A new rumor suggests the next Assassin's Creed video game will take place in Rome and release in 2020. The most recent installment of the franchise, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, previously explored the ruins of ancient Greece, complete with mythological beasts that connected with the First Civilization.
Assassins Creed: Odyssey took place in 431 BC, during the time of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Players took on the role of one of two characters, Alexios or Kassandra, in an attempt to take down the Cult of Kosmos, a secretive organization that threatens the whole of Greek society. Although the main character starts as a mercenary, it eventually becomes clear that there is more to that character's family history than meets the eye. The title expanded upon previous games, making gameplay style more varied. Odyssey also introduced a new RPG element to the franchise that offered a branching narrative that gave the player one of nine endings.
Related: Assassin's Creed Odyssey Review: A Greek Myth Worth Repeating
Although developer and publisher Ubisoft generally releases a new Assassin's Creed every year, the company announced there would not be a new game in the series launching in 2019. However, rumors are now surfacing about a potential new Assassin's Creed title, with the code name Legion, coming in 2020. A post on the message board Fireden suggests the next Assassin's Creed game will take place in Rome around the end of the reign of Marcus Aurelius, which would be around 169 AD. This rumor also suggests that players will once more have the choice between a male and female assassin, descended from characters in Origins and Odyssey. The new game will supposedly delve more into the First Civilization and focus more on assassins and politics. There was also a blurry screenshot, supposedly from the new game:
As it stands, this is just a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt. The image is generic enough that it could have come from any other previous Assassin's Creed game. Fans should also consider that the franchise has already visited Rome in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and it's not like Ubisoft to revisit locations in the series, although it might be nice to see how the Brotherhood in Italy began. Ubisoft does have a history of video game leaks, though, so who knows if there is any credence to this rumor or not.
Although the Assassin's Creed movie took itself too seriously and suffered at the box office because of it, the franchise lives on through the video games. Odyssey went over well with fans and critics, despite some controversy over its DLC. Until a new title releases, fans will clamor for more information about the next one, meaning that rumors will run rampant throughout 2019. Although the creed says that everything is permitted, including rumors, don't forget the first part of that statement: "Nothing is true."
Source: Assassin's Creed Odyssey Beginners Gameplay Tips
Source: Fireden