Preston is a long-time Assassin's Creed fan of both the games and the soundtracks. He works as a primary school educator, and is also a part-time actor. ​He takes a keen interest in mythology, symbology, codes and puzzles. Some of his passions include writing, reading, art, gaming, football, and music. Previous Next Writer Preston Carbonaro Previous Partner Preston is a long-time Assassin's Creed fan of both the games and the soundtracks. He works as a primary school educator, and is also a part-time actor. He takes a keen interest in mythology, symbology, codes and puzzles. Some of his passions include writing, reading, art, gaming, football, and music. Twitter Work

Assassin's Creed Shadows is delayed yet again to March 20th Ubisoft announces News Share 13 Jan 2025 Written By: Edited By: UbiCypher (Joe) Colum Blackett Back To Database Yes, this is happening, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, Ubisoft's most anticipated title for 2025 has been delayed yet again. The sad news delivered by the Assassin's Creed Content Director Marc-Alexis Côté in a official statement made public a little while ago. At this point we can but only speculate what this could mean for the French company looking at the future it may lead its most coveted franchise to. Official statement made by Marc-Alexis Cote -"As part of the renewed focus on gameplay quality and engaging Day-1 experiences, it has been decided to provide an additional month of development to Assassin’s Creed Shadows," -Marc-Alexis Côté said in his statement. Ubisoft is now in a more delicate situation than ever before and albeit the second delay being due to prefectionist reasons aiming to "ensure and even more ambitious and engaging day-one experience" the wave of criticism that will befall on Ubisoft will be even more non-filtered this time. Hopefully, Shadows delivers and is the product we all deserve after all this years craving for a game set in Feudal Japan. Now we will have to wait and see for the upcoming days and weeks what Ubisoft has to offer in compensation for this, specially in terms of marketing and blogposts of which only one remained to be released prior to the announcement of the delay. It is important to note that the pre-orders weren't active still at only a few weeks before its previous accorded release date being February 14 as well as no statements on whether the Game's development achieved GOLD status, normally being a transparent indicator from the company behind a game towards the consumers, which in this case has been absent compared to previous games from the franchise. Lack of confidence or a buggy mess? One only wonders if February 14 was never going to be the real release date and it was but an attempt at handling the situation in a shady way -dare I say. Don't lose hope.🏯🦅 Article adapted from Isu_Network article 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)

Starter Guide focussing on Norway for new players looking to begin their Assassin's Creed Valhalla adventure. Community Guides Assassin's Creed Valhalla Starter Guide: Norway By Aaron Young 2/2/21 Share Top Stories The Assassin's Creed Community are raising money for Ocean Conservancy. Donate today Assassin’s Creed Valhalla can seem like a daunting game at first. When you start in Norway the map is already a decent size. The amount of collectables and content to discover can feel slightly overwhelming, especially with most of the main game set in England. In this article I will try and set you up for your Viking adventure, with hints and tips for your beautiful starting location, Norway. I am going to keep away from the story aspects of the Norway arc, as it is best you discover this yourself. The only thing I will say is that the story can drag you in, and before you know it you will be sailing off to England without exploring everything Norway has to offer. Take time in-between quests to have a look around. Important to note, you will be able to return to Norway at any moment once you are in England. When you begin the game you will immediately start levelling up, however this is only the beginning. Norway is a snowy playground that you can use to set yourself up for your adventures in England. You will notice many icons scattered around Norway on the map. They range from gold (wealth), blue (mysteries) and white (artefacts). These are often separate from the main story and are here to enrich the experience. Completing the main quest will always be your best way to level up as the XP reward is high. The little gold markers have less of an impact on completing an area but offer valuable XP and resources. If you are a completionist like me then these small loot boxes are worth it even if they don’t seem like it at the time. Edited by Ashlea Buckley XP and the Map Interview with Magnus Bruun - Eivor Assassins' Creed Valhalla Merchandise Guide Q&A with Abubakar Salim - Bayek of Siwa TOWCB Plans for 2021 Netflix announce upcoming live-action Assassin's Creed series Female Vikings: The Real History Building an Assassin's Creed Community: Getting Started Mentors Guild Announcement 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 Top Stories For anyone who played Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Mysteries may come as a welcome addition. I found Odyssey a tad repetitive, but Valhalla’s Mysteries help diversify the world and keep things fresh. They often come with a small bit of problem solving, but be sure to check your surrounding area for clues. Mysteries are great for XP too, but don’t feel compelled to complete them all as some are power dependant. Gear and Skill Points Unlike Odyssey, don’t expect to find loads of gear throughout the world. Norway does not have many gear items and you can find yourself in the same outfit for quite some time. Personally I enjoy this, as I find I use each piece way more than I would in Odyssey/Origins. Your best way to scout out these gear pieces is to find the synchronization points. This will open up the world, and although Valhalla is less click and go, waypoints will become clearer after syncing with the world. Upgrading your gear can be done in multiple ways. The major upgrades will not be available until you reach England (Settlement Blacksmith), but runes and resources can be applied to your gear right from the start. I did this sparingly but if you follow the guidance above then you can use resources such as iron and leather to upgrade your gear as often as you like. Try not to get overloaded with skill points. The maximum power in Valhalla is 400, but this level will be increased during future DLC expansions. The points can be added to 3 different routes, however you do not have to specialise as by the end of the game you will most likely have filled all of the skill tree. Red is the way of the bear (Melee), yellow is the way of the raven (Stealth) and blue is the way of the wolf (Ranged). The game lets you view what is available under each section, so just find a skill you wish to acquire and work towards it. Combat Combat will take some getting used to but with perseverance you will prevail. I don’t tend to make the strongest builds or use that many different weapons, as I prefer to keep to the pure Viking simulator. If you take the time, you can make your character very powerful, even in the early stages of the game. When in Norway, I preferred the axe and the shield combination for close up fights and then switching to the bow for anything at a distance. There are not a lot of weapons to choose from in Norway, but there are enough to get you started. Once in England you will gain many more abilities which will tie in with your weapon choices. Health and stamina play a larger role in Valhalla. You will not have the luxury of health regeneration and must forage for food to store in a rations bag which can then be used during combat. Your stamina bar will deplete when running/fighting, so it is important to slow things down from time to time. Traveling and Discovering When navigating Norway it is best to use your longship. This will help you to discover fast travel points for easy access later in the game. It is also a great way to view the beautiful scenery Norway has to offer. On land you will find yourself on horseback. I found it a tad slow due to the mountain ranges. Try if you can to keep to the main paths, as this is a lot quicker and will not deplete your stamina. Quite often you will find items in the world that are trapped behind locked or barricaded doors. Sometimes it can be frustrating to find a way in. Remember, locked doors will always have a key nearby and Sýnin your raven can help. Sýnin cannot tag everything in the environment like Senu or Ikaros could, but your bird will still be useful for finding things. If that fails you have Odin’s sight (Eagle Vision) which will give you a glimpse of the environment around you. Anything that is barricaded will just be a small puzzle to solve. Keep an eye out for gaps in windows, or weakness in walls/roofs for a way in. Hopefully these tips will help you get started on your Viking adventure. Valhalla is a wonderful game full of intrigue and mystery with a story that sucks you in slowly. Be patient and take your time, you will not regret it. About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who recently joined TOWCB AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer. Throughout 2021, Aaron and other writers will be joining the admin team in a collaborative effort to create an Assassin's Creed Valhalla Guide Database, which you can find here . Twitter Aaron Young Save 10% on officially licensed Assassin's Creed Origins merchandise with the code "TOWCB"

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

Check out the latest Assassin's Creed news, updates and projects! Latest FAQ What is The Ones Who Came Before? The Ones Who Came Before is an Assassin's Creed Fan Community established in 2014. We provide news, theories and updates to fans of the franchise around the world. Can I join the admin team? Keep an eye on our social media platforms for advertisements. During busy periods such as E3 and Gamescom, we may advertise for a new role. All applications are taken in to consideration. For example, during E3 2019 we advertised for an E3 content specialist. This led to a number of interesting articles being produced. Although we are currently not recruiting for the admin team, we are always looking for new members to join the AC Partnership Program. Learn more here What hours do the moderators work? Although we don't have set hours, we are most active during the day (UK Time), and always do our best to respond as quickly as possible. Is there anything I can't say in the comments? We ask that all members of our community abide by our code of conduct and community standards. The comments feature has been added to our pages in order to encourage discussion and debate, and we welcome relevant contributions. Misuse of this feature will not be tolerated. Will comments be moderated? All interactions by community members can be seen by admins, and may be moderated if necessary. Breaking the code of conduct, or failing to follow the community standards may lead to actions being taken. For example, comments being removed or bans from our social media channels (if necessary). Is joining the community free? Absolutely! We will never charge members of the community. You can however make a donation if you wish to make a contribution to The Ones Who Came Before. All donations go towards costs such as giveaways, website maintenance and shipping fees, creating more opportunities for our community. Can I submit ideas? Of course! If you have an idea and want to see it happen, don't be afraid to message us! We'll do our best to make it a reality. Can I post in my language? Yes! We will use google translate to respond to you if necessary. I'm new to the Community. Can you help me? First of all, welcome to the Assassin's Creed Community! If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch! I have a complaint. What should I do? First of all, we are sorry to hear that you are unhappy. Please use the Contact form so that we can resolve the issue. I've just finished an Assassin's Creed Project. Will you share it please? Sure! Send us some details and we'll do our best to get it online. Look out for our weekly showcase of fan content, known as TOWCB Community Corner. You can find all our entries here on Twitter. Can I use your content for my own projects? We're flattered that you like our content and wish to share it. All that we ask is that you leave a link to our social media platforms or website when using our content. This could be quotes, photos or anything else we have produced. Please credit our community. How many people are members of TOWCB AC Fan Community? We currently have around 60,000 followers in total on all social media channels (March 2021) Are you affiliated with Ubisoft? We are an independent news outlet/ community, operated by fans of the franchise. Although we are not officially affiliated with Ubisoft, we do have a strong relationship with the company due to our position within The Mentors Guild community program, making it possible to coordinate projects such as interviews, giveaways and more. Ubisoft have always been extremely supportive of The Ones Who Came Before, and we seek to maintain a positive union. How can I help The Ones Who Came Before? There are many ways you can help TOWCB: Share our content Follow our social media platforms and turn on notifications Leave comments/feedback Join the AC Partnership Program Message us if you find something AC related you think the community would be interested in. Make a small donation Use our Amazon Affiliate Links (More info) Leave a review on Facebook

Shaya Fury is an Artist/Freelance Illustrator who blends a mix of traditional methods with digital designs to create art pieces that are bursting with colour. Previous Next Art Team Shaya Fury Shaya Fury is an Artist/Freelance Illustrator who blends a mix of traditional methods with digital designs to create art pieces that are bursting with colour. LinkTree Work

The Memory Corridor Episode #21 Retrospective Look at AC Syndicate w/ ActualSpiderMan Podcast Share 16 Jul 2022 Written By: Edited By: Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) Back To Database https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrFWssZgQuk 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 and versatile content creator, who started out in podcast hosting in 2016 - hosting the discussion based show “The Memory Corridor” - but today mostly specialises in video creation, interviews, writing and composing. He joined The Ones Who Came Before in 2019 for a merger, publishing new episodes - and reviving the show following nearly a year of inactivity - on our platforms, until phased out in 2023. Today, his landmark projects include 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)

2025 Assassin's Creed Community Fundraiser Art by Jebs Community Share 13 Jun 2025 Written By: Edited By: Jebs Colum Blackett Back To Database Check out this promotional piece of artwork created by Jebs from TOWCB's Art Team for the 2025 Assassin's Creed Community Fundraiser, which is raising money and encouraging blood donation to aid in the battle against blood cancer! Raise the hood to those who give blood. We are Assassins. GoFundMe 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, 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. Jebs

TOWCB: 7 Year Anniversary Update News Share 14 Aug 2021 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Hey Assassins! Today we mark seven years since the creation of The Ones Who Came Before! Although we are immensely proud of the community we have created and our fans, it didn't feel right to throw a huge celebration this year. There are much more important things going on in the world right now, such as the widespread sexual misconduct allegations within the video games industry, and the Covid-19 pandemic. It just didn't feel right to us to throw a huge celebration, so we're keeping it low-key. We'll be dropping some Assassin's Creed Valhalla Season Pass Codes on Twitter over the next week, courtesy of Ubisoft. Instead of the usual week-long celebrations, we will be using our platforms to highlight female members of the Assassin's Creed community in an initiative known as the 'Community Uplift Initiative'. We will also be promoting the 'Assassins In Need' community fundraiser, which has raised nearly £1400 for World Federation for Mental Health. Behind the Scenes As many of you know, The Ones Who Came Before is run by Col & Ash, who are getting married in November. The past 12 months have been tough for everyone, and we've actually been struggling financially to support the community in ways that we would like. Worldwide giveaways are no longer a possibility, and the website only remained up and running due to a credit card. To make matters even worse, the gaming PC we used to run the website completely died in June, so things have slowed down on our end as we battle with a slow laptop. It's currently not possible for us to even play Assassin's Creed, but we've started saving for a new machine. As you can imagine, this makes running an AC community pretty hard. If you would like to support TOWCB, or even our Wedding / Honeymoon fund, you can do so via Amazon links. Simply click the links before making a purchase, and we'll get a small percentage from Amazon. It doesn't cost you any extra: Another way you can support us is by purchasing our Assassin's Creed items, which will soon be appearing on eBay. It's up to you, but all support is greatly appreciated. Other than that, we just want to once again express our thanks to the community for an amazing seven year journey. We are incredibly lucky to be Mentors within the community, and we look forward to working on new projects for our fans as soon as possible. Thank you for your support. Col & Ash. 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)

Netflix Assassin's Creed Live Action TV Series - Fan Casting Wishlist Share 1 May 2021 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database We asked our community members to select actors and actresses that they would like to see cast in the upcoming live-action Assassin's Creed TV series that will air on Netflix in 2021. The series is currently in development, along with numerous other Assassin's Creed projects, that will establish a TV Universe. Kicking off the casting, I personally feel that Jamie Campbell Bower (known for Harry Potter and Sweeney Todd) would make a great Simon Hathaway from the Assassin's Creed Heresy novel! Although the model on the right was selected for the book cover photo, I feel that he has a distinctive look that Bower also has. Hathaway was an incredible character, and it would be great to see more of his him in future projects. Two names that always appear when fan casting Edward Kenway are Chris Hemsworth and Charlie Hunnam. They are both extremely talented actors who would no doubt do a great job in the role, but another consideration should definitely be Matt Ryan, the original voice actor who plays Constantine in the CW Arrowverse Universe. Community member Ru from The Mentor's Guild nominates voice actress Melissanthi Mahut to reprise her role as Kassandra for the TV series. The similarities certainly are striking! Another obvious choice is Michael Fassbender, who could reprise his roles as Aguilar de Nerha and Callum Lynch from the Assassin's Creed Movie. Michael also served as a producer on the film, making him a key candidate for a series return. Community member Al believes that Ben Mendelsohn (Known for Star Wars: Rogue One and Ready Player One) would make a good Templar in the TV series. Mendelsohn was particularly impressive in the 2020 TV series, 'The Outsider', and would be excellent in a role at Abstergo. Twitter user Lord Tonio nominates Forest Whitaker to play an Old Mentor in the series, passing down decades worth of Assassin knowledge and experience to new recruits. Recently, Whitaker was exceptional in Black Panther, and also shone in Star Wars: Rogue One, amongst many other great films, so he is definitely a great nomination. Amy Wren is known for her portrayal of Mildrith in The Last Kingdom, and was nominated to join our Assassin's Creed TV Series Fan Casting by community member John Gray. Although John didn't specify a specific character, I personally believe that she would make a great Elise de la Serre, who was tragically killed off in Assassin's Creed Unity. Although Elise had limited screen time in the game, she had a fantastic story of her own in the AC Unity Novel, and even met with Edward Kenway's daughter! 2021 is the year of Shao Jun, in terms of transmedia, and she will be the focus on many upcoming projects. Our Facebook Fan Rick nominates Arden Cho to bring Shao Jun to life in the upcoming live-action TV series. Other Nominations 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)

Music Preview: East Again - An Original AC Mirage Inspired Instrumental by Gustav Poulsen Other Share 17 Feb 2024 Written By: Edited By: Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) Colum Blackett Back To Database We are pleased to announce East Again, an original instrumental track inspired by Assassin’s Creed Mirage, out 24th February on music streaming platforms and The Ones Who Came Before’s YouTube channel with a special ambient visualiser! The Assassin’s Creed inspired track was created by Video Content Creation Team Leader Gustav Poulsen ( Gargudon ), and was inspired by and acts a tribute to the newest instalment in the franchise, returning East where everything began. Here is a 30 second preview for the track, which releases 24th February! We can't wait for you to hear it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVT3agrMN70 Gameplay captured by UbiCypher: Twitter Kenway_Joe Instagram UbiCypher 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 and versatile content creator, who started out in podcast hosting in 2016 - hosting the discussion based show “The Memory Corridor” - but today mostly specialises in video creation, interviews, writing and composing. He joined The Ones Who Came Before in 2019 for a merger, publishing new episodes - and reviving the show following nearly a year of inactivity - on our platforms, until phased out in 2023. Today, his landmark projects include 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)

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

In March 2025, Serajeddine joined TOWCB's Art Team just before the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, in a bid to re-energise the team with new ideas and projects. He is a digital and traditional artist with a special ink style, often resembling comic books, something which we have been searching for to bring something different to our content. Throughout 2025, Serajeddine worked 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 aimed to boost his profile within the community and create a meaningful relationship with Ubisoft. Seraj left the team in October 2025 due to a change in personal circumstances. Previous Next Art Team Serajeddine Previous Partner In March 2025, Serajeddine joined TOWCB's Art Team just before the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, in a bid to re-energise the team with new ideas and projects. He is a digital and traditional artist with a special ink style, often resembling comic books, something which we have been searching for to bring something different to our content. Throughout 2025, Serajeddine worked 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 aimed to boost his profile within the community and create a meaningful relationship with Ubisoft. Seraj left the team in October 2025 due to a change in personal circumstances. Twitter Work

Mentor Memories: Remembering the Mentors Guild In Memoriam Share 19 Jul 2022 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Just before the unexpected closure of The Mentors Guild program, members of the Assassin's Creed community shared their favourite memories in the now deleted Discord server, all of which we saved just in time. A huge network of AC Community members came together to reflect on their fondest moments and accomplishments. In Part one of this two-part series, we share with you some of those wonderful memories so that TMG is never forgotten. Many members of the Mentors Guild (TMG) have now been moved across to the Star Player 2.0 Program, which is set to be bigger and better for community members, increasing opportunities by merging several Ubisoft community programs together. It's clear that TMG meant a lot to the AC Community, and its closure leaves a huge gap. We here at TOWCB will miss The Mentors Guild, especially what it became in its later days, where it opened the doors to hundreds of community members around the world, but we also look forward to seeing what comes next with the creation of the Star Player 2.0 program, which will hopefully be just as rewarding for content creators and community members. LOADING FIRMWARE..... ANIMUS 2.02....... MEMORIES SYNCHRONISING...... Memory by Kim Beacham from Assassin's Creed United Kingdom ''I have started getting voice actors from the AC series to sign my Mentors Guild T-shirt that we got last year with their favourite quotes or character names. Only a few weeks ago added to it, were Nolan North (Desmond Miles) and Matt Ryan. I'm going to get it signed by as many Assassin's Creed voice actors as I can by attending events and cons to then frame it once full, front and back!'' By Dave Woodward from Assassin's Creed United Kingdom My fondest Mentors Guild Memories. ''Getting the opportunity to represent the AC brand through The Mentors Guild and wearing the t-shirt with pride, and letting people in our amazing community know what TMG is and what we do as fans. I got to meet the amazing members of our community. I was invited to London to see the AC Symphony and had the opportunity to go an amazing tour of London with my fellow UK member, enjoying the scenery and the company. To top the evening off, through TMG, an Assassin's Creed meet-up in a local pub was arranged before the start of the London premier of the AC Symphony, which saw Alexios himself, Michael Antonakos as a surprise guest, which made everyone attending really happy. Being able to see the AC Symphony live was something which I'll never forget. Also through myself and our Mentors in the Assassin's Creed United Kingdom group, we arranged several cosplay meet-ups which saw members of our community attending and getting the chance to meet the stars of AC franchise such as Matt Ryan (Edward Kenway), Abubakar Salim (Bayek) and Paul Amos (Jacob Frye).'' 13/7/22: '' Today marks the sad day that the Mentors Guild program will close after 5 years, I am truly grateful to have been apart of this program for the last 2 years, thank you to the Com Devs for everyone you've done Looking forward what we can do in the Star Player 2.0 program'' Memory by Louise Chase (TheNerdyArcher) from Assassin's Creed United Kingdom ''I think the Weapons Workshop last year was so much fun and it was great to work with some of the other Mentors! Also it got me set on the idea of making prop weapons and cosplay so I have it to thank; maybe one day I'll reveal the final piece.'' 'So you've seen the Mentor's Guild weapons which will be added into AC Valhalla - but what about the other concepts? Presenting: Viggo's Brandr'' Memory by Declan from Let's Talk Assassin's Creed ''I had no idea what to send at first but then I remembered this moment that still makes me laugh. Attending a Discord call with the epic UK Mentors in my blanket as I had Covid, and now it's become standard for me to arrive in any Discord Call wearing the blanket.'' ''I learned a lot from The Mentors Guild and made a ton of amazing friends and I hope to continue to do so with fellow Star Players'' Memory by Siobhan from Assassin's Creed United Kingdom ''So many memories to chose from! Up in the top few moments would definitely be getting our Christmas Jumpers'' ''Absolutely delighted to announce I've been invited to join the Star Player 2.0 programme! I've had a blast as part of the Mentor's Guild so I'm really looking forward to where this leads. Thank you @Ubisoft_UK and @Assassins_UK for this amazing opportunity.'' Memory by Anastasia Neuer ''I've always really liked the modern-day storyline of AC and it's a huge inspiration for my art. The majority of my AC art is dedicated to modern-day characters and Sofia Rikkin in particular. This fan art of her is the most important one for me. I want modern-day characters to get more recognition within the AC community and I'm so happy to be a part of the Mentors Guild for the chance to share my love for these characters with more people.'' Memory by Mikael from Assassin's Creed France ''Shortly after the official release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, we were offered a pack with several objects including the French press kit and the AC Valhalla face masks. It was a great moment. We opened our packages at the same time on a video call. I loved seeing the reaction of my Mentor friends when they opened and discovered their package. Fun fact: I had fun putting the AC Valhalla mask on my life-sized statue of Arno'' Memory by Kangarrru (Valorianru) Although I've only been with the guild a short time. It's been an incredible privilege. I'm from a small town outside Melbourne so the opportunities in gaming are few and far between. Joining the Guild was the biggest opportunity I'd ever received. The Guild encouraged me to create, to make new friends and engage with a community. TMG got me through the longest lockdowns in the world and gave me a support network across the world. Being able to talk with people who love something like I do. It's been an incredible opportunity and I wish I had the headspace to express just how something like this has meant to me. Thank you to all the Ubisoft team and thank you to each and every Mentor. Safety and Peace. Gratitude by GronnUlv ''Thanks to Ubisoft for their support, nothing like this has ever happened in my life before. Thank you so much for this opportunity to be a part of the Mentors Guild. I'm sad that I didn't have the opportunity to do more. But I hope that someday in this life something will get better and I will be able to return to drawing fanarts for Assassins Creed. Still, this universe occupies an important part of my life and without it I wouldn't have met many wonderful people'' We would like to say a huge thank you to all the Mentors who shared their touching stories. Do you have any Mentors Guild Memories you would like to share? Get in touch with The Ones Who Came Before ( @ACFirstCiv ) on Twitter to be featured in part 2 of this mini series dedicated to The Mentors Guild! 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)

Art Reveal: The Way To AlULa by Serajeddine Community Share 27 Oct 2025 Written By: Edited By: Serajeddine Hayden Bird Back To Database Check out this great new piece of artwork by our very own Serajaddine from TOWCB Art Team! The art is based upon the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage Valley of Memory DLC. It depicts the main protagonist, Basim Ibn Ishaq looking over the desert valley with large mountains around and under a beautifully drawn blue sky with a small layer of clouds peering in from the east. We especially love the part down deep in the canyon where Basim is looking over and to the dark green foliage that accurately represents the dry desert with hints of color in what we would see in the ancient Valley of AlUla. What are your thoughts? Let us know what you think in the comments below! Stay tuned for more exclusive and breathtaking art reveals here at The Ones Who Came Before! Valley of Memory launches November 18th 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbaHJPaqc9w comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author In March 2025, Serajeddine joined TOWCB's Art Team just before the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, in a bid to re-energise the team with new ideas and projects. He is a digital and traditional artist with a special ink style, often resembling comic books, something which we have been searching for to bring something different to our content. Throughout 2025, Serajeddine worked 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 aimed to boost his profile within the community and create a meaningful relationship with Ubisoft. Seraj left the team in October 2025 due to a change in personal circumstances. Serajeddine

TOWCB Interview with AC: The Golden City Author Jaleigh Johnson Interview Share 30 Apr 2023 Written By: Edited By: Michael Smith Colum Blackett Back To Database Banner by Thea Marie Rivedal (Moonchildgecko) from TOWCB Art Team. Author photo credit - Kobey Felter Character photo credit - Aaron Young (Falconswift87) from TOWCB Photo Team Back in January I was provided an early access review copy for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed book The Golden City by author Jaleigh Johnson and publisher Aconyte Books. It was a unique story that tells a tale about a young Assassin Apprentice Hytham and his mentor Basim Ibn Ishaq on a mission in Constantinople to protect the young Prince Leo VI from his paranoid father Basil I. The review is available here , but a light spoiler warning is listed with the article. I reached out to author Jaleigh Johnson via her personal website for an interview and thanks to assistance from Aconyte Books I was able to have the following questions communicated to Jaleigh and with approval from Ubisoft, answered for this written interview. The contents of this interview have not been edited in any form to keep accuracy and transparency. Which game was your introduction into Assassin’s Creed? Was there a particular scene or character that grabbed your interest the most? I actually had this conversation with my husband while I was writing the book, because I remember my introduction to the game was watching him play it, and we were both trying to remember which game it was. I believe it was the very first game, and I remember asking him all kinds of questions about what he was doing. Why are you assassinating all these people? Why are you spending so much time climbing that building? Why did you then just jump off the building and land in a pile of straw? And my husband’s response was always something along the lines of, “You just have to watch or play it yourself.” But I remember the moment when the game switched to the present day and introduced the concept of the animus. That was the moment I really got intrigued with the game and the story, and I knew I had to try it myself. That was the beginning of the path that led to this point. Having worked with Aconyte before on Marvel’s Xavier Institute series, how are you enjoying writing for these large franchises? Are there challenges writing historical fiction compared to superhero driven stories? The large franchises are a huge amount of fun to write and special because I get to leave my own mark on something that’s been important to me, but there’s also this massive sense of responsibility and the desire to do justice to the stories and the characters and contribute something that builds on everything that’s come before. The challenge with writing historical fiction for AC in particular is to craft a story that fits with history but also melds seamlessly with the game lore and the characters you’re writing about, so in that way it takes much more time to write than the superhero driven stories because of the amount of research. But with the superhero stories, you also have this rich and deep history of the comics, so there’s always going to be a lot of time and work involved. Fortunately, I love to do research, so that’s been a fun part of the process as well. Your new book, The Golden City follows Hytham and Basim from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in an earlier timeline than the game’s main story. What kind of process do you go through to do a “prequel” of sorts for a character’s personal history? In the beginning, it was reacquainting myself with everything that was known about Hytham and Basim from the events of Valhalla – re-watching all the cutscenes in the game that involve them, things like that – to get a sense of who they are at that point in their lives and asking myself how they might have gotten to that point and how their relationship might have evolved. Later, I was also given information about Basim’s journey in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and it then became a matter of bridging the gap for him between Mirage and Valhalla. A prequel and sequel of sorts, for Basim, which sounds particularly confusing since Mirage hasn’t been released yet. It was definitely an interesting challenge! Basim Ibn Ishaq (photo by @Falconswift87) On a similar note to the setting of Constantinople, what kind of research did you do to prepare for this new story? Being a fan of historical books, were there any titles in particular that you read about the period of Basil I and Leo VI? Researching for this project was wild because one day, I’d be reading books like Herrin’s Byzantium or Bury’s History of the Eastern Roman Empire , among others, and then the next I’d be digging into AC lore or cutscenes that reference Constantinople to get a sense of the city as it’s presented in the game. They were both fascinating perspectives, and I admit, I loved getting to play video games and have it count as actual research, heh. Your story, for me personally, speaks to a sense of fatherhood in a character that cannot have a family, something that hasn’t been discussed much by the Assassins Brotherhood in the past. What was your drive to explore this concept? You know, one of the first things I thought about Hytham in Valhalla was that he was someone who should have a family, somehow who would make a good father. And then I remembered, that’s not the path of these characters, and it made me wonder how Hytham felt about that. Did he dwell on it at all? Was it something he mourned? Or was it a relief? Over the last several years, I’ve also watched a lot of my friends become fathers, and I’ve seen the way it changes them, but I’ve also witnessed how their personalities have shaped the type of father they are. I look at them and think, yes, you’ve got this, this is what you’re meant to do. I liked the idea of exposing Hytham to that role and seeing how he would handle it, this glimpse into a world that was not his path. How would his strengths and weaknesses show in this role? I loved exploring the answers to all those questions. Hytham (photo by @Falconswift87) Additionally, the relationship between Hytham and Basim is explored more in your book than what we saw in AC Valhalla. Were there any ideas that you had from the Valhalla story that you wanted to expand on in your book? I always wanted to know how the relationship between Hytham and Basim became what it is. In Valhalla, I got the sense that Hytham had a great deal of respect for Basim and loyalty to him, even when he doesn’t agree with Basim or his methods. I wondered how that bond developed between the two men, especially when you consider Basim’s secretive nature and his skill at manipulation. How does a man like that earn the loyalty of someone like Hytham, who is a much more open character? That was the place I started from in developing their story. I myself enjoyed the stand-alone nature of the book on a character, Hytham, that is becoming an anchor for the AC Valhalla storyline. Would you like to write about him again in the future, if so what kind of story would you like to tell about his life? I love Hytham, and I think he’s a fascinating character, so I’d always welcome the opportunity to return to his story. I think if I did, I would love to explore his early life and his recruitment by the Hidden Ones. I’d love to see the forces that shaped who he is and made him the man you see in Valhalla. There is definitely a passion that is growing with the works of the various authors that Aconyte and Ubisoft have chosen for the Assassin’s Creed series of late. It is nice to learn how authors like Jaleigh process concepts and research for such a project. With additional titles being announced with growing frequency, I am looking forward to seeing more content in the transmedia line and having a chance like this to interact with the scribes of these fantastic stories. Assassin’s Creed: The Golden City will be available on digital platforms globally and in paperback format in the US on May 2, 2023, followed by a physical release in the UK on June 22, 2023. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Mike Smith is a collector of all things Assassin's Creed and a major supporter of transmedia who joined TOWCB as a writer from 2021 - 2024 With nearly a full library of Assassin's Creed media, his work explored the universe in order of Genetic Memory. Notably, his Assassin's Creed Timeline became an essential tool for fans of the franchise looking to complete their collection and consume AC media in a particular order. Michael Smith

Building an Assassin's Creed Community: Getting Started Community Share 24 Oct 2020 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Buckley Back To Database Setting up an Assassin's Creed Community can be a daunting prospect, as so many exist across multiple different social media platforms. Don't let that deter you though. The community is always ready to embrace the next wave of innovative projects, and in this new series we will help you to establish your own. In this first article, I will be drawing on my own experiences to help fellow community members start up their own projects, and build something that stands out from the crowd. Back in 2014, the community looked very different. You would wait eagerly for the next epic video produced by Assassin's Creed Universe, and use the Initiates platform to gain intel from an online database full of lore and mysteries. The Ones Who Came Before was created as a place to share theories and aimed to create a platform that encouraged positive discussion surrounding the games. We have since shifted our aims, and now strive to make our channels the home of Assassin's Creed community content, and hope to inspire a new wave of fan content. So, how do you get started? At the drawing board of course! Grab your nearest notepad and pen and jot down some initial ideas that come to mind. Find a niche and set your goals Once you have your initial ideas, conduct some research into past and present Assassin's Creed communities. Look for a way to stand out from the crowd, and highlight your niche area. A perfect example of this is AC: Landmarks , a new community project led by Arshak that provides in-depth historical discussions. Although the project only started up this year, it's been very successful and is different to anything else going on in the community right now. Next, set your goals and list your intentions. What are you hoping to achieve? Do you want to create a new form of community or simply cover the news? Whatever it is, make it a goal and keep going until you achieve it. You don't always need to be the biggest, and sometimes people make huge social media numbers a priority. I personally value small-scale interactions with passionate community members over this. Yes, growth is a sign of progression, but it takes time to achieve. You probably won't gain huge numbers overnight, but that's okay. So, you have your niche area and goals. Now what? Next, your community needs a name! Look for something that sounds Assassin's Creed related, but doesn't clash with past initiatives or projects. A great example of this is Access the Animus , which is actually a song by Jesper Kyd on the original soundtrack! Trial and Error Now you have your goals, niche area and a name, it's time to set up your social media channels/ platform! Where do you want to start? Probably best to begin with a platform you're already familiar with. Create your channels and begin your first Assassin's Creed community projects! In the beginning, you'll probably get a low response rate. That's to be expected when you start. You'll also start to notice what does well and what doesn't. Youtube is a good place to see this progression, as you can track likes, views and dislikes. Whatever you do in the beginning, make it work for you. One of the first projects for TOWCB was a wall poster that listed all the Modern day characters from Initiates. This sparked discussion about the Altair II ship and later developed into the Norway theory, which became popular with community members at the time. It really is just a case of trial and error. Thrive in your niche field, and people will notice. As I said before, it's not always about the numbers. If you have positive interactions with community members, you're on the right track and your platform is beginning to establish itself. Don't give up, and if you're unhappy with your response rate, reach out for support. Create an inner circle The Assassin's Creed community has always been extremely supportive, and you can always find people to give you a helping hand. You don't have to do anything alone. Collaborative projects with community leaders are a great way of making a name for yourself, and will also help you make friends. Establish a network, and build a team around you in order to take the pressure off. We here at The Ones Who Came Before have a huge inner circle thanks to years of working on projects. Some of our branches include: The core admin team, The Discord moderators and The AC Partnership Program members. As you can see, we have loads of community members we can call on for help or support, and you too can create an inner circle by working with people. You might even find that working on projects with other people can be more fun! This can seen by looking at recent episodes of the Let's Talk Assassin's Creed Podcast hosted by Declan from The Mentors Guild. Collaborative projects will always be a great way to spark discussion and explore different avenues of thinking. The Ones Who Came Before always aims to promote community content, so reach out to us directly for support. We would be honoured to join your inner circle, and will share your projects with our audience. Stay Unique This one can sometimes be hard, as other communities are also working hard to create content, but try your best to stay unique, and stand out from the crowd. If you notice similarities in your projects, maybe collaborate or put a unique spin on it. You can always adapt your work to stay innovative. As former community developer Justin Kruger used to say: #DoAThing . Keep going and establish yourself. I hope that you found the first article in the series to be useful. Let us know in the comments if you plan on setting up your own AC community/ project over the coming weeks, and if we can be of any help. Next time: We invite another Community Builder from The Mentors Guild to bring you some guidance on establishing and maintaining an Assassin's Creed community. Thanks for reading! 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)

The Ones Who Came Before: Plans for 2021 News Share 29 Dec 2020 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Buckley Back To Database 2020 is nearly over, and it's been a crazy year for everyone. Although we were all limited due to restrictions, we here at TOWCB tried to make the most of it . The new year is almost here, so in this article we will be outlining some of our plans and goals for 2021. Huge thank you to everyone who has supported TOWCB this year, and especially to those who have been shopping via our Amazon links , helping to keep the site running and ad-free. Assassin's Creed Valhalla Review Look our for our review for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which was delayed due to the sheer size of the game, and time required to complete. By pushing our review back, we have given our fans a window to explore the game for themselves, and make up their own minds. It also gave fans who received the game for Christmas a chance to play without spoiler-related discussions appearing online. Here's a sneak peak: "There's never a dull moment whilst exploring the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, as it continues to find ways to surprise the player at every turn. It's the first game in the series to properly fill the open world, making it feel dynamic and life-like" Anti-Spoiler Filter Removed We will also be removing our Anti-Spoiler filter in January, meaning we will finally be discussing plot points and other elements that we have not yet covered. It's a great opportunity to dive into some Isu lore and dig our teeth into the real history that inspired the game. With the help of our Partnership Program team, we will be covering fresh aspects of the game that we have not yet explored. More opportunities and giveaways We were recently invited to join The Mentors Guild, an official community program that bridges the gap between community members and developers. So far, Ubisoft has so far arranged two giveaways (Valhalla codes) along with constant social media support, creating numerous opportunities for members of the AC community. We are looking forward to working closely with Ubisoft in the new year on the program, and strive to make the most of our new position. Wedding Prep! Ash and Col from the admin team are getting married in November! As you might expect, the wedding may have one or two Assassin's Creed related elements! Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates, or check out the Rally The Creed podcast Reboot The AC Partnership Program In 2021, we are looking to do a soft reboot of our AC Partnership Program, a community initiative that provides a platform for content creators to shine. We are always looking out for the next wave of passionate AC fans who are creating content on a regular basis, and we hope to discover new talent in 2021 to join us. If you are interested, simply message our social media channels and send some of your projects our way. Fundraising projects 2020 was our biggest year so far for fundraising projects, and we would like to recognise the efforts of Ashlea Buckley and Lisa Zaman who helped raise over £500 for The Italian Red Cross! These efforts provided resources for Italy in it's time of need, and brought the entire community together. We will be doing even more fundraising in the new year, and Ashlea, who is now our Charity Project Coordinator, will be taking charge of these efforts. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates. We hope that you enjoyed our last article of 2020! As you can see, we have a lot planned for 2021, and we can't wait to get started! See you all in the New Year! 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)

Michael Draft Article Community News Watch Dogs x Assassin's Creed Crossover Officially Announced 19/8/21 By Colum Blackett Edited by Ashlea Buckley Share Season Pass owners for Watch Dogs: Legion will soon be able to play as Darcy, a futuristic Modern Day Assassin operating in London. In an update launching August 25th, Darcy will be introduced as a playable character in the main game and online mode, alongside two new story missions that will be available for all players. Although the addition is purely f an service rather than a canonical crossover, fans are undoubtedly excited to Glimpse was revealed back in February Where this article comes to the opinion of myself, is in the latest three titles, an opinion made after seeing the Ubisoft team that works on the Assassin’s Creed series’ game plan for future DLC and the recent announcements of more transmedia stories. Stated simply, the story must be progressed with a shift in focus towards a third party, the Isu race. While AC Origins established the backbone to the creation of the Assassin Brotherhood via the Hidden Ones and their leader Amunet, it wasn’t until the post-game that a proto-Assassin group was introduced and their creed established. Gameplay moved to a more combat focused style with skill trees and gear sets, over the expected gameplay of gear and evasive movement and tools to work from the sidelines of battle. The next title, Assassin's Creed Odyssey , which took place nearly 360 years before Origins dove into the lore of the Isu by telling the Greek Epic of Kassandra of Sparta, a demi-god trying to discover the secrets of her heritage and stop a hidden organization known as the Cult of Kosmos. From this title came the “Fate of Atlantis” DLC which put the misthios (mercenary) in the pantheon of the Isu, the Gods of Greek Mythology. Following this was the age of the Vikings and the journey of Eivor (mentioned before) as she worked to establish a home for her people in England while on the side assisting the Hidden Ones from outside their order. With the inclusion of transmedia stories, the Assassins vs Templar had shifted to the budding seed of a bigger war, Man vs God. While the story of the Assassins was still present (Bayek & Amunet, Darius, and Basim & Hytham), the new characters (Kassandra, Eivor, & Geirmund of Geirmund’s Saga) were locked in wars of nations (The Peloponnesian War & the Norse Invasion of Europe). What links all of these warriors from the RPG titles is their belief in the Gods. Egyption, Greek, and Norse Gods that in the lore of Assassin’s Creed were known as the Isu. The Isu are a race of pre-human beings powered by divine abilities and tools known as the Pieces of Eden. Both the Assassin’s and the Templars fight over discovering and collecting these tools to overpower the other and either save or control the world from the destructive nature of the Isu’s creations. Focused now on exploring this outside party, the Isu’s humanity and corruption as a people and puppeteers of the Genetic Memories that were witnessed with the RPG protagonists is simply the next stepping stone in lore and world building. These are times where choice and belief in higher powers, victory in battle and the search for wealth were more culturally driven than the secret war of the previous 10 years of games. Whilst Ubisoft works on the next stage of the series with Assassin’s Creed Infinity, an entry that is seeming to move towards a live service, the Assassins we have come to love have been provided a new home in the various mediums of transmedia, showing that the series and its historical timeline is not always controlled in secret, but sometimes by the actions of warriors seeking a seat at the table of the gods. With future content being released across transmedia, which includes the games, Ubisoft should take what their fans are saying about the lack of Assassins in the main staple of the series (the games) but fans should also take into consideration the effort and world building that is put into transmedia as some of these stories would not translate well to a game or add-on. The other benefit of these tales is that you get to experience the world through the eyes and minds of multiple authors and artists while you learn more about the characters and location with descriptive detail and inner thoughts which give a more fulfilling experience. In time, I hope a balance of story and traditional mechanics, such as the return of the stealthy nature of the original games, can be reached to bring life back to the abandoned bureaus and the fans of the past back to the wonderful fold of the Assassin’s Creed series. With how great the community is and how supportive it is within itself, I have enjoyed my time with the world of AC and seeing how what started as a game in the shadows of the major AAA games has become a beacon for adventure in the annals of history. Mike Smith is a collector of all things Assassin's Creed and a major supporter of the transmedia platform for the series. With nearly a full library of Assassin's Creed media, he is exploring the universe in order of Genetic Memory, and waiting eagerly for the next story to be released. Mike joined the program in 2021 as an Online Article Writer, and has a section dedicated to his work in the Community Hub. About the Author

Rally the Creed Episode 6 Released Podcasts Share 5 Apr 2024 Written By: Edited By: TOWCB Team Colum Blackett Back To Database The Rally the Creed podcast is back at last, hosted by Gargudon , with guests UbiCypher from our social media team and Arshak from fan community AC Landmarks . Covering everything from an evaluation of AC Mirage, with the game having been out for a while now, hopes and expectations for AC Codename Red with more in between. Enjoy listening! Edited by FrameHoldPhotography . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMdmWr40yCE Listen to this episode on Spotify: comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author A collection of articles from The Ones Who Came Before team. TOWCB Team