Throughout gaming's history, plenty of locations around the world, and beyond, have been explored, and the trend continues with Assassin's Creed Red, which takes Ubisoft's top franchise to Japan. Some locations, like New York, have become cliche in gaming, though developers with a good enough imagination have always been able to give gamers new reasons to visit familiar places. Japan is another one of the most popularly visited locations, and it is not hard to understand why, as it has a varied landscape, and it holds a special place in popular culture. Despite the countless games that have drawn inspiration from it, developers continue returning, and there are always new stories to tell.
Assassin's Creed Red will also explore Japan, and as the brief reveal trailer reveals, it will feature ninjas. The Assassin's Creed series has always been good at exploring different historical periods, and its take on feudal Japan will likely be an enthralling one. Developers have only scratched the surface of Japan's potential as an engaging location, and future titles from different gaming franchises should continue to explore it.
Japan in Video Games
Since the early years of gaming, Japan has been a major gaming hub. Many important video game companies - including Nintendo, Atlus, Capcom, and Konami - are based in Japan. Video games have also frequently explored Japan as a setting, making use of its islands, pastoral countryside, and bustling cities. Most gamers are likely aware that the early Pokemon titles are set in regions inspired by different areas of Japan, with Kanto being based on Japan's Kanto region, Johto based on Kansai, and Hoenn based on Japan's Kyushu island.
Pokemon is far from the only video game franchise inspired by Japan, however. The Yakuza series famously takes place in Japan, mainly in a fictional region known as Kamurocho, which is based on the real Kabukicho district in Tokyo, while the Persona series takes gamers to fictional Japanese high schools. The setting has even been explored by visual novels, including Steins;Gate, a mind-twisting title involving time travel and its many paradoxes.
Western game developers have also taken interest in Japan thanks to its varied landscape and rich history. In 2020, Sucker Punch explored 13th-century Japan through Ghost of Tsushima. Although the game has its fair share of blood and gore, it is mostly praised for the many picturesque environments that make it a pleasure to explore Tsushima Island. The game was also appreciated by the inhabitants of Tsushima Island due to the minor details and historical accuracies present in the game, leading to Sucker Punch developers Nate Fox and Jason Connell being honored as ambassadors for Tsushima. Japan was also explored in Flying Wild Hog's Trek to Yomi, which is a side-scroller with a striking aesthetic. It appears that gamers are going to explore the setting yet again thanks to Ubisoft and Assassin's Creed.
Assassin's Creed Red
It had been rumored for a while that Assassin's Creed would be exploring Japan soon, and these rumors were in part fueled by leaks from Bloomberg reporter and industry insider Jason Schreier. Many of the details that Schreier revealed were proven true during 2022's Ubisoft Forward event where Assassin's Creed Red was revealed. The project, which is being headed by Ubisoft Quebec, will be the next major entry in the long-running Assassin's Creed franchise, and the brief snippet shown revealed a ninja perched on a roof, which gives some clue regarding how it might implement the series' parkour and stealth mechanics.
It was also revealed that Assassin's Creed Mirage is on the way, and it will focus on Basim, a character introduced in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. This is another title that gamers have been expecting for a while if they have been paying attention to Schreier, as he had reported that a spin-off title focused on Basim is in development. Gamers can look forward to Assassin's Creed Hexe, which will deviate from the typical Assassin's Creed formula. Judging by the brief but spooky reveal trailer, it could be one of the darkest entries in the series.
Both Hexe and Red are part of Assassin's Creed Infinity, a platform that will host both past and future Assassin's Creed titles. Not much is known yet about the upcoming Assassin's Creed game, and it remains to be seen how it will link to Assassin's Creed Infinity, but reception to the announcement has been mostly positive, as gamers have been begging for an Assassin's Creed game set in Japan for a long time. Although Japan has been explored aplenty before, there is still much that the location has to offer, as Assassin's Creed Red illustrates. Its take on the country's feudal era can set it apart from the host of other video games set in Japan.
Gamers Still Love Japan
Whether through its long history or complex mythology, Japan lends itself well to the world of gaming. Consequently, Assassin's Creed is far from the only title that gamers have imagined in a Japanese setting. Colorful platformers like Crash Bandicoot and Mario would find themselves right at home in a Japanese environment brought to life with elements of Japanese mythology and an infectious soundtrack. Gamers have already imagined what such games would look like in Japan, and the results have been amazing. It also remains a prime location for open-world games, which makes it a perfect setting for titles like Grand Theft Auto. Rockstar almost did set a GTA game in Tokyo, though the idea never came to fruition.
It is clear that Ubisoft is taking a new direction with its upcoming Assassin's Creed games, and Assassin's Creed Infinity could open up the door for a shared Assassin's Creed universe where the separate games tie together more coherently. A focus on ninjas also provides a new way to imagine the franchise's addictive rooftop-jumping stealth gameplay. Japan is still receiving plenty of love within gaming, and gamers can look forward to many more titles exploring this region.
Assassin's Creed Red is in development.