The last development of Assassin's Creed's modern-day storyline came at the end of Valhalla, where to stop a second catastrophe, Layla gives her life to join The Reader in The Grey. The two are working to find a timeline that doesn't end in some kind of disaster, while Basim escapes Yggdrasil with the aid of the Staff of Hermes, re-emerging in the modern-day storyline. Now, many fans are curious how Assassin's Creed Shadows addresses this, if at all, especially with the introduction of the Animus Hub.
A lot of Ubisoft's focus on Assassin's Creed Shadows has, understandably, been the advancements found in the game, the gameplay building it up, and the narrative that all of this serves. But from Layla's fate and the Reader to the role of the Isu and Pieces of Eden, there are a lot of spinning plates in the Assassin's Creed franchise. We spoke with Ubisoft for The Best War Games Advance about all things AC Shadows, and among other things, we asked about how the upcoming open-world RPG approaches these franchise mainstays and its modern story. As Marc-Alexis Côté, Ubisoft VP and executive producer on Assassin's Creed told us,
"[Ubisoft] approached Shadows with a more grounded perspective, focusing on the challenges and tensions of the era...Rather than centering on a direct hunt for Pieces of Eden or Isu artifacts, the memories themselves take on a new kind of importance."
In other words, it seems the main story of Assassin's Creed Shadows is more grounded than the fantastical metastory framing of the franchise. This is interesting considering how the story of AC Shadows starts. During our preview of Assassin's Creed Shadows, it became clear that the initial conflict starts over a box—and because this is Assassin's Creed, that would presumably be a Precursor Box or a box containing a Piece of Eden. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, as creative director Jonathan Dumont would not confirm one way or another, but it's possible that it's something else entirely if the main narrative is more grounded. It still could be either of these objects, but for the first time in a long time, at least it sounds plausible that a Piece of Eden is not the main McGuffin.
The Modern-Day Story of Assassin's Creed Shadows
Of course, fans have known to some degree that the modern metastory would be somewhat distinct from AC Shadows, thanks to Ubisoft's recent reveal of how the Animus Hub works. Through it, by playing its available AC games, fans will unlock cosmetic and story rewards. Through the Animus Ego (and Dark Animus), fans can likely expect to learn more and more about the metastory. This is another "best of both worlds" approach the franchise has adopted here lately. Those who are not concerned about the modern-day storyline can ignore it, while those who enjoy it are further rewarded. Plus, the main story becomes more focused on the setting and its history than on the hunt for Pieces of Eden.
Assassin's Creed Games Available on the Animus Hub at Launch
- AC Origins
- AC Odyssey
- AC Valhalla
- AC Mirage
- AC Shadows
Ubisoft understandably would not confirm if any of the modern-day characters, including Basim, would play a huge role in the modern story coming with Assassin's Creed Shadows. But based on Côté's comments, it certainly seems plausible. AC Shadows will have less modern-day content at launch, but Ubisoft will expand this over time, connecting it more naturally to the ongoing series. This approach not only lets Ubisoft have the flexibility needed to address the modern-day Assassin's Creed story as developed in Valhalla, but it lets them explore more stories in the future more easily. In fact, Côté described AC Shadows' modern-day elements as "the start of something bigger." In his own words,
"We’re also shifting how we tell the metastory. While Shadows will have less Modern Day content at launch, we plan to expand it significantly after release. The Modern Day should feel alive, evolving over years, and connecting across multiple games in ways that make the journey more immersive and meaningful. This approach gives us the flexibility to tie up loose ends from past games in a satisfying way while laying the groundwork for new stories to unfold. What you’ll experience in Shadows at launch is just the beginning—the start of something bigger that will grow across upcoming games."
Where AC Shadows takes the modern story and how it develops from there remains to be seen, but overall, it sounds like a smart way to tackle the numerous spinning plates in AC's storyline. No one has ever called it simple, but as it stands, it sounds like it'll be more manageable than ever moving forward.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
