Rumor: Unused Assassin's Creed 4 environment art hints that AC after Victory London will be set in Japan

[Leo]

This was posted on the Ubisoft forum.

First of all, I’ll start by saying this is not some crazy conspiracy theory that I made up, but speculation based on true facts, as you’re about to see. If I am correct, Ubisoft gave us the key to figure out the next 3 AC locations back in 2013, when Black Flag was released. If this information has already been uncovered, please excuse me because I had no idea. For now, let me explain.

Last November, I bought Assassin’s Creed Unity: The Complete Official Guide from Piggyback, as I do every year (I have all the guides and art books, they are awesome). I read the whole thing, enjoyed the artwork and all the info, and that was it. But a couple of days ago, as I was checking some facts again, a particular piece of artwork caught my attention like it didn’t before. For a moment I had a weird feeling. I looked a it again, this time in detail. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I thought it couldn’t be real. But no, It was there and was VERY real.

So I go back to Black Flag’s official guide from last year, and oh my God! There it was, near the end. And I check The Art of Assassin’s Creed IV: Flag Flag”, and again, it was there in full page, in all its glory, with none of us suspecting anything! Hell, you can even find it in the Abstergo Entertainment: Employee Handbook (that I also own). Right in front of us the whole time, but no one though anything of it (not even me). So what does it show? Keep reading.

The piece I’m talking about, drawn by Ubisoft artist Martin Deschambault, shows one possible Abstergo Entertainment lobby area for the present day part, different from the one seen in the final game. It’s gorgeous. There are some Abstergo employees walking around, a fountain and one information desk, but the really interesting part is the huge flat screen that is behind the desk. This screen shows several historical places and landmarks from all over the world (6, to be exact). Some are clear references from previous games, but others… refer to future locations. Let’s take a look.

The first one is very small and not very clear. It looks like the front of a church. I’d like to think it’s a reference to the very first Assassins Creed, but it’s hard to say:

No doubt in the second one. It shows Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, a clear reference to Assassins Creed II and the Ezio saga:

The next one shows a tropical island, which can only refer to AC IV Black Flag:

And now is when things get really interesting. You should recognize the fourth one, which is… that right, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris! Way before Unity was leaked by Kotaku.

But wait there’s more. The next one shows… The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in London!! Like in Victory, as you already know thanks to Kotaku’s leak.

In the last one, the screen shows another location which has not been touch in any AC yet, and which (considering all the above) should be AC VII location. Where are we going? It’s Japan!! Which makes sense, considering people have been asking for it for a long time. The image clearly shows a Japanese temple surrounded by houses. I’m not sure, but I’d say it’s Sensoji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest temple and one of its most significant.

Here’s the full picture of the art in question:

That would be pretty damn cool if it ends up being true. It’s about time they’ve done an AC in an eastern setting. This will be the west’s revenge against Japan for not localizing Yakuza Kenzan and Ishin.

[Leo]

Btw, I’m probably the biggest AC fan here. Yes, I even enjoy the convoluted real world modern story and background.

[RpgN]

That would be great. I would like to see more western take on asian settings.

[RpgN]

It’s okay. It’s easy to see why AC games have fans such as yourself. I might like them too and get more invested after trying one.

[Leo]

AC2 is considered the best game in the series. There are references to the first AC, but I believe they explain the events of AC to you. Ezio is the most likable protagonist in the series. In AC Unity, it seemed like they tried to make Arno’s personality more like Ezio being funny and boyish in behavior. The same goes for exploring the massive city of Paris. It’s like exploring the different cities of Italy. AC3 was largely considered where the series fell sharply in quality. Connor, the AC3 protagonist, didn’t have a personality. He was always serious and mean. Ratonhnhaké:ton was his Native American name. AC4 won back the hearts of fans of the series by focusing on ship sailing as the primary traveling mechanic. It had more of an open world setting than previous games. You could freely land and depart from many islands in the West Indies.

[DG_Nick]

Do you agree with the majority? What are your opinions on the games?

[Leo]

Yeah, pretty much, although I’ll note that AC4 gets monotonous landing on every island to check for treasures and hunting animals. It suffers from the Wind Waker problem.

I’ll break my thoughts down for each game.

AC - Good for its time, but the assassinations were too similar, so the “rinse and repeat” assassinating formula was especially bad here. Still a nice game. It had a great twist at the end, so it finished strong. I don’t suspect it has aged well.

AC2 - Regarded as the best, it expanded on every aspect from the last game and more. More detailed environments and buildings, deeper character backgrounds, and an interesting story. It also helped that Ezio was a better character than Altair. Two direct sequels were made as well, Brotherhood and Revelations. I remember Brotherhood for the cool assassin deployment you can call on. You could summon assassins from rooftops to kill enemies. I can’t recall very much of Revelations, to be honest.

AC3 - From the outside looking in, placing your game within the time of colonial America would be a sure fire success, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Well, most of its problems are because of the story pacing and character backgrounds. It takes a long time until it feels like an AC game. You start out as Conner’s dad, Haytham, then you play as a young Conner to explain his motivations, and finally you can play as the adult Conner.

AC4 - I appreciate that they shook things up with the switch to ship sailing as a means of traveling around the West Indies, but personally, I wasn’t fond of controlling a ship, to begin with. I didn’t like it in AC3, and I didn’t like it here. The environments sure looked pretty, though. It was relaxing looking at tropical islands throughout the game. As far as Edward goes, it was interesting that he was both a pirate and assassin, interchangeably, but like AC3, I felt that it took the story a long time for him to finally set himself in as an assassin with no doubts. They phoned in hard with pirating, and assassins took the backseat.

AC Unity - I’m still playing through Unity, but I’m mostly enjoying it. Don’t believe the hysteria of it being an unplayable disaster of a game. Yes, it does have minor bugs, and yes, it has long load times, but not game-breaking to where you can’t continue further. There are many new additions in this one. For the first time, you can freely enter through the windows of many buildings. Each time you do a main story assassination mission, there’s more than one way to plan your route in reaching your assassination target. You can exploit situations occurring in the area, and before you start the mission, you’ll be shown each exploit. The Arno and Elise love story is surprisingly endearing. I didn’t think I’d care for it, but I’ve liked the relationship between the two. The game also marks the first time a co-op mode is introduced, but it can only be accessed for specific missions, and they’re optional, thankfully. I haven’t attempted to do one because I can’t be bothered in logging into a UPlay account in order to start one.

AC Liberation - Another one I’m still playing through. This was the first AC to have a female main character. It also took place in the same time period as AC3. A new main feature is being able to dress in different clothing which would indicate different social classes. She can dress as a noble, slave, or assassin. It’s an average AC game. I don’t think AC translates very well on a handheld. This is on the Vita.

[RpgN]

I’ll try and remember giving ACIV a chance if II turns out to be something I enjoy. Did you play both sequels to ACII? That wasn’t entirely clear with Revelations. Hmmm…does that mean you played every AC game? Nice impressions Leo.

[Leo]

I’ll try and remember giving ACIV a chance if II turns out to be something I enjoy.

AC3 and AC4 are known as the Kenway saga because the protagonists are related by blood. AC4 is a prequel to AC3, and you play as Connor Kenway’s grandfather, Edward Kenway. He’s a real bastard of a person throughout the story, which fits his pirate lifestyle. I didn’t like him until the end of the game. Playing AC4 before AC3 would be chronologically correct. It would be an interesting order to play those two games.

Did you play both sequels to ACII? That wasn’t entirely clear with Revelations. Hmmm…does that mean you played every AC game?

Yeah, I’ve played both AC2 sequels.

I haven’t played every AC game, but coming close to it. I’ve yet to play AC Rogue. That’s for PS3 and 360. It’s yet another prequel in the Kenway saga, and you play as Shay, whom is an assassin-turned-Templar. He betrays the Assassin Brotherhood after a certain event and vows to kill them all in revenge. Rogue takes place before AC3 in America when there was a sizable assassin order in active duty. Rogue has a unique premise. As the player, you’re tasked with hunting down assassins to kill them, but at the same time, you have to be vigilant at all times because assassins are ordered to kill you. It’s funny, the story is similar to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader hunting down the remaining Jedi. Other than Rogue, I’ve yet to play the AC Unity DLC, Dead Kings. That recently came out.

Oh forgot to mention, I’ve beaten the AC3 DLC too, The Tyranny of King Washington. I really enjoyed that one. It was bizarre, yet entertaining.