The next iteration in the long-running Assassin's Creed franchise is now confirmed to be Assassin's Creed: Origins, a prequel to the series that is set in ancient Egypt.
The first screenshot of Assassin's Creed: Origins has now been leaked, providing clues to what players can expect from the upcoming title.
'Assassin's Creed: Origins' Leaked Screenshot
A Redditor uploaded what appears to be a picture of Assassin's Creed: Origins that was taken while the game was running on a computer monitor. A character can be seen standing on a sailboat, with a bow, arrows, and shield slung over his back.
At first glance, the image does not really say anything about the next Assassin's Creed game. However, a closer look reveals important details about the upcoming title.
At the upper right portion of the screen, two goals are listed. The first one is "assassinate the Crocodile," while the second one is "follow Shadya to Khenut's Villa." While crocodiles were prominent in ancient Egypt as dangerous predators in the Nile, connecting the game to that particular setting would be a bit of a stretch. The link to ancient Egypt is more significant in the second goal, as Khenut is a queen of ancient Egypt who lived during its Fifth Dynasty.
The Redditor who uploaded the image added that Assassin's Creed: Origins has smaller segments which happen in different times without deviating from the ancient Egyptian setting. The leaker claimed that the concept is hard to explain without revealing more about the story, so it looks like we will simply have to wait to find out what this means.
The image, showing the character controlling a boat, marks a return of the feature which was last seen in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. The game allowed players to engage in naval combat, and it seems that it will again be possible in Assassin's Creed: Origins. This makes sense, as the leaker added that the leads of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and most of its team are working on the upcoming title.
With the character bearing a shield, it could be speculated that it will play a role in some sort of expanded combat system. However, it could also simply be just carried by the character for aesthetics.
Past Leaks For 'Assassin's Creed: Origins' Confirmed
A report by Kotaku from January 2016 claimed that there will be no Assassin's Creed title in 2016, but the series will return in 2017 with a prequel codenamed Empire that will take place in ancient Egypt. The screenshot has now confirmed the setting, and three independent sources separately confirmed with Eurogamer that Assassin's Creed: Origins is indeed the title of the next installment in the franchise. The sources also confirmed that the screenshot is legitimate.
Not much else is known about Assassin's Creed: Origins apart from what can be inferred through the leaked image. However, it is very likely that publisher Ubisoft is planning to unveil the game in the upcoming E3, so fans of the franchise will not have to wait long before they know more about Assassin's Creed: Origins.
