Going by Ubisoft’s typical release cycle for Assassin’s Creed games, the heavily rumored Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok will most likely be officially teased in the spring of 2020, then revealed fully at E3 2020, and finally be released sometime in the fall of that year. This means that fans of the series do not have to wait for too long before getting more information on the next game.
When developing the next big game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Ubisoft always dedicates a great effort into making the game world and its characters as authentic as possible, in comparison to the historical points in time that it built its games around. This has resulted in the games featuring significant non-fictional historical figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci in Assassin’s Creed 2, Benjamin Franklin in Assassin’s Creed 3, and so on. So, with the setting of the game being rumored to take place on the Norse and British Isles in the 10th and 11th centuries, important figures in the history of the Vikings are bound to make an appearance.
For the rumored Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok, considering the widespread beliefs in polytheism among people at the time, this could also potentially result in Norse mythology making its way into the game a la Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with Greek mythology. That, and how it connects to the Vikings who appear remains to be seen, but as for now, here are some significant figures in Viking history that could logically show up in the next Assassin’s Creed game.
Harald Hardrada
Considered to be the last of the great Viking warriors, the Norwegian born Hardrada was known to be a brutal leader with equally brutal military capabilities. Hardrada was a ruler who attained skills by travelling throughout the known world. He famously went into exile after surviving a battle started by his brother, and king-in-exile to the Norwegian throne, Olaf Haraldsson. When he returned years later, he managed to take hold of the throne and set his sights on Denmark.
Assassin's Creed Ragnarok could feature him as a passing character, as the player could choose to either help in his quest to take over Denmark or be inadvertently sucked into his battles much like the two kings of Sparta. Hardrada did eventually give up his conquest of Denmark and chose to unsuccessfully invade England years later so the game could easily include those events as well.
Erik The Red
Erik The Red was supposedly famous for his anger and flowing red hair, which was marked as a trait of his family. Both he and his father were exiled at different points in time for murder. When his father was exiled from Norway for the crime, Erik and his family fled to Iceland where he too would eventually be exiled for murder. Famously, Erik The Red fled and went on to found Greenland, a land so named in the hopes of attracting future migrants.
The crime that leads to Erik’s exile from Iceland is a perfect event in time to be portrayed in the next Assassin’s Creed game, as the player could help Erik leave in an escape mission. Greenland could also be a sectioned-off level to travel to much like snowy North Yankton used in the introduction to Grand Theft Auto V.
Cnut The Great
Cnut, who is of Danish royalty, held power over Norway, England, Denmark, and parts of Sweden in 1016. With an empire that vast, he is not exactly a historical figure to be ignored. Assassin's Creed, as a series, has always typically featured country leaders, kings, and queens as characters that held held great influence over the events of the games. Cnut held onto power from 1016 to his death in 1035, which is a significant time in the history of the Vikings.
Ragnar Lothbrok
Ragnar Lothbrok, who was the lead character in the History Channel's Vikings, was thought to have been leaked as being part of Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok, but the leak has since been debunked. Still, he remains one of the most famous Vikings ever and would be a perfect fit in the Assassin’s Creed universe. Though not historically verified to be an actual living person, the legend of Lothbrok has all the elements of great character building that belongs in these types of games.
His history is mainly comprised of tales of raids on northwestern Europe and the islands north of it. Going back to the fact that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey features Greek mythological gods and goddesses, especially in its Fate of Atlantis DLC expansion, Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok could feature Ragnar Lothbrok in a similar capacity, if not as just a normal Norse character going about his violent ways.
Of course, there are likely more big names in Viking history that could appear, but it all boils down to exactly when (and if) it takes place during the Viking age. Depending on that, this handful of Vikings could be a lot of fun to see in-game.
Assassin's Creed Ragnarok is rumored to be in development.