**Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Unity and the Unused Character Creator Concept**
Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Unity is well-known for its depiction of the French Revolution, featuring the main protagonist, Arno Dorian. However, an intriguing aspect of the game’s development was the exploration of a character creator system that would allow players to choose an ancestor from a vast database, representing millions of historical figures, rather than following Arno’s story alone. This concept aimed to provide a unique perspective on the complexities of the French Revolution, giving each player their own narrative through a personalized ancestor.
Former creative director Alexandre Amancio revealed that this innovative idea emerged when the development team considered two different versions of the game—one that focused more on co-operative multiplayer gameplay. This character creation system would have allowed players to describe their desired ancestor, gradually narrowing down the options in the Animus until they found a suitable match. Amancio expressed a desire for the team to have taken the risk on this approach, as it would have resulted in a more diversified experience reflective of the multi-faceted nature of the revolution.
Critics of Unity, including the original review from Alec Meer in 2014, noted that the game fell back on familiar tropes, which detracted from its potential innovation. Meer highlighted the monotony of having four players assume the same character, leading to a lack of individuality. The initial aim for a co-op experience that varied based on players’ backgrounds contrasted sharply with the final product.
In a recent interview, Amancio elaborated on the rationale behind the character creation system, explaining that the French Revolution’s complexity warranted a more nuanced representation—one where every player’s journey through the historical landscape would be singular and personal. However, development challenges led the team to favor a traditional format that would align with fans’ expectations of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
Developing a system that incorporated a repository of millions of NPCs for player selection would have presented significant logistical hurdles. It would require a fundamental shift in narrative structure, likening it more to a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) or titles like Dragon Age: Origins, with diverse protagonist backstories. Unity did introduce cooperative gameplay, marking a significant evolution in the series, but it ultimately settled on a more conventional narrative framework.
The character creation concept, as a means of refining the population database, could have allowed for a richer portrayal of the era, enabling players to assume diverse roles within the revolutionary context. This expanded understanding of history would not only enrich gameplay but would also align with the trend towards greater player agency in modern gaming.
Amancio’s experiences on previous projects, including Far Cry, influenced his vision for infusing more emergent gameplay elements into Assassin’s Creed. He has long favored the incorporation of chaos and player-driven interactions within game environments. Such an approach could potentially transform the overarching experience of the franchise, moving it closer to a system driven by player choice and experience rather than a fixed narrative.
As Assassin’s Creed continues to evolve into more open-world RPG experiences, such as Odyssey, the dialogue around innovative gameplay mechanics remains crucial. Critics have noted that recent iterations can sometimes feel overly scripted and formulaic. As the series explores new pathways, the foundational ideas originally proposed for Unity serve as a reminder of the potential for dynamic and individualized storytelling in video games.
