Highlights

  • Ubisoft is working on several Assassin's Creed projects, including a mobile title and an online live-service platform, which may risk oversaturating the franchise.
  • Assassin's Creed Red is rumored to have a protagonist inspired by the real-life African samurai Yasuke, potentially breaking the tradition of fictional main playable characters.
  • The life of Yasuke, who served the daimyo Oda Nobunaga in 16th-century Japan, is shrouded in mystery, making it an interesting choice for an Assassin's Creed game.

The Assassin's Creed franchise is currently in an interesting state. Though they all received universal critical praise, Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla were a tad divisive, at least among fans, with many long-time AC fans preferring the smaller-scale action/adventures of old. Ubisoft seemingly took this criticism on board, delivering Assassin's Creed Mirage towards the end of last year, a title specifically designed to appeal to fans of the original formula. Now, the future of Assassin's Creed is looking bright, but a tad uncertain.

Ubisoft currently has at least four Assassin's Creed projects in the works, ranging from a mobile title to a fully-fledged RPG to an online live-service platform. There's about to be a whole lot more Assassin's Creed, and while that's sure to keep fans busy, it's also going to run the risk of oversaturating the franchise yet again. It's more important than ever for each Assassin's Creed entry to stand out, and the upcoming Assassin's Creed Red might be onto something if the rumors surrounding its tradition-breaking protagonist are true.

assassins creed red destructible environemnts
Related
Assassin's Creed Red Having Destructible Environments Would Be a Game-Changer

Assassin's Creed Red will need to do a lot to build on the franchise's RPG formula, and destructible environments could be the perfect way forward.

Assassin's Creed Red Might Have a Historical Protagonist

Back in November 2023, Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson wrote an article that claimed that one of Assassin's Creed Red's protagonists would be based on the African samurai Yasuke, a real-life historical figure with a bit of a mystery surrounding his life. This report came just months after Insider Gaming claimed that Assassin's Creed Red would feature two protagonists, one Shinobi and one Samurai, with the former being a female protagonist and the latter being a male. At the end of its report, Insider Gaming made it clear that it's unsure if Ubisoft will call its protagonist Yasuke, or just simply use the real-world figure as inspiration for its own fictionalized version of the character.

A Brief History of the Real-World Yasuke

As a historical figure, Yasuke's life is shrouded in mystery and an unfortunately non-surprising amount of casual racism. According to various personal accounts, letters, and journal entries dated around the same time, Yasuke was an African-born man who first entered Japan in the year 1579, working in the service of an Italian missionary named Alessandro Valignano. It's unclear whether Yasuke was Valignano's slave at the time, but he accompanied the Italian on most of his travels throughout Japan.

In 1581, Yasuke accompanied Valignano to Japan's capital, Kyoto, where he met the daimyo Oda Nobunaga. According to historical accounts, upon meeting the man, Nobunaga didn't believe that his skin was actually black and allegedly forced him to strip and wash himself, believing it to be ink. Upon learning that his skin was indeed black, Nobunaga apparently convinced Valignano to let him take the man into his service, where he was given the name Yasuke.

For the next year, Yasuke worked as Nobunaga's page, receiving a consistent wage and accompanying the daimyo across Japan. In 1582, Nobunaga was attacked by his fellow lord Akechi Mitsuhide, and proceeded to commit suicide in the ensuing conflict. Records of the time claim that Yasuke fought in this battle, but surrendered to Akechi's forces. While one document claims that Yasuke survived the aftermath of the battle, there are no historical records of the man following 1582.

How Yasuke Could Be Breaking an Assassin's Creed Tradition

In every Assassin's Creed game so far, the player takes control of a completely fictional character. Though the setting is based in history, some crossover with major historical events often happen, and the player-character always meets a slew of real-life historical figures along their journey, all of Assassin's Creed's main playable protagonists are original. At most, a character will be slightly inspired by a real-world historical figure, though that's usually on a minor level. If the rumors are true, then Assassin's Creed Red could be breaking that tradition, and potentially paving the way for more historical protagonists in the future.