Rumour: Assassin’s Creed Empire to be called Origins, will feature Navel combat
Since 2012, we’ve heard continuous rumours that an Assassin’s Creed title will be set in Egypt, since then it’s been debunked more than once by Ubisoft (why would they confirm it early if true?) We’ve had an alleged screenshot leaked, which was soon claimed to be a fake by Ubisoft. However, those Assassins’s Creed: Empire rumours have once again resurfaced, but if these rumours are believed to be true, then it won’t be called Empire after all.
Last year Ubisoft announced that a ‘new’ Assassin’s Creed title won’t release in 2017, so that they could re-evaluate the series such as evolving the gameplay in the hope that the series would return to form. However, we have seen The Ezio Collection and the Chronicle series release during that time, but not a new main game in the series, so in that respect, Ubisoft has remained true to their word.
Going back to the potential name change, a user on Reddit by the name of Sirusavath has claimed to have seen a pre-order card that is to be sent out to retailers by the end of this month with the next big AC entry being entitled Assassin’s Creed: Origins and not Empire.
This image was claimed to be fake by Ubisoft.
The Reddit user claims that he works for the company that makes the pre-order cards (he also claims that cards are being made for Far Cry 5 which is rumoured to have a Wild West setting) and they featured some details on the plot and even some art work.
Despite this rumoured Assassin’s Creed title having a name change from Empire to Origins, he states that it will still be set in Egypt, with the art work on the pre-order card featuring a pyramid in the background with a new assassin walking toward a city and he looks to be carrying a shield and a bow, with a hawk “of some sort” on his shoulder. The Reddit user also claims that the pre-order card advertises a Gold Edition, an edition that often releases with all Ubisoft titles which includes a season pass with the Gold Edition likely releasing with a steelbook.
However, the Assassin’s Creed: Origins rumours do not end there, because according to wwg.com, they claim to have a source that has provided further information that states that the story will focus on the original assassin’s guild (which is why it’s called Origins, obviously) and that it will feature two main protagonists, a male and female, something that we’ve seen in the Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate.
AC: Origins is said to have a vast, open-world, with a less linear structure and will see the return of navel combat across the Mediterranean Sea, something that was done superbly in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and will perhaps even take us as far as Greece (as well as Egypt). The source apparently kept comparing the size of the game to that of Skyrim.
Not only will Origins apparently offer more freedom in terms of exploration, but it will also include an improved character progression system and that the game has been in development for several years, which makes sense as Origins first apparently leaked as far back as 2012, so hopefully that development time will work in the games favour.
The leaked image that started it all!
While all these alleged rumours sound great, I also hope that the gameplay and combat will be fine tuned and with the rumours indicating that we could also wield a shield, not in the terms of unforgiving difficulty, I hope it takes inspiration from the likes of Dark Souls in terms of sword and shield combat, as well as having an improved counter/parry system.
Oh and finally, Assassin’s Creed: Origins is set for its big reveal at E3 this June and is rumoured to release at the end of this year. As always, we’ll keep you posted when we hear further details.