing article (written by ) on the topic, piecing together a number of hints towards an upcoming shift in time. History is our playground simulation ultimately end with someone taking control over humanity, whether that be a branch of the Templars, such as Abstergo, the Isu returning, or something new entirely. cycle of comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author This is placeholder text. To connect this element to content from your collection, select the element and click Connect to Data. About the Author

Interview with Carlo Rota (Basim/Loki in Assassin's Creed Valhalla) Interview Share 30 Apr 2021 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database We are proud to release our interview with Carlo Rota, who provided the voice and mo-cap performances for Basim and Loki in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. This is the fourth interview in our Valhalla series, covering the game with the cast and crew that brought it to life. Please note that this interview contains FULL SPOILERS for Assassin's Creed Valhalla Colum: Hi Carlo, thanks for joining us today! Please can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and your time working on the Assassin's Creed series. Carlo: Hello AC world and thank you Colum for the invitation to answer a few questions about this excellent game that Ubisoft has made. In looking over your questions I realize that this is a welcome chance for me to debrief myself about the amazing time that was spent being involved with Valhalla and all the talented individuals I was lucky enough to work with. My last day of physical work on the game was on Friday March 13th 2020. For most of us in N.America, that was the last day of normalcy before we stepped into the COVID whirlwind from which we are still to emerge. Here is to emerging soon!!! But in the meantime let me dive right in: So yes, I’m Carlo Rota and I’m an actor with quite an extensive and varied resume ( I’ve actually been in some really good projects and sad to say, maybe not so good ones…). I normally live in Los Angeles with my wife and kids which is where Ubisoft would shuttle me back and forth from to shoot and record the game in Montreal. I say normally, because at the time of writing, I am living as a refugee in Toronto. It's where my family and I escaped to, because we thought things were getting too hairy in LA and we wanted the kids to attend school, which have been open here. Of course I use the term refugee in a tongue in cheek way. I actually used to live in Toronto and yes, surprisingly to many, because I certainly don’t sound like it, I’m happily Canadian as well as American as well as a UKer. I am a total mixed bag culturally with major connections to Italy but grew up in a lot of different places that spanned from England to Hong Kong and many countries in between. If you presume that I am culturally confused you are entirely correct. Perhaps this is a cry for help?? Colum: Before working on the game, did you know much about the franchise? Carlo: The short answer is, no and full disclosure here, I have had scant gaming experience. Yes , I have played early versions of games like Doom and GTA and Uncharted but I hadn’t touched a gaming console in years. I haven’t even played another lovely Ubisoft project that I had a significant role in a few years back , Splinter Cell. Anyhow, everything changed the very first day I arrived at Ubisoft HQ, Montreal. Lead writer Darby McDevitt swooped down on his Irish educated wings and ensured I received a head spinning and rapid AC PHD. Not only did he introduce me to all the main players involved in making the game but he also gave me a super involved history of the Franchise with more detail and precision then my noob brain could possibly handle. Magnus (who plays the lead character of Eivor) and I had this running joke that when Darby spoke about the game he would always start by saying “Let me give you a quick five minute explanation about……” then an hour and a half later of detail upon story upon history, your head felt cudgeled and buffeted! Like you’d smoked something intensely psychedelic. ( not that Magnus or I would know of such things, we are, after all very innocent family men. Very innocent ). Essentially, what Darby was eloquently explaining was that Assassins Creed is SO much more than a game. The fact that the word Creed is in the name is very apt. Search the meaning of the word and you find…”a set of beliefs or aims which guide someones actions” This holds true not only for anyone playing the game but also for those making it. The AC world is so layered and textured and honoring that world is so vital to Darby and his colleagues it's practically a philosophy. The beauty of the game is also that if you only want to dip a toe in and play a super enjoyable TPS with killer artwork and action and not worry too much about the Isu thing then that’s amazing too. And speaking of which after my introductions and education at Ubisoft I was packed off back to my hotel with a copy of “Origins”. I played it in my room like I was possessed. You know, ordering room service and not washing for 48 hours. I think the hotel staff thought of me as some weirdo shut in. Fun! Colum: Have you had the time to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla since its release? Carlo: YES! I had to return to LA November last. I was asked to appear for my interview for my US citizenship and because of COVID you are asked to be in the country at least 2 weeks before the interview. So I holed up in a friends apartment in Venice and he had the game. What a blast! Loved seeing it all in its finished glory. The art and detail create a visual feast. Strange seeing Basim and hearing my voice. Certainly , Basim is more beautiful then me. Not much more!…. Joking. Basim is the man I’ve always wanted to be. Colum: How did you find the motion capture experience, and how does it compare to other methods of acting? Carlo: That's a great question. Motion Capture or MOCAP as it is called is both extremely liberating and a little bit confining at the same time. Liberating because performance can be freer without being too precious of camera angle and marks. MOCAP is all performed in the “Volume” (forgive if I'm repeating stuff you already know). The Volume is essentially a huge room with scaffolding that holds a “shitload” (official term) of cameras. These record the movement of those little white balls on our mocap suits. There are also handheld cameras that record more intricate stuff. Also, each performer wears a basket like headpiece with lights and cameras to record facial movements. So, essentially its like performing theatre in the round where the audience surrounds the stage. Your actions can also be bigger and more lifelike then the limited amount that’s allowed with close up camera work in TV or Film. Also when participating in mocap you can really live in your imagination. Like, BIG in your imagination. After all, the actors are not dressed in the clothes they will eventually be seen in, the props are rudimentary: spongy swords and styrofoam axes ( spoiler alert; the Staff of Eden was a glorified painted broom handle ). With the keen help of the extremely professional producers, directors and crew at Alice Productions where the game is shot, mocap can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience. As far as the previously mentioned; "little bit confining", goes; that is almost exclusively related to the headpiece that you are forced to wear. I’m sure as technology continues to unfold this headpiece might become more user friendly but for now it can literally be a pain in the neck. It’s lights and cameras need incessant “fiddling”. I found myself constantly bashing into other actors with it thus causing a stoppage in shooting so that fiddling the cameras and lights back into proper position could occur. The headpiece also inhibits the touching of ones own face or head as well as getting too close to other actors faces which is sometimes necessary. In the scene where Loki is comforting his wolf son, my actors inclination was to kiss his head, like I would if I was comforting my own son. Not possible. Another example of living in ones imagination. Which, even as I write this, makes me smile at my own ridiculousness. After all, on the day we shot this scene my" wolf son “ was neither a wolf nor my son but a talented local actor who was lying on the ground in a mocap suit making remarkably lifelike injured wolf noises. Colum: Did filming during lockdown present any challenges? Carlo: We were lucky enough to have wrapped up filming by the time I left Montreal in March ’20. There was still substantial voice to be recorded which did present a challenge. Since it all had to be done remotely I tried several times to create a pro environment at home in LA to record but ultimately it was decided to choose a safe studio in LA that did a great job of providing safe and spectacular connectivity with Montreal for recording. Colum: Players are introduced to Basim early on in the game, and his true intentions remain a mystery until the very end. Did you do anything in particular with your voice to make the character come across as such an enigma, or was it mainly in the dialogue? Carlo: As you probably know, voicing a game makes up the majority of an actors work. The ratio of voice work to mocap is hundreds to one! The first day I attempted Basim was classic. I was lucky enough to work with Thor Bishopric, famous Montrealer and veteran voice director. It turned out that my first day was also his first day. We worked all day but since neither of us had a handle on Basim or how and why he delivered certain lines it was kind of like the blind leading the blind in a dress rehearsal. Needless to say, we repeated the first whole day after things had been explained by the likes Darby ( cue the psychedelics …). Finding Basim’s “voice” was a nuanced process and I have to thank Thor immensely. The trick was to not go too “Bad Guy” with him early on. In fact, having played my fair share of bad guys in TV and Film I have often argued for a more nuanced performance because I firmly believe that characters that have secrets and do underhanded things are far more interesting if you can relate to why they are doing what they are doing….Basim has a deeply, insanely hidden agenda. And his agenda is family driven. What can be more important than that?! Ok so his son was a wolf. Big deal. Surely everyone knows someone that has a child with Canid tendencies….but I digress... So to specifically answer your question, YES! Much thought was given to Basim’s enigmatic qualities. The fact that you ask the question gives cause too celebrate. Hopefully we achieved close to what we wanted to which was to have Basim float through the early parts of the game without having too big a label on him. He was the eponymous Assassin. May he rise again!! Colum: The campfire scene between Eivor and Basim has been deemed by many fans to be the best moment of the game, and one of the best cinematic moments in the entire franchise? Do you agree with this, and what are your memories of recording the scene? Carlo: This is such an amazing question (s). This was a beautifully written scene with great depths of story that percolates in the background. It also has what eludes so many scenes in the gaming world; a real conversation with emotion and backstory that teases something much bigger without hitting that thing on the head! It was also the first scene that I was shown assembled and I was blown away by it. I think everyone thought it was special from the get go. The fact that anyone else saw the beauty in the scene is super gratifying. Shooting the scene was a bit of a surprise because it was scheduled to be shot the following day but we were ahead of schedule so it was decided that we shoot it when neither Magnus nor myself was really 100% ready. Luckily Magnus, being the great actor that he is, was vey enthusiastic to work the dialogue so that it actually resembled a conversation. Again, imagination here was key because the scene was shoot in a corner of the Volume with super bright lights , me sitting on a box, Magnus leaning against some other box, me poking some styrofoam bricks that were supposed to be logs on fire….I think what we managed to achieve with the help of great direction from Laurent Bernier and Felix-Etienne Roque (our shepherds of mocap) was the feeling of a respectful relationship between these two characters sitting around a campfire. Its not an easy thing to achieve but I’m ever so glad its appreciated. Colum: Fans were quick to notice the similarities between Basim's robes, and Altair's from the original game. Do you like Basims Outfit, and do you think Ubisoft should add it in a future update so players can wear it? Carlo: Yes, I’m very happy with Basim’s style. Unlike, live action where an actor may have some input into his clothing , this is completely out of the actors sphere in a game like AC. That creative choice is made further top the line. I also noticed similarities between Altair’s garb and Basim’s but it was never mentioned to me if that was a creative choice or a fine coincidence. I thinks Basims outfit should be readily accessible. I’m going to be Basim for halloween next if returning to parties is ever going to be allowed !! Colum: Loki is the second character that you play in Valhalla, and true to his name, he's mischievous. What do you think is his ultimate end goal, and will there ever be an end to the pain he feels? Carlo: Even in a game as massive as AC Valhalla there is not enough space, not nearly enough narrative bandwidth to do Loki justice. Most people think of Loki as described in Marvel films. A morally compromised mischief maker. In Norse mythology Loki is so much more than that. He is so complex and plain old Norse interesting in his habits, sexuality, children and ability to move from form to form that by necessity to fit into any story ( that is not solely about him ) he needs to be condensed. A trippy headsspin is a simple Wikipedia search of Loki of Norse Mythology. When you get to the mention of Loki in the form of a mare being impregnated you’ll see what I mean. For AC Valhalla purposes, yes Loki is a cheeky bastard whose son happens to be a wolf. This fact, weird and barely covered in the game, is actually a HUGE motivating part of the Valhalla storyline. The name Wolfkissed is not a coincidence and Loki’s ultimate quest in the form of Basim ( I like to think of them as one character that evolves ) is payback! So to answer you question more specifically Loki wants vengeance , vengeance motivated by deep pain/loss. Will that ever go away? I think optimistically yes. As things evolve Loki/Basim could evolve…….though that pain was a mile deep motivator so it’ll have to be replaced by something equally compelling…... Basim looking in the Mirror by SophiaEA16 Colum: Have you seen any of the cosplay / fan art / projects inspired by Basim or Loki? Carlo: Absolutely love the stuff I’ve seen. Some of it is inspirational. In watching renditions of Basim/Female Eivor told with the slant of a love story or rather a lost love story I was blown away. It never occurred to me prior to seeing this and yet it makes so much sense regardless of wether its Female or Male Eivor. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin….. I should also say because I genuinely liked it so much and actually got the chills when I first saw it, Sophia’s "Basim looking in the Mirror" is wonderful. Colum: What would you say is the first step to getting into voice acting work, and how people prepare for it? Carlo: Practice practice practice. Get a decent mic and start recording yourself. Read from scripts or books or transcripts of ads. Don’t just mimic someone else’s read. Discover your own voice through practice. The microphone is a very interesting device. It records intent and emotion in ways that are not necessarily obvious. Voice lessons have some value but beware that voice work is an insanely crowded and competitive field and anyone who says their lessons will lead to voice work is probably not worth the money! For me, the voice work I am lucky to do is almost incidental to being an Actor. So really a truthful ( for me ) answer to your question is you prepare for voice work by becoming and actor and preparing as an actor. Colum: Other than Basim and Loki, who would you have liked to have voiced in the game? Carlo: Sorry for this short blunt reply but Basim/Loki file me. I couldn’t think who else I’d like to voice. Colum: If you could meet Basim in real life, what would you ask him? Carlo: I’d ask him what is it like to have such great hair and WHO cuts it??!! Joking, I’d ask him about the ability caused by and consequences of, fierce undying intent. Also , what wisdom must be acquired when you are aware of the incredible longevity of your existence. What a historian Basim must be! What things he must have seen! He’d make a fantastic interview, hell he’d be an entire awe inspiring jaw dropping documentary series! So many questions. Basim Explained : 40 Thousand years of wit and wisdom. Narrated by Carlo Rota……can’t wait! We would like to thank Carlo for joining us for this interview! Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, PC and Stadia. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)