Assassin’s Creedhas been among the most popular video game franchises ever since its initial release back in 2007. Memorable and exciting protagonists/storylines combined with multitudes of different time periods and historical figures have catapulted this franchise at a rapid pace, with no signs of stopping. While the video games themselves have slowed down in terms of release (their typical ‘one game a year’ platform has long since been retired), it hasn’t slowed Ubisoft down in the slightest. The company has several plans for theAssassin’s Creedfuture - one of which is an anime television series for Netflix.
Despite Ubisoft announcing that they’ll also bedeveloping a live-actionAssassin’s Creedtelevision series(also with Netflix) alongside the anime project, it doesn’t take away from the simple fact that an anime series is the perfect medium for theAssassin’s Creedfranchise. The live-action show could still prove to be a success, but it has the uphill battle of winning audiences over after theAssassin’s Creedlive-action movie in 2016left a sour taste in some fans' mouths. Nevertheless, anAssassin’s Creedanime series is on the horizon (distant or otherwise), and it’s bound to be the perfect medium to please critics and fans alike.
Better Visuals & More Creative Freedom
The main reason anime will be the perfect medium forAssassin’s Creedis because, well…Assassin’s Creedis already animated. That may inherently come with being a video game, but it doesn’t make it any less true or relevant. Many video game adaptations choose to make the jump to live-action, but not many have had successful runs, andeven fewer have been considered overall successesfinancially and critically. Furthermore, there have been quite a few examples recently of video game characters successfully being adapted into anime characters (Sonic the Hedgehogfilms,Arcanetelevision series). Netflix themselves have an example of a property that they’ve made live-action versions of as well as anime -The Witcher.
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There’s no denying thatThe Witcher’slive-action serieshas served Netlfix well as it’s one of their most successful series to date. But the anime movieNightmare of the Wolf, which also takes place inThe Witcheruniverse, shows the true possibilities of what a world filled with magic and monsters can look like without the restraints of live-action effects and costs.Assassin’s Creed- a franchise spanning thousands of years, the entire globe, and containing several magical/mystical properties - falls directly into that category as well.
Could Feature Former Assassins
With a live-action series, the directors and creators would have no choice but to be limited by their choice of actors and actresses to fill the role of whatever protagonist Assassin the show would revolve around. Not only that, but it would more than likely have to be a completely new protagonist/assassin (like the live-action movie did) in order not to confuse the audience (casting Ezio, Bayek, or one of the Kenways would be awfully suspect without their notorious voices to pair along with them).
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However, with an anime series, the creators could bring back any of the former assassins from the games in cameo, secondary, or starring roles. It could allow the voice actors/actresses from the games to reprise their roles as well. Not only would that be a great tie-in for fans of the series who would love to hear the voices of their favorite assassins again, but it would also be a way to help tie the series to the games. That would help establish that it’s one largeAssassin’s Creeduniverse instead of pretending that the lore of the shows/movies are separate from the lore of the games.
Make an Anthology Series
As stated earlier, Ubisoft has given up on the task of trying to release anAssassin’s Creedvideo game every single year, despite the fact that the company had done so for over half a decade. However, with just one newAssassin’s Creedgame in the past three and a half years,fans of the franchise have been itching for more contentfrom other eras and assassins that they have yet to see. Well, if they wanted to,Assassin’s Creedcould easily follow in the footsteps ofStar Warsand the MCU by making their anime series an anthology series. This would allow the creators to easily explore different historical periods that have yet to be covered, which could also tease future settings and storylines for future games. It would also allow the creators to bring back prior assassins for cameos or secondary roles in standalone episodes.
WhatAssassin’s Creedfan wouldn’t love to get more backstory on Edward and Haythem’s relationship or Bayek and Aya’s pursuit of starting the Creed while also being introduced to brand-new assassins in different eras? The answer is none, and anime is the only possible medium for a show like that.
