How Assassin's Creed: Origins achieved amazing historical accuracy — and why that's key (2024)

How Assassin's Creed: Origins achieved amazing historical accuracy — and why that's key (1)

Ubisoft's latest entry into its hit franchise Assassin's Creed was the incredibly well-received Assassin's Creed: Origins. Completely reworking combat and the movement mechanism, and offering the biggest open world the series has seen, Origins has done nothing but impress. But one aspect of its design that doesn't get praised as much as it should is the way it remains faithful to ancient Egypt.

This is how Ubisoft pulled that off, and why that design philosophy benefits the Origins experience.

Assassin's Creed: Origins review: This is how you revive a franchise

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How Ubisoft maintained historical accuracy in Origins

How Assassin's Creed: Origins achieved amazing historical accuracy — and why that's key (2)

Ubisoft managed to faithfully bring recorded history to life.

Being set in the oldest time period of the entire Assassin's Creed series, Ubisoft faced a problem with Origins: How can ancient Egypt be accurately recreated in a video game?

Speaking with The Guardian about this subject, game director Ashraf Ismail explained how his team tackled this monumental hurdle:

We spent years researching. We had Egyptologists on the team, and we have historians embedded with us on the floor. Sometimes it's researching online, finding the people who know the time period well and just contacting them, asking them to help join us or help feed us information. A lot of the time it's actually securing deals with universities. We try to grab as much information as possible.

Both Ismail and the franchise's historian Maxime Durand go on to explain how everything from the plants and wildlife to the structures and even the language spoken by the people in the game were all based on information learned from studying.

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Is the game perfectly accurate? No, but ...

How Assassin's Creed: Origins achieved amazing historical accuracy — and why that's key (5)

No video game (or any re-creation) can be perfect, especially due to the fact that this an extremely old time in history. Not nearly as many records of events or the setting exist as, say, Renaissance Italy, which is where Assassin's Creed II took place. Despite this, though, the developers behind Origins made the game "with a foundation of research and credible history", according to Ismail.

It was always a priority for Ubisoft, and when accuracy could be achieved, it definitely was. The fact that it predicted the discovery of a secret room in the pyramid of Giza certainly proves that much.

Very few other games based on past events reach the levels of faithful recreation that Origins does. Even recent titles like Battlefield 1 or Call of Duty: World War II, while similar to their respective time periods, fail to be quite as authentic as Ubisoft's latest hit.

Accuracy boosts immersion

How Assassin's Creed: Origins achieved amazing historical accuracy — and why that's key (6)

The fact that the game world is a realistic depiction of Egypt makes it a more interesting place to explore.

While all of the ways Ubisoft is successful in this department seem minor on the surface, I believe that it adds up in the end to make the experience immersive on a whole other level. The fact that there's a strong chance that the rivers, cities, and more, are exactly in-game where they were thousands of years ago is pretty amazing. It draws you in further and makes you really want to see what life was like a hundred lifetimes before your own.

By shedding light on one of the most unknown eras of human history, Origins becomes one of a kind. You can't go to this place in many other games, and none of the games in which you can even come close to Origins' level of authenticity. Thus, Origins offers you a completely unique experience in exploring and interacting with ancient Egypt.

In a day and age where unique gaming experiences have become increasingly rare, Assassin's Creed: Origins manages to deliver an authentic, immersive, and engaging ride that puts what is one of the oldest civilizations in history on center stage.

Your thoughts

What do you think about Assassin's Creed: Origins' thorough effort to be historically accurate? Do you think it's on par with, better, or worse than the other Assassin's Creed games?

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How Assassin's Creed: Origins achieved amazing historical accuracy — and why that's key (7)

Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.

How Assassin's Creed: Origins achieved amazing historical accuracy — and why that's key (2024)

FAQs

How accurate is Assassin's Creed origins history? ›

In the making of Assassin's Creed Origins the developers worked hand in hand with historians to ensure their game was as historically accurate as possible, as they've done with their other games in the series. The result is a rich game that allows players to explore a well depicted ancient world.

What is the historical context of Assassin's Creed origins? ›

49 BC was chosen as the game's setting because it reflected an "impressive clash of civilizations". Egyptian culture was thriving but nearing its decline, while the Romans and the Greeks exerted a strong influence over Egypt, culminating in its annexation by the Roman Empire following the game's events.

Is Assassin's Creed a reliable historical source? ›

Assassin's Creed series (2007 — present)

The unique thing about the Assassin's Creed series is that the time period and historical settings are all based on real historical facts, and extensive research has gone into recreating them.

Does Assassin's Creed teach you history? ›

The first edition of the series teaches history through an interesting mix of history and science fiction. Experience the Third Crusade with Desmond Miles.

Why is Assassin's Creed origins so different? ›

Doing away with a lot of optional or sometimes even mandatory objectives like “Do not get detected”, gave the player a lot of freedom to explore their play style rather than adhering to what the game asks them to do. The combat mechanics are rather well designed to couple with this quest design goal in mind.

Why is origins better than Valhalla? ›

Playing stealthily in Origins is fun and rewarding, and the added features made sneaking around all the more compelling. Odyssey and Valhalla have skewed even more in the direction of open combat, making stealth feel like the worst possible playstyle to opt for in these games.

Is Bayek based on a real person? ›

Bayek is a fictional character in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed video game franchise.

Was Bayek the first assassin? ›

In obvious terms, Bayek and Aya are the first true Assassins, as they founded the Hidden Ones and established its creed. Darius, even centuries prior, was a follower of those beliefs, and his Hidden Blade became the tool that allowed so much of the Brotherhood to flourish in the years to come.

Which is better, Odyssey or Origins? ›

The most impressive part about Odyssey was the the size and scope, but other than that, Origins is better in almost every way by almost every metric. The story is better. The writing is WAY better. The quests, especially the side quests, are more consequential and fleshed out.

What is the most ancient Assassins Creed? ›

Assassin's Creed Odyssey (431 B.C.–422 B.C.)

Set nearly 400 years earlier than any other mainline game, Assassin's Creed Odyssey expanded on the RPG elements introduced in Origins to complete its genre-turn from stealth-based action to open-world RPG.

Is Assassins Creed geographically accurate? ›

Geography-wise, they are about as accurate as they can be. It is not possible to know precisely how ancient and medieval cities were laid out, much less what filled out the countryside in between them, but the parts that we do know tend to all be there and tend to be presented accurately.

Who taught Ezio to be an assassin? ›

Ezio, following his father's final advice, finds his Assassin tools and flees the city with his mother and sister to his uncle Mario's estate in Monteriggioni. Mario assists Ezio in discovering the people behind the conspiracy and trains him to become an Assassin.

Who is technically the first assassin in Assassins Creed? ›

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

Member of the Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins, Altaïr was the first historic Assassin introduced in the original Assassin's Creed game.

Is there Blood in Assassins Creed? ›

The main character can use many different weapons to achieve his goals, including a bow and arrow, guns, swords, and a tomahawk. There are different amounts of blood depending on which you use, but it is usually not too bad. If the player Character is injured, he will be shown covered in blood.

Is Assassin's Creed geographically accurate? ›

Geography-wise, they are about as accurate as they can be. It is not possible to know precisely how ancient and medieval cities were laid out, much less what filled out the countryside in between them, but the parts that we do know tend to all be there and tend to be presented accurately.

Is Assassin's Creed Odyssey historically accurate? ›

It creates a game that is dressed in period appropriate clothes – statues, buildings, and the culture of the time are largely accurate and full of details that historians will be thrilled to see brought to life.

How accurate is Mirage Baghdad? ›

Assassin's Creed Mirage offers an incredibly authentic and immersive ninth-century experience in the city of Baghdad, with its faithfully portrayed language, beautifully designed mosques, and the culturally significant presence of veiled women reflecting the deep influence of Islam.

Was Krokodilopolis real? ›

Modern city

Mounds north of the city mark the site of Arsinoe, known to the ancient Greeks as Crocodilopolis, where in ancient times the sacred crocodile kept in Lake Moeris was worshipped.

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