A casual observer may think that Ubisoft is in the business of making videogames. The truth is that the developer has its characters appearing not only on platforms, but in comic books, animated shorts, and even live action films. With the team set to raise the stakes and explore seriously new territory with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, players may need to be given a little background to truly grasp the weight of events in the new installment. Ubisoft looks to do just that with the animated film Assassin’s Creed Ascendance.
The film is being developed by the studio’s multimedia geniuses at Ubi Workshop for digital distribution on November 16th. The new medium allows the creative team to explore a storytelling vision and execution that is more “theatrical” than the open-world narrative that the Assassin’s Creed series is known for.
The launch trailer for Brotherhood shows that the scope of Ezio’s journey has greatly expanded, and the events leading to his new role and his new enemy apparently warrant an entire short film. Ubi Workshop’s website explains the purpose of the project in terms of the series as a whole:
The project had already been teased by Ubisoft, but now we have the official trailer for the downloadable film that will lead players into the new story of Brotherhood. Have a look:
“Bridging the narrative gap between Assassin’s Creed 2 and Assassin’s Creed brotherhood, Assassin’s Creed Ascendance follows
Assassin Ezio Auditore as he struggles to remove the treacherous Borgia family from their papal throne.
Ezio will learn the brutal truth behind Ceasare Borgia’s rise to power.
Fratricide, betrayal, torture… Cesare employs any tactic to achieve his ambition - ultimate control of Italy.
Ezio has found his nemesis.”
