One of the most anticipated sessions at IGDC 2024 was from AAA game developer and publisher Ubisoft. In the session titled “How we work on cultural authenticity in Assassin’s Creed worlds,” the company’s world design director Maxime Durand revealed Ubisoft’s approach towards crafting iconic historical settings in the Assassin’s Creed (AC) franchise.
The franchise has portrayed cities from around the world in its games – Paris in AC Unity, Boston and New York in AC 3, and ancient Egypt in AC: Origins. Durand dived deep into what makes the franchise’s worlds the perfect playground for players while maintaining a degree of cultural authenticity at the same time.
After identifying the time period of the city they want to portray in the game, Ubisoft’s development team examines the books, novels, TV shows and other games set in that period to develop tropes and notable elements for the setting, explained Durand. The company consults historians who assist the game developers in creating content across the map, and designing unique gameplay mechanics that are relevant to the setting. “We also work closely with geographers, academics and scholars to add historical accuracy to our games,” he said.
While AC games are known to be a perfect simulation of their specific historical settings, not all the world design in the franchise’s games are an exact recreation of their historical counterparts. Durand revealed that the company doesn’t shy away from taking creative liberties in its world design, in order to balance simulation and fun. This approach, which he calls “selective fidelity,” prioritises its players’ emotional engagement and fun over making the game a realistic simulation of its setting.
Another reason to steer clear of the exact historical representation is the hardware limitation, as there is a limit to the amount of fidelity and detail a certain game hardware can render at a playable performance level. For instance, during the development of AC3, the important landmarks in the game’s version of New York were close to each other to maintain accuracy. However, this recreation was taxing on the game’s intended hardware, leading the team to take creative liberties to optimise the game, he shared. In another instance, the team behind AC: Origins changed the design of Alexander The Great’s tomb to fit into the game’s larger narrative.
He highlighted how the AC franchise expanded its lore with text log entries called the “Animus Directories,” giving players more information about the in-game world which fused history with the game’s lore. This feature was developed further into the edutainment mode “Discovery Tours,” which began with AC: Origins and was continued till AC: Valhalla. Designed to be kid-friendly, this mode initially consisted of only walkthroughs where the player is guided across the game’s map, all the while learning about its historical period through in-game activities. The mode was later revamped to include full-fledged narratives that let the player feel a sense of accomplishment while learning about its rich history.
The Discovery Tour feature in AC: Valhalla was made available as a separate game to add to its accessibility. In AC: Odyssey, the Discovery Tour allows players to discover Delphi – an ancient town in Greece, known for its rich mythology. Durand mentioned that the educational game mode is developed with inputs from academic institutions.
Unravelling the magic and care that Ubisoft puts in while crafting the worlds for the AC series, Durand’s talk infused a lot of value to IGDC 2024, which is taking place from 13 to 15 November at HICC in Hyderabad.