GDC 2018: 10 Years of Evolution of the 'Assassin's Creed' Brand:
Breakdown
31/3/18
By Colum Blackett
By Colum Blackett
Jean Guesdon took to the stage at the 2018 Games Developer's Conference to reflect on the Assassin's Creed Franchise.
This article breaks down the presentation, and reflects on some of the key moments and highlights.
This article breaks down the presentation, and reflects on some of the key moments and highlights.
Jean begins the presentation by breaking down the evolution of the franchise in to three catergories.
- Creating
- Expanding
- Refreshing
- Creating
- Expanding
- Refreshing
Present Day
"The reason behind the present day in the first place is really to create relatedness between the audience and the setting" - Game set during Third Crusade, but the team wanted the overall experience to feel really modern DNA/Animus = Edgy - Alowed the game to be at the forefront of new generation of games. |
Iconic Elements
- Assassins & Bird of Prey - Overlooking targets from above. The crest which evolves through time - Clear reference to an eagle.
- Hidden Blade: Well suited to the fantasy of an Assassin - No other games had this weapon.
- Animus Technology: Allow a linkeage between past and 21st Century
- Assassins & Bird of Prey - Overlooking targets from above. The crest which evolves through time - Clear reference to an eagle.
- Hidden Blade: Well suited to the fantasy of an Assassin - No other games had this weapon.
- Animus Technology: Allow a linkeage between past and 21st Century
Entering the open world genre - Moving from a linear platformer to an open world game
- Parkour allowed for navigation outside of missions. Can be performed everywhere in city
- Big step for the team - Required new technology - Anvil Engine created in order to render fully interactive cities.
- Allowed for a variety of new interactions
- Parkour allowed for navigation outside of missions. Can be performed everywhere in city
- Big step for the team - Required new technology - Anvil Engine created in order to render fully interactive cities.
- Allowed for a variety of new interactions
- New engine also enabled for photo realistic characters.
- Enabled large crowds to be on screen. (Around 100 NPCs on screen at once)
- AC 1 was fastest selling new IP
- Mixed reviews: People liked Assassin Fantasy - Narrative - Altair
- Game lacked things to do
- Enabled large crowds to be on screen. (Around 100 NPCs on screen at once)
- AC 1 was fastest selling new IP
- Mixed reviews: People liked Assassin Fantasy - Narrative - Altair
- Game lacked things to do
- Repeat the Commercial Success of AC1, this time fixing all of the issues it had.
- Team thoroughly analysed AC1 - 'post-mortem of the game conducted'
- They found that missions in AC1 did not ask players to do what they liked doing on their own
- Example - Game asked players to sit on bench before pickpocketing - Playing alone, players just liked to parkour, fight etc.
- Team thoroughly analysed AC1 - 'post-mortem of the game conducted'
- They found that missions in AC1 did not ask players to do what they liked doing on their own
- Example - Game asked players to sit on bench before pickpocketing - Playing alone, players just liked to parkour, fight etc.
It was clear to the team that the franchise was about History - "Making history everyone's playground"
- From day 1, started to work with historians, to get people immersed within a living time period. - Decisions made to let players 'live history', and be part of it. Example - Meet Da Vinci as a young, dynamic man. |
History was the core of the experience.
- "AC2 had to solidify the rest of the narrative"
- In 2008, Team developed "The Onion Structure"
- Video Game Layer
- Present Day Layer
- Animus Layer
- Past Layer
- "AC2 had to solidify the rest of the narrative"
- In 2008, Team developed "The Onion Structure"
- Video Game Layer
- Present Day Layer
- Animus Layer
- Past Layer
Once this was solidified, the team could expand concepts with the narrative such as Subject 16's Puzzles which linked to the First Civilisation. "Around the Historical period, we were developing the Present Day, and the First Civ Lore creating a strong narrative. - Allowed for more content - Team only had two years to deliver AC2 |
|
Multiple Teams
- AC2 was the first AC game to have multiple teams work on a game. - Team worked with Annecy Team (in France) who developed the Villa. - Singapore Team developed secret locations. - Second Team in Montreal created - In charge of bringing "exotic moments" in to the game - Da Vinci Flying Machine etc |
Assassin's Creed also had to stay fresh
- Each game had to bring something new to the franchise and to the gamers. Examples -ACB introduced a Brotherhood - Multiplayer - AC Rev - Hook Blade - Present limbo aspects - AC3 - Nature envronments - Naval Combat AC4 - New Present Day- Seamless Naval World Some aspects lasted, others didn't. - (Example)Tower Defence in AC Rev |
It was clear to the brand team in 2010 that every product should act as a standalone, adding to the universe, rather than contradicting it.
- Everything created in the brand becomes "The Truth" in AC Universe, and can be used later on. - Team realised that they had to share the brand, opening it up to talent from other fields who could add to it. |
At the same time, tools were created so that
everyone could keep track of the narrative.
- Keep track of all the connections and references - More than games - Keeping track of relationships, time periods, previous encounters etc
- Connections made between Transmedia and the Games - Everything acts as a standalone
everyone could keep track of the narrative.
- Keep track of all the connections and references - More than games - Keeping track of relationships, time periods, previous encounters etc
- Connections made between Transmedia and the Games - Everything acts as a standalone
Assassin's Creed Initiates: Community Website, which was meant to become the Franchise Hub.
Jean shows the audience an the AC Iniaties platform Trailer - Players could unlock AC Lore, and delve in to conspiracies - You could also earn rewards for your progress within Assassin's Creed - Users were members of the Initiates - Participating The platform also set in game challenges and gave players rewards - Potential to craft identity on the platform |
AC Initiates was popular with Core Fanbase.
- AC4 was a transition game in many ways to the new plan that wanted to immerse players
"This is why the Present Day of Black Flag was this first person version, it was meant to be you".
Ran along with the Companion App + AC Initiates
- AC4 was a transition game in many ways to the new plan that wanted to immerse players
"This is why the Present Day of Black Flag was this first person version, it was meant to be you".
Ran along with the Companion App + AC Initiates
Hardcore fans were really in to AC Initiates and enjoyed it.
Jean says that they maybe didn't listen to the majority of the audience. (Interesting points by Jean, but doesn't mention "The Watch", which was another online community network which was only available to those who pre-ordered the game. Initiates was available to all. |
Jean believes there was too much focus on tech, rather than content. Didn't deliver anything new.
- "We had a game that was wonderful in terms of art, but not renewing the experience enough" AC Initiates locked content - Not all fans understood the concept - Glitch that affected one graphics card only becomes a meme that circulates the internet. Really hurt the game (I would say that the British accents for a game set in France didn't help matters either) |
The final priority focusses on the Assassin's Creed Community experience.
"And to remain a connected game. Even without co-op we need to show that being part of the community brings value to your overall experience. We are not a competitive franchise, but the Community's very very strong, and we need to leverage that."
"And to remain a connected game. Even without co-op we need to show that being part of the community brings value to your overall experience. We are not a competitive franchise, but the Community's very very strong, and we need to leverage that."
"The idea behind modernising AC was really to have the focus in terms of fluidity and player's freedom"
Maximum freedom for the players - More systematic, fluid systems. - If needed AC needed to adapt - Remove constrains Making a Modern AC had the aim of being: More systemic, more player friendly, more connected & a modernised pipeline (Allowing Devs time to focus on experience) |
Archipalagos structure of the world
- Push an open world experience that focusses on discovery at affordable cost. - Jean sshows audience video from an AC Origins prototype video, focussing on the Eagle. (End of 2014) - Purpose of the Eagle was to redefine and understand the world, and the ways we interact with it. - The ways we see it |
Fighting revamped:
- Move to a hit box system - Made to be more challenging - more strategy - more reactive - Meaningful weapons. - Animations won't always match perfectly - Cultural shift as much as a technological one. - Focus on experience, rather than coding/scripting Team had to accept that losing a bit of control meant more fun for the players More Open, Fluid and Modern |
Big questions for developers.
What to keep and What to change?
Some aspects could be adapted rather than removed
Change - Make everything climbable
Keep - Synronisation points - Iconic
- Changed - Discovery of world no longer depends on sync- No longer unfog the map
What to keep and What to change?
Some aspects could be adapted rather than removed
Change - Make everything climbable
Keep - Synronisation points - Iconic
- Changed - Discovery of world no longer depends on sync- No longer unfog the map
Respecting the identity of the brand
- Tried to create as many connections and links to past games in Origins. Examples - Eagle iconography - Cut finger for the hidden blade was important (Origins did a great job at displaying this imo. - Col) - Posing of Bayek vs Altair: Similar stance, iconic of an Assassin. |
Origins reintroduced a third person character who explores the past with an Animus, echoing previous Modern Day elements.
- Connections between past installments: Desmond Miles - William Miles - Layla. William is Desmond's father - Using the computer had lots of references to other games and transmedia products, especially the movie. |
The way AC was refreshed: Brand was respected
- Jean on key aspects: Know your brand inside out (Bibles for team etc) - Focus on pillars,features that are core to your franchise - Grow your teams - Studios around the world allowed AC to grow. - Work with others - Allows for creation - Transmedia products - Listen to your audience |
Jean also took questions at the end which are definitely worth listening to (47 mins in)
There's a really interestion question regarding shifting the Juno storyline to comics:
"Juno is and was really really important for part of our audience, but it's important to look at the overall audience. Not so many people actually know about Juno.
So, we knew it was important, we needed a sense of closure to this story, but that was not, and that couldn't ever be the core narrative of one big game. So that is why we can offer this solution."
There's a really interestion question regarding shifting the Juno storyline to comics:
"Juno is and was really really important for part of our audience, but it's important to look at the overall audience. Not so many people actually know about Juno.
So, we knew it was important, we needed a sense of closure to this story, but that was not, and that couldn't ever be the core narrative of one big game. So that is why we can offer this solution."
You can watch the full video here:
I would like to say a massive thank you to Jean Guesdon for giving such an interesting presentation that perfectly balanced the successes and fails conducted over the years.
I would like to say a massive thank you to Jean Guesdon for giving such an interesting presentation that perfectly balanced the successes and fails conducted over the years.
Related Articles:
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- Assassin's Creed Marketing Campaign
- Interview with Chantel Riley
- Assassin's Creed Origins Merchandise Guide
- Assassin's Creed Marketing Campaign
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