Ubisoft has been making Assassin's Creed games since 2007, and it shows no signs of stopping. Currently, there have been 12 mainline titles in the series and multiple spin-off games. The most recent entry in the series, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, became Ubisoft's highest-grossing title to date, showing just how successful the Assassin's Creed franchise has become.
The Assassin's Creed series has brought players throughout history and put them in the shoes of many iconic characters. They have fought through the streets of London as the Frye Twins, battled the templars in the deserts of Egypt as Bayek, and sailed the high seas as Edward Kenway. Even with all of these iconic characters and locales, only a few of the assassins have been revisited across multiple games, and that needs to be rectified.
Not many Assassin's Creed Protagonists Have Been Revisited
Most of the 12 mainline titles, the multiple spin-offs, and even the Assassin's Creed movie have followed different assassins on their own personal journey through the world. The two most recent entries, Odyssey and Valhalla, have been criticized for moving away from having assassins be the main characters, but the majority of the series focuses heavily on the Assassin Brotherhood. However, nearly all the protagonists have been relegated to a single game and abandoned as soon as the next game rolls around.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze is the only Assassin that served as a protagonist for three separate games in the Assassin's Creed franchise. Players got to follow his journey during the Italian Renaissance through Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. He goes from a young man who joins the brotherhood for revenge to an old and wise assassin protecting the future. Many fans have said that the Ezio trilogy is the best that Assassin's Creed has ever been, illustrating why it could be good to focus on one character for longer.
Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, the protagonist of the original Assassin's Creed, cropped up again via flashbacks in Assassin's Creed: Revelations, but players were only able to play as him for small bits, the majority of the game was focused on Ezio and Desmond. Revelations served as closure for Altair's story that started in Assassin's Creed and Ezio's story that started in Assassin's Creed 2, and many fans were rejoiced to be able to play as the first assassin again, but also disappointed by just how little he was in the game.
Assassin's Creed 3, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and Assassin's Creed Rogue focused heavily on the Kenway family, but there was little protagonist carryover through each title. Assassin's Creed3 put players in control of Haytham Kenway for the prologue of the game, and he appeared as a key side character in Assassin's Creed: Rogue. The later half of Assassin's Creed 3 had players play as Haytham's son, Connor. In Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, players took control of Haytham's dad, Edward Kenway, and Haytham appeared in the end-credits.
The majority of the protagonists only appear in passing mentions, easter eggs, or small story beats. Kassandra made an appearance in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Eivor appeared in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey through DLC, and the Kenway mansion made an appearance in Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. Besides brief appearances or mentions like that, though, the majority of the protagonists have never been revisited.
Assassin's Creed Needs Another Ezio Trilogy
As mentioned earlier, the Ezio trilogy was considered by many fans to be the peak of Assassin's Creed. Players got to control the same assassin through three separate titles and watch him grow alongside Italy. His story was not relegated to one title, and his character was able to develop across multiple games. Since the finale of the Ezio trilogy was released, there have been eight more mainline titles and multiple spin-offs, but each protagonist has only been given one game.
Ubisoft should take the Ezio trilogy template and apply it to another assassin in the franchise. It could craft an intriguing pirate trilogy following Edward Kenway as he sails the high seas in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, then have a title focus on him training his son and dealing with templars in London, then cap it off with a game following his tragic death. Ubisoft could create a trilogy of games following Arno Dorian from Assassin's Creed Unity has he climbs the ranks of the Assassin Brotherhood until he becomes Master Assassin. It could also create a series charting Bayek's journey from Assassin's Creed: Origins to the formation, and rise, of the Assassin Brotherhood.
The Assassin's Creed franchise has a lot of story potential that Ubisoft has barely explored. Ezio should not be the only assassin whose story is told over multiple titles. The Ezio trilogy was known for its impressive storytelling, and Ubisoft could repeat that success if it is willing to delve deeper into one of the many protagonists of the Assassin's Creed series.