Ubisoft's Watch Dogs: Legion will soon be getting a crossover with long-running franchise Assassin's Creed. But does the crossover further the Assassin's Creed modern-day storyline, or is it something else entirely?
Watch Dogs: Legion will be adding its Assassin's Creed content on August 24th, 2021. It will add both free content for all players and special content just for season pass owners. All players will see new story missions and world missions added to the game that will be tied to the Assassin's Creed crossover. Only season pass holders will be able to add the Assassin Darcy to their roster of playable heroes. All players will also see the addition of multiple new modes, including Watch Dogs:Legion's long-delayed Invasion PVP mode.
While some fans have long speculated about how the Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed universes could intersect, Ubisoft has clarified via IGN that the addition of an Assassin's Creed character is not meant to confirm the two games share the same universe. According to Watch Dogs: Legion live producer Lathiesshe Thillainathan, "She's not canon, it's purely a fan service from our side and also the [Assassin's Creed] side." Thillainathan went on to say that the DLC is "not trying to build a joint universe." Still, the Watch Dogs: Legion team look like they put some effort into adding the Assassin Darcy to Watch Dogs: Legion, giving the character not only the iconic hidden blade but a hidden Assassin tomb as well.
How Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs Have Connected in the Past
It's not the first time that Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs have appeared to shared the same universe. A late game bonus mission in the original Watch Dogs appears to connect to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, with players handed a mission that appears to follow events from the Assassin's Creed game. Other fans in the past have spotted Easter Eggs in Watch Dogs: Legion referring to Jacob Frye, one of the lead Assassins of Assassin's Creed Syndicate, which took place in London like Watch Dogs: Legion. Given that Assassin's Creed games have featured a modern day storyline since the very first game, it would make sense that the two games took place in the same world. Add in that the Templars in the present-day use tech-company Abstergo as a front, and it's easy to see how a canon crossover could take place.
For now, however, Ubisoft remains firm that the Assassin's Creed crossover event in Watch Dogs: Legion is simply a fun nod to the game. If nothing else, it will give players who have been clamoring for a modern-day Assassin's Creed game the opportunity to live out their assassin fantasies in future London.
Source: IGN
Watch Dogs: Legion - Bloodline is available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Google Stadia.