The upcoming Assassin's Creed Red is one of many exciting, recently confirmed projects for the longstanding franchise, and is arguably the most anticipated title of the bunch. Quite crucially, this specific project is carrying forward the recent franchise trend of being an open-world RPG, which likely indicates that the game will be of the same expansive scale as the likes of Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins.
The reason that Assassin's Creed Red is so anticipated is due to its setting, with the game exploring the world of ancient Japan. The AC fan base has long been yearning for a Japanese setting, and Red would do well to borrow from the lesser-known pre-existing franchise lore of Japan to establish some direct connections to the wider narratives of the IP.
Modern Day Japanese Inspirations For Assassin's Creed Red
Modern-day aspects of Assassin's Creed are a somewhat controversial but persistent element of many of the franchise's installments, and it can be assumed that Assassin's Creed Red will be no different. Thankfully, there is a well-established level of modern-day lore within the Japanese setting for the Assassin's Creed franchise, which should be utilized in Red to truly embrace the anticipated setting of the project.
The modern-day Japanese Brotherhood is located in Osaka, a large port city in the Kansai region of Japan. Japanese assassins are heavily persecuted within this modern-day setting, with Templar agents carrying out consistent raids and purges of Assassin locations across Japan leading to extensive loss and suffering. In order to effectively mask their activity, the Japanese Brotherhood uses a local crime syndicate called the Onmoraki-Gumi as a front, which could be a fascinating narrative thread for Assassin's Creed Red to explore. To this end, the fact that Assassin's Creed Red's development is assisted by Ubisoft Japan and cultural consultants might be a good sign.
Ancient Era Japanese Lore For Assassin's Creed Red
In addition to well-established canonicity for contemporary Japan, the wider Assassin's Creed franchise has thankfully established plenty of pre-existing information regarding more archaic eras of the country which could be used within the upcoming Red. For example, Assassin and Templar involvement in the Sengoku period of Assassin's Creed Red's feudal Japan is well documented, with the Sengoku period taking place in the 16th Century during a time of intense political land grabs from hundreds of warring parties.
Both the Assassins and Templars used this large-scale power vacuum to assert themselves within the country's political infrastructure, with many figures on both sides training as ninjas to effectively sway Japan's political tides from the shadows. This aspect of the Japanese history of the franchise is quite interesting, with the real-life qualities of the ninja matching the tenets of Assassin's Creed's stealth gameplay in a way that many fans would surely want to explore in-game.
The Boshin War of the 18th Century also heavily involved the Assassins and Templars, and could be another good point of focus for Red's narrative. In this particular conflict, two dominant sides were at the forefront, with the Assassins aligning with the Tokugawa shogunate and the Templars siding with the Imperial Court. The stakes of the Boshin War were massive, with the Imperial Court's victory leading to the consolidation of power of the Empire of Japan, leading to a spate of brutal and aggressive international conquests and rule much to the dismay of the Assassin Brotherhood.
Either of these conflicts would be the perfect staging ground for Red's narrative, with the Sengoku period providing a more traditional setting with weaponry and tactics more in-line with AC gameplay, and the Boshin War providing larger stakes and a slightly more contemporary take for players to enjoy. When additionally considering the already established modern-day lore of Japan within the franchise, it is clear that Assassin's Creed Red has more than enough narrative beats to consider and borrow from when formulating its story.
Assassin's Creed Red is currently in development.
