Since 2007, Assassin's Creed has stood firm as one of the most iconic open-world action-adventure franchises to ever exist. It's arguably the flagship series for its creator, Ubisoft, and to date, twenty-four titles have been released in the franchise, twelve of them being major, key launches. This is a series famed for its faithful retelling of some of the most important and meaningful moments in human history. It's a franchise that has managed to fuse open-ended exploration opportunities with intense, emotional stories that cannot be forgotten.
As a series, Assassin's Creed has seen a rocky few years, but it's still remarkably popular and ever expanding. With each new release, Ubisoft has created bigger, broader worlds, more ambitious stories, and more memorable characters. For many fans, it's the immersive nature of Assassin's Creed that has won them over, and it's the emotional, often unpredictable story-telling that keeps them engaged for hours on end.
7 Ezio's Death In AC Embers
While it isn't a playable game, Assassin's Creed: Embers marks an extremely poignant moment in the AC franchise. It's a short, animated clip that reveals how Ezio Auditore, arguably the greatest Assassin of all time, meets his end. It's a fantastic, short-form film that tells the story of Ezio's final days, right up to his dying moments. However, from the moment the video was released, it became a widely debated subject, as it isn't entirely clear if Ezio was murdered, or if he passed away from old age.
Regardless of how Ezio meets his maker, it's a heartbreaking moment for any long-term AC fan. It debuted after Ezio's final game launched, coming as part of the collector's edition for AC: Revelations, serving as the period point at the end of Ezio's story. Ultimately, it's a farewell to Ezio, who dies with his family close by, and the hot, midday sun beaming down on him as he takes his last breath.
6 Bayek Accidentally Kills His Son In AC Origins
Assassin's Creed: Origins was released in 2017, and it dramatically changed the formula that had existed for so long in the AC series. It was more of an RPG-styled title, introducing players to a theme that would persist for many years to come. It was also one of the best-acted and most well received Assassin's Creed titles in years, boasting a deeply emotional story that broke players' hearts time and again.
At the very core of AC Origins is a story of intense vengeance, with a distraught father seeking revenge for the death of his only child. However, midway through the game, players learn that there is more to the story, when it is revealed in a tragic scene that Bayek, the main character, accidentally killed his son himself. It's thought that this event subsequently led to the foundation of the Hidden Ones, the ancient origins of the Assassin Brotherhood, but it was a devastating scene to behold.
5 Altair Condemns Himself To Die Alone In AC Revelations
In 2007, Assassin's Creed launched, and history was both made and explored. This revolutionary, legendary title had kick-started a franchise that would become iconic, and it introduced Altair, a phenomenally important Assassin. It was Altair who essentially fathered the modern day Assassin Brotherhood, using an Apple of Eden to learn the ways of the world and keep at bay the ever-growing Templar threat.
By the time Assassin's Creed Revelations rolled around in 2011, we were at the end of Ezio's storyline, and in a way, Altair's. Through the story, we find out that Altair ultimately sacrificed himself for the good of his Brotherhood, holding back a siege single-handedly at 92 years of age, urging his brothers to live on and protect all they had fought for. He seals himself in vault that, at the end of Revelations, Ezio Auditore finds, some three-hundred years later, with the robed, skeleton body of Altair still inside.
4 Connor Kills His Own Father In AC 3
Haytham Kenway was introduced at the opening of Assassin's Creed III, and for a while, he was an absolute enigma. It was revealed after a few hours of play that Haytham wouldn't serve as the protagonist in AC III, but that he had fathered the main character, Connor Kenway. However, owing to the circumstances presented to them, Haytham and Connor were essentially two sides of the same coin, destined to forever be at each other's throats.
Towards the end of Assassin's Creed III, it seems there is a glimmer of hope, and that father and son might join forces, but it wasn't to be. In a dramatic, intense scene, there's a fight, and Connor uses his hidden blade to kill his own father, and it's at that moment that Haytham admits he's proud of his son. It was a bitter end to a feud that had lasted for years, but for Connor Kenway, it was just another heartbreaking moment in an altogether too devastating storyline.
3 Blackbeard Is Brought Down In AC Black Flag
In 2013, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag launched, and it quickly became regarded as one of the greatest Assassin's Creed titles of all time. This swashbuckling, ocean-exploring adventure put players in the heart of the Caribbean to build a pirate empire headed by the impressive and unruly Edward Kenway. It also introduced players to several pirates that actually existed at the time, such as the seemingly indomitable and terrifying Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach.
Later in the game, gamers are treated to a shocking scene which brings about the brutal end to Blackbeard, a pirate feared by so many. At this point, the player is immersed and likely warmed by the camaraderie between Blackbeard and Kenway, a relationship that is shattered when Blackbeard is set upon by several soldiers and hacked to death. He utters one of the most important lines in the history of the franchise before he succumbs, and just like that, players' hearts were broken.
2 Ezio's Family Is Executed In AC 2
As one of the most devastating scenes in the franchise, and one of the worst betrayals, the execution of Ezio's family has impacted all players that have experienced it. In Assassin's Creed II, released in 2009, players bear witness to an utter atrocity, as a young Ezio Auditore's family is executed before his very eyes. His father and two brothers are hung for the crime of treason, of which they are innocent, but a close family friend betrays them to the Templar Order.
It's a desperate scene, as Ezio is inexperienced and ineffective, and he can do nothing but watch as his closest family members are murdered in front of him. He flees and swears revenge, and at that moment, players fully understand the depravity of the Templar Order. While we only knew Ezio's family for a couple of hours, we understood their bond, and the powerful soundtrack created by Jesper Kyd makes this heartbreaking moment all the more poignant.
1 Desmond Kills Lucy In AC Brotherhood
Lucy Stillman was introduced in 2007's Assassin's Creed, serving as the savior of Desmond Miles, one of the most important characters in the history of the franchise. She was a supporting character but by no means less important to the series, and her death in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010) was equal parts shocking and saddening.
At the end of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the discovery of a powerful artifact, the Apple of Eden, causes Desmond Miles to communicate with Those Who Came Before. He was shown visions of Lucy, confirming suspicions that she was in fact a traitor who sought out the artifact for herself, and at that moment, he was possessed, forced to kill Lucy. Up until that point, Lucy was a love interest, but within a few moments, she lay dead at the player's feet. And the worst part? There was nothing anybody could do to prevent it from happening.