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Meet Elise, the 'fiery Templar' of Assassin's Creed Unity
Following raucous online backlash against the notable lack of female characters in Assassin's Creed: Unity, publisher Ubisoft has introduced Elise, a female Templar who apparently plays a key role in the game's plot. "This new trailer for Assassin's Creed: Unity shows Arno racing against time through a dense and chaotic central Paris in order to prevent the beheading of Elise, a character central to Assassin's Creed: Unity's story," reads Ubisoft's official announcement. "As an independent young noblewoman, Elise is determined to secure her place in the Templar dynasty amidst the chaos of the French Revolution. Her quest leads her to cross paths with Arno and establish an unlikely bond with him." In addition to her appearance in Assassin's Creed: Unity, Elise is also slated to star in a paperback novel of the same name that chronicles her experiences with Unity protagonist Arno during the French Revolution. Assassin's Creed: Unity will be written by novelist and Renaissance historian Oliver Bowden and will be published by Penguin Random House. [Image: Ubisoft]
Rob Zombie's Assassin's Creed short is ultra-violent - surprised?
Betcha didn't see that coming, did you? Who in the world could have guessed that a digital short about the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, directed by Rob Zombie (House of 1,000 Corpses) and illustrated by Tony Moore (The Walking Dead comic), would be so violent and horrifying? Thanks for sharing, UbiBlog! Okay, we kid. Right from the announcement that Zombie and Moore would debut an animated short at Comic-Con this year, anyone could have guessed that the flick would be anything but puppies and rainbows. Still, things get seriously M for Mature here, as the short features plenty of decapitations, grisly injuries and a close-up eye stabbing. Maybe don't watch if you've just eaten. [Image: Ubisoft]
Walk like an Altair at the SDCC Assassin's Creed Experience
When San Diego Comic Con opens on Thursday, would-be Ezios, Altairs and Avelines will finally get their chance to seamlessly run over castle walls, shuffle along delicately arranged plinths, and hop over pedestals like a bonafide assassin in the Assassin's Creed Experience. Ubisoft constructed this new, real-life teachable obstacle course for the convention, conceived in part by Michael "Frosti" Zernow, the publisher's new Chief Parkour Officer. Zernow and other pro freerunners will not only give demonstrations, they'll also give lessons on how to move like a regular Auditore as well. Before you go diving off any churches into hay carts, maybe try this out. Also remember you'll probably end up pulling a Homer. [Images: Ubisoft]
Ubisoft enlists 'Chief Parkour Officer' for Assassin's Creed
To cement its place as the leading purveyor of acrobatic yet physically implausible action games, Ubisoft has hired famed freerunner Michael "Frosti" Zernow as its new Chief Parkour Officer. "Ubisoft's new Chief Parkour Officer will serve in a strategic advisory role, ensuring an ongoing commitment to the authenticity and accuracy of parkour beginning with the October 28 launch of Assassin's Creed: Unity, the next installment of the 76 million unit-selling Assassin's Creed franchise," reads the publisher's official announcement. "He will also advise on ways for the company and its franchise to continue its ongoing advocacy for the sport." Zernow is uniquely qualified for the CPO role, both due to his experience as a coach at California's Tempest Freerunning Academy and his history of working with Ubisoft's motion capture team on stunts for prior Assassin's Creed games. "I've been a long-time fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise, and it's one of the few highly visible examples of parkour that attracts younger athletes to the sport every year," Zernow said. [Image: Ubisoft]
Assassin's Creed: Unity gameplay trailer is heady
It's 18th Century Paris, and you're Arno, a master assassin, sneaking through the thick of the French Revolution. Your parries, knife throws, smoke bombs and spying have a direct impact on the future of France and its people - so don't mess it up. Assassin's Creed: Unity features a co-op multiplayer feature, where friends can join you during the game's campaign to embark on a "brotherhood mission," Assistant Art Director Patrick Limoges told Joystiq. Assassin's Creed: Unity is due out on October 28 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Pre-orders are live now, with two bonuses: Free spins on the Guillotine Wheel spin-to-win game (with prizes of trips, entertainment equipment, apparel and digital game content), and the Chemical Revolution mission. [Images: Ubisoft]
Rob Zombie debuting Assassin's Creed short at Comic Con
We've seen Assassin's Creed Unity's hooded justice-seekers hunt their prey in conceptual trailers and gameplay demonstrations, but it seems like another perspective will debut at Comic Con International in San Diego later this month. A listing for a Unity-focused panel describes the showing of an "animated short" inspired by Unity, which will be shown by musician and film director Rob Zombie and Tony Moore, an illustrator whose work includes Image Comics' The Walking Dead series. Judging by the listing, the panel will also focus on Unity protagonist Arno, general details about the game and "new announcements" for the Assassin's Creed series. If you're able to go, Unity's "Heads Will Roll!" panel is scheduled for July 25 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific in room 6BCF. [Image: Ubisoft]
Assassin's Creed Unity hitting PC at same time as consoles
Though the series is notorious for its delayed PC releases, Ubisoft wants to launch the PC version of Assassin's Creed Unity at the same time the console editions hit retail later this year, Rock Paper Shotgun reports. "We're always aiming to ship all our games on all platforms at the same time," Unity producer Lesley Phord-Toy told RPS. "I don't have any specific news on the PC version of Assassin's Creed Unity, but I do know we're planning on shipping on all three [platforms]: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. I haven't heard any news differently than that." Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag hit PCs three weeks after the console versions launched last year, and Assassin's Creed 3 missed its planned October 2012 release date. Phord-Toy blamed the series' previous delays on the fact that PC platforms have "a variety of different hardware configurations that you can't necessarily predict." Assassin's Creed Unity will premiere on October 28, 2014. [Image: Ubisoft]
How Assassin's Creed: Unity brings the brotherhood into co-op
It seems one major rule of cooperative assassination is "keep your distance." Few know that as well as Ubisoft, which reacted to some of our questions about Assassin's Creed: Unity's cooperative multiplayer component. Assistant Art Director Patrick Limoges told Joystiq that co-op missions are online only, so assassin buddies won't get to rub elbows while slashing at guards in the Xbox One, PS4 and PC game. "How it works is that you're playing the single mission in the story of Arno. He has his own mission, but when you play co-op it's like you're playing a brotherhood mission," Limoges explained. "So your friends joining you, they can walk through the city with you, they can actually join you in a specific mission, a co-op one."
EA / Ubisoft E3 2014 conference round-up: Prototypes and push-ups
The big three console manufacturers aren't the only ones having all the fun at E3; Ubisoft and Electronic Arts are known to get in on the party as well. These two publishers can do many things, but one thing they can't do is take you back in time in the event that you missed their press conferences. Fortunately for you, Joystiq does what reality don't. Ready to travel with us and wrangle up all the news from the Ubisoft and EA pressers? Let's go!
Assassin's Creed: Unity stalks the French Revolution on October 28
Hooded assassins have done an awful lot of dirty work on their own, but that trend will change on October 28, when the co-op supplemented Assassin's Creed: Unity plunges pointy things into Xbox One, PS4 and PC. [Image: Ubisoft]
Watch Ubisoft's E3 2014 press conference stream here [Update: It's over!]
Bonjour, everyone! Ubisoft's E3 2014 press conference is happening at 3:00 p.m. PT (6:00 p.m. ET) today, and we expect plenty of tasty tidbits and news from the French developer/publisher. In fact, we'll be voicing said expectations, as well as analysis and commentary via our liveblog, so feel free to garnish this stream with a dash of Joystiq personality and pop open a tab next to this one. The Los Angeles Staples Convention Center is plastered with a giant Assassin's Creed: Unity poster, but we also expect to hear more about the recently-announced Far Cry 4 too. Ubisoft has featured surprise announcements the past two years as well - Watch Dogs in 2012 and The Division in 2013. Could we have another big surprise this year? If you close your eyes and wish hard enough, Beyond Good & Evil 2 could still happen! Update: Ubisoft's conference may be over, but you can re-live its many announcements in old-fashioned text form. [Image: Ubisoft]
Assassin's Creed: Unity features four-player co-op [update: trailer]
During Microsoft's E3 conference, Ubisoft Montreal producer Vincent Pontbriand revealed that the next-gen exclusive Assassin's Creed: Unity will allow up to four players to murder their way through the French Revolution - a feature Pontbriand claims "completely redefines the Assassin's Creed experience."
Assassin's Creed series tops 73 million in sales
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series reached a total of 73 million in sales according to the publisher's corporate website, which lists its "worldwide best-selling franchises." Assassin's Creed, which has featured six releases in the main series since its 2007 debut and eight additional games on browser and portable platforms, leads Ubisoft's second-best-selling property Just Dance (48 million) by 25 million units. Assassin's Creed will likely continue to sell by the millions given that the next game, Assassin's Creed: Unity, will arrive on PS4, Xbox One and PC this holiday season. Unity was just announced in March and takes place in Paris during the French Revolution of the 18th century, a setting that was vaguely foretold at the end of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. The next three series in the publisher's top five in sales bear the late Tom Clancy's name: Splinter Cell (30 million), Rainbow Six (26 million) and Ghost Recon (25 million). Head past the break to see the rest of Ubisoft's sales list.
Assassin's Creed: Unity setting was foretold by AC: Brotherhood ending
Jeffrey Yohalem, writer of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, has revealed that, like an Assassin in a crowd of monks, the setting of the next Assassin's Creed game has been in front of us all along. Yohalem was asked by a fan on Twitter if the flashing symbols shown during the ending of Brotherhood were a hint for the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Unity, to which Yohalem responded: "Yup." Yohalem also noted that another symbol shown during the ending, the Eye of Providence, hinted at the setting for Assassin's Creed 3. Oo, this is fun! Let's see, what other symbols can we find? Well, there's what kind of looks like a Shinto shrine and ... is that a cave drawing of a monkey with a super curly tail? Man, we really should have paid more attention in History class. [Image: Ubisoft]
