Assassin's Creed Shadows Exec Acknowledges Mixed Reactions to Series' Dual Protagonists, And Admits 'With Naoe and Yasuke It's More Divisive'

The Assassin's Creed series' caller inclination of featuring dual protagonists has sometimes been "divisive", the subordinate crippled manager of this year's Assassin's Creed Shadows has said — acknowledging that the prime betwixt nimble shinobi Naoe and hulking samurai Yasuke had been a peculiarly notable illustration of this.

Shadows' improvement is headed up by Ubisoft Quebec, the workplace down Victoria London-set Assassin's Creed Syndicate and Ancient Greece RPG Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Both besides featured dual protagonists, though successful antithetic ways.

"The differences betwixt Evie and Jacob were mostly cosmetic," subordinate crippled manager Simon Lemay-Comtois told GamesRadar+. "They play very, precise similarly, but with precise fewer prime skills." Shadows, by comparison, was specifically designed to beryllium "an workout successful contrast" — thing that "can divided our instrumentality basal a little."

These aren't the lone Assassin's Creed games to diagnostic aggregate protagonists, of course. The Ancient Egypt-set Origins lets you play arsenic some hubby and woman Bayek and Aya, adjacent if the second lone gets a sliver of screentime. Viking-era Valhalla besides offered antheral and pistillate versions of leader Eivor, meanwhile, for analyzable story-related reasons (but besides truthful Ubisoft could person a antheral connected the game's box).

More than immoderate different Assassin's Creed crippled earlier it, however, Shadows' 2 protagonists are built arsenic antithetic people. Their abilities are different, their combat systems are different, and they are treated arsenic 2 antithetic yet adjacent characters to play the game's main quest as.

"Dual protagonists tin beryllium divisive on precise unusual lines, right?" Lemay-Comtois said. "It's not conscionable a 'well, I similar a war, truthful I similar Yasuke.' Some radical conscionable don't similar 1 quality implicit the other, and they don't similar to walk clip with one. It was existent with Evie and Jacob, but with Naoe and Yasuke it's much divisive," helium continued. "And we knew this. We knew going into it, but I deliberation it tin divided our instrumentality basal a small too."

With this successful mind, volition Ubisoft proceed offering dual protagonists successful aboriginal — for illustration successful the upcoming Assassin's Creed Hexe? "I deliberation the learning for america is that, yes, we could bash much dual-protagonist games successful the aboriginal – if we person a bully crushed to bash it narratively and for the setting," Lemay-Comtois concluded.

Ubisoft's adjacent Assassin's Creed task expected to merchandise volition beryllium the still-unannounced Black Flag remake that's reportedly acceptable to motorboat successful outpouring 2026. This features pirate Edward Kenway arsenic its star, with nary 2nd mate during the game's main campaign.

As for Assassin's Creed Shadows, small is known of Ubisoft's plans to enactment the crippled done adjacent year. The institution had initially expected to merchandise a 2nd large expansion, pursuing this fall's Claws of Awaji, but Ubisoft has said that plans shifted erstwhile Shadows was delayed — and now, adjacent year's add-on contented volition beryllium smaller successful nature.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social