View source for Assassin's Creed (video game)

{{short description|2007 video game}}
{{about|the video game|the video game series|Assassin's Creed}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Assassin's Creed
| image = Assassin's Creed.jpg
| developer = [[Ubisoft Montreal]]
| publisher = [[Ubisoft]]
| director = [[Patrice Désilets]]
| producer = [[Jade Raymond]]
| designer = Maxime Béland
| programmer = Mathieu Mazerolle
| artist = Raphaël Lacoste
| writer = [[Corey May]]
| composer = [[Jesper Kyd]]
| series = ''[[Assassin's Creed]]''
| engine = [[Scimitar (game engine)|Scimitar]]
| platforms = {{Unbulleted list|[[PlayStation 3]]|[[Xbox 360]]|[[Microsoft Windows]]|[[GeForce NOW]]}}
| released = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|November 13, 2007}}|'''PlayStation 3''', '''Xbox 360'''{{Video game release|NA|November 13, 2007|EU|November 16, 2007|AU|November 21, 2007}}'''Microsoft Windows'''{{Video game release|NA|April 8, 2008<ref name="ign_date">{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/objects/839/839699.html|title=Assassin's Creed (Director's Cut Edition)|work=IGN|access-date=January 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206065720/http://pc.ign.com/objects/839/839699.html|archive-date=December 6, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}{{Video game release|AU|April 10, 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebgames.com.au/PC/product.cfm?ID=7546 |title=Assassin's Creed |publisher=EB Games Australia |access-date=April 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408024007/http://www.ebgames.com.au/PC/product.cfm?ID=7546 |archive-date=April 8, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebgames.co.nz/PC/product.cfm?ID=7546 |title=Assassin's Creed |publisher=EB Games New Zealand |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411010430/http://www.ebgames.co.nz/PC/product.cfm?ID=7546 |archive-date=April 11, 2008 |access-date=April 4, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.game.com.au/viewtitle?code=ASSCREEPC |title=Assassin's Creed |publisher=GAME |access-date=April 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312064532/http://www.game.com.au/viewtitle?code=ASSCREEPC |archive-date=March 12, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>|EU|April 11, 2008}}}}
| genre = [[Action-adventure game|Action-adventure]], [[Stealth game|stealth]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| caption = 
}}

'''''Assassin's Creed''''' is a 2007 [[action-adventure game]] developed by [[Ubisoft Montreal]] and published by [[Ubisoft]]. It is the first installment in the ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' series. The game was released for [[PlayStation 3]] and [[Xbox 360]] in November 2007. A [[Microsoft Windows]] version titled ''Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition'' containing additional content was released in April 2008.

The plot is set in a [[Alternate history|fictional history]] of real-world events, taking place primarily during the [[Third Crusade]] in the [[Holy Land]] in 1191. The player character is a modern-day man named [[Desmond Miles]] who, through a machine called the Animus, relives the [[Genetic memory (psychology)|genetic memories]] of his ancestor, [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]. Through this plot device, details emerge about a millennia-old struggle between two factions: the Assassin Brotherhood (inspired by the real-life [[Order of Assassins]]), who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templar Order (inspired by the [[Knights Templar]] military order), who seek to establish peace through order and control. Both factions fight over powerful artifacts of mysterious origins known as Pieces of Eden to gain an advantage over the other. The 12th-century portion of the story follows Altaïr, an Assassin who embarks on a quest to regain his honour after botching a mission to recover one such artifact from the Templars. Altaïr is stripped of his status as Master Assassin and is given nine targets spread out across the Holy Land that he must find and assassinate for his redemption.

The gameplay focuses on using Altaïr's combat, stealth, and [[parkour]] abilities to defeat enemies and explore the environment. The game features counter-based [[hack-and-slash]] combat, social stealth (the ability to use crowds of people and the environment to hide from enemies), and a large [[open world]] comprising various regions of the Holy Land, primarily the cities of [[Masyaf]], [[Jerusalem]], [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], and [[Damascus]], all of which have been accurately recreated to fit the game's time period. While most of the game takes place within a simulation based on Altaïr's memories, the player will occasionally be forced out of the Animus to play as Desmond in the modern day. Here, they are restricted to exploring a small laboratory facility, as Desmond has been kidnapped by Abstergo Industries, a shady corporation looking for specific information within Altaïr's memories that will further their enigmatic goals.

Upon release, ''Assassin's Creed'' received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its storytelling, visuals, art design, and originality, while criticism mostly focused on the repetitive nature of its gameplay. ''Assassin's Creed'' won several awards at the 2006 [[E3]] and several end-year awards after its release. The game spawned two spin-offs: ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' (2008) and ''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]'' (2009), which exclude the modern-day aspect and focus entirely on Altaïr. A direct sequel, ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', was released in November 2009. The sequel continues the modern-day narrative following Desmond but introduces a new storyline set during the [[Italian Renaissance]] in the late 15th century and a new protagonist, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]. Since the release and success of ''Assassin's Creed II'', subsequent games have been released with various other Assassins and periods.

== Gameplay ==
''Assassin's Creed'' is an action-adventure game,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Luis |first=Vanessa |title=Why Assassin's Creed is One of the Best Action-Adventure Games of All Time |url=https://www.tatacliq.com/que/why-ass-creed-is-awesome/ |date=August 29, 2016 |access-date=January 28, 2018 |journal=Tata CLiQ |archive-date=28 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928185855/https://www.tatacliq.com/que/why-ass-creed-is-awesome/ |url-status=live }}</ref> set in an [[open-world]] environment,<ref>{{cite journal |author=GamesRadar Staff |title=The 10 best open-world games of all time |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/best-open-world-games/ |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=January 28, 2018 |journal=[[GamesRadar]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128140727/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-open-world-games/ |archive-date=January 28, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> which is played from a [[third-person view]] in which the player primarily assumes the role of Altaïr, as experienced through protagonist Desmond Miles. The game's primary goal is to carry out a series of assassinations ordered by [[Al Mualim]], the Assassins' leader, after Altaïr botches the first mission at Solomon’s Temple and must redeem himself. To achieve this goal, the player must travel from the Brotherhood's headquarters in [[Masyaf]], across the terrain of the Holy Land known as the Kingdom, where the player can freely ride a horse<ref>{{cite web |title=Assassin's Creed Cello Trailer |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXu3pdxeKpQ |publisher=[[Ubisoft]] |date=November 9, 2007 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |via=YouTube |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206180111/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXu3pdxeKpQ |url-status=live }}</ref> to one of three cities—[[Jerusalem]], [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], or [[Damascus]]—to find the Brotherhood agent in that city. There, the agent, in addition to providing a [[safe house]], gives the player minimal knowledge about the target and requires them to perform additional [[Intelligence (information gathering)|reconnaissance]] missions before attempting the assassination. These missions include [[eavesdropping]], [[interrogation]], [[pickpocketing]], and completing tasks for informers and fellow Assassins.<ref name="Walton 2008">{{cite web |last=Walton |first=Jarred |date=June 2, 2008 |title=Assassin's Creed PC |url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/2536 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website=[[AnandTech]] |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206184953/https://www.anandtech.com/show/2536 |url-status=live }}</ref> After completing each assassination, the player returns to the Brotherhood and is rewarded with a better weapon or upgrade before going after the next target. The player can also be given a set of targets and is free to choose the order they pursue them. The player may also take part in several side objectives, including climbing tall towers to map out the city and saving citizens being threatened or harassed by the city guards. There are also various additional memories that do not advance the plot, such as hunting down and killing [[Templar Knights]] and flag collecting.<ref name="Walton 2008"/>

The player is made aware of how noticeable Altaïr is to enemy guards and the state of alert in the local area via the Social Status Icon. To perform many assassinations and other tasks, the player must consider the use of actions distinguished by their type of profile. Low-profile actions allow Altaïr to blend into nearby crowds, pass by other citizens, or perform other non-threatening tasks that can be used to hide and reduce the alertness level. The player can also use Altaïr's retractable hidden blade to attempt low-profile assassinations. High-profile actions are more noticeable and include running, scaling the sides of buildings to climb to higher vantage points, and attacking foes; performing these actions at certain times may raise the local area's awareness level. Once the area is at high alert, crowds run and scatter while guards attempt to chase and bring down Altaïr. To reduce the alert level, the player must control Altaïr to break the guards' [[line of sight]] and then find a hiding space, such as a haystack or rooftop garden, or blend in with the citizens sitting on benches or wandering scholars.<ref name="Walton 2008"/> Should the player be unable to escape the guards, they can fight back using swordplay maneuvers.<ref>{{cite web|date=September 27, 2006|title=Assassin's Creed Xbox 360 Gameplay – X06: First Demo (Off-Screen)|url=https://www.ign.com/videos/assassins-creed-xbox-360-gameplay-x06-first-demo-off-screen|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=December 6, 2022|archive-date=6 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206175721/https://www.ign.com/videos/assassins-creed-xbox-360-gameplay-x06-first-demo-off-screen|url-status=live}}</ref>

The player's health is described as the level of synchronization between Desmond and Altaïr's memories; should Altaïr suffer injury, it is represented as a deviation from the actual events of the memory rather than physical damage. If all synchronization is lost, the current memory that Desmond is experiencing will be restarted at the last checkpoint. When the synchronization bar is full, the player has the additional option to use Eagle Vision, which allows the computer-rendered memory to highlight all visible characters in colours corresponding to whether they are allies (blue), foes (red), neutral (white), or the target of their assassination (gold). Due to Altaïr's memories being rendered by the computer of the Animus project, the player may experience [[glitch]]es in the rendering of the historical world, which may help the player to identify targets, or can be used to alter the viewpoint during in-game scripted scenes should the player react fast enough when they appear.<ref name="Walton 2008"/>

==Plot==
{{see also|List of Assassin's Creed characters}}
In 2012, bartender [[Desmond Miles]] ([[Nolan North]]) is kidnapped by agents of Abstergo Industries, the world's largest pharmaceutical conglomerate, and is taken to their headquarters in [[Rome]], Italy. Under the supervision of [[Dr. Warren Vidic]] ([[Philip Proctor]]) and his assistant [[Lucy Stillman]] ([[Kristen Bell]]), Desmond is forced to enter a machine called the Animus, which can translate his ancestors' [[Genetic memory (psychology)|genetic memories]] into a simulated reality. Vidic instructs Desmond to relive the early years of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] ([[Philip Shahbaz]]), a senior member of the [[Order of Assassins|Assassin Brotherhood]] during the [[Third Crusade]].

In 1191, Altaïr and two fellow Assassins—brothers Malik ([[Haaz Sleiman]]) and Kadar Al-Sayf (Jake Eberle)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Assassin's Creed (Video Game 2007) |url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0932936/fullcredits/cast |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=IMDb |language=en}}</ref>— are sent to [[Solomon's Temple]] to retrieve an artifact known as the [[Apple of Eden]] from the Brotherhood's sworn enemies, the [[Knights Templar]]. Blinded by arrogance, Altaïr botches the mission, resulting in Kadar's death; however, Malik is able to grab the Apple before escaping. Although Altaïr later partially redeems himself by fighting off a Templar attack on the Assassin home base of [[Masyaf Castle|Masyaf]], his mentor and superior, [[Al Mualim]] ([[Peter Renaday]]), demotes and orders him to assassinate nine individuals in order to regain his previous position and honour:<ref name="Wheeler 2020">{{cite web |last=Wheeler |first=Greg |date=June 14, 2020 |title=Assassin's Creed – Story Recap & Review |url=https://www.thereviewgeek.com/assassinscreed-storyreview/ |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website=The Review Geek |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206184223/https://www.thereviewgeek.com/assassinscreed-storyreview/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
# Tamir (Ammar Daraiseh), an arms merchant in [[Damascus]] selling weapons to both the [[Crusades|Crusaders]] and [[Saracen|Saracens]].
# [[Garnier de Nablus]] (Hubert Fielden), the leader of the [[Knights Hospitalier]], who conducts mind-altering experiments on patients at his hospital in [[Acre, Israel|Acre]].
# Talal (Jake Eberle), the leader of a gang of slavers in [[Jerusalem]].
# Abu'l Nuquod ([[Fred Tatasciore]]), a pompous trader and regent of Damascus stealing money intended to fund the war.
# [[William V, Marquess of Montferrat]] ([[Harry Standjofski]]), Acre's cruel and abusive regent.
# Majd Addin ([[Richard Cansino]]; based on [[Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad]]), a tyrant who rules Jerusalem through fear by holding public executions.
# [[Master Sibrand]] ([[Arthur Holden]]), the paranoid leader of the [[Knights Teutonic]], who plans to betray the Crusaders by blocking the ports of Acre.
# [[Jubair al Hakim]] (Fred Tatasciore), a scholar using his position to seize and destroy all written knowledge in Damascus.
# [[Robert IV of Sablé|Robert de Sablé]] (Louis-Philippe Dandenault), the [[Grand Master of the Knights Templar|Grand Master of the Templars]] who has been taking advantage of the Crusade to further his Order's ideological goals.

As Altaïr eliminates each target, he discovers all nine are Templars who had conspired to retrieve the Apple, revealed to be a relic of a long-forgotten civilization said to possess god-like powers. He also comes to question the nature of Al Mualim's orders while slowly becoming more humble and wise and making amends with Malik. During his assassination attempt on Robert de Sablé, Altaïr is tricked with a decoy: a Templar named Maria Thorpe ([[Eleanor Noble]]). Maria reveals that de Sablé had anticipated the Assassins would come after him and went to negotiate an alliance between the Crusaders and Saracens against them.

Sparing Maria's life, Altaïr confronts Robert in the camp of [[King Richard I]] (Marcel Jeannin) and exposes his crimes. Unsure of whom to believe, King Richard suggests a duel to determine the truth, remarking that [[God]] will decide the victor. After Altaïr mortally wounds him, Robert identifies Al Mualim as the final conspirator, revealing that the latter has betrayed both the Assassins and Templars to acquire the Apple. Altaïr returns to Masyaf, where Al Mualim has used the Apple to enthrall the population, as part of his plan to end the Crusade and all conflict in the world by imposing order by force. With the help of Malik and several Assassins brought for backup, Altaïr storms the citadel and confronts Al Mualim in the gardens, resisting the Apple's powers and killing his mentor. He then tries to destroy the artifact, but instead unlocks a map showing the locations of countless other Pieces of Eden around the world.<ref name="Wheeler 2020" />

In the present, the Assassins launch an unsuccessful attack on the Abstergo facility to rescue Desmond, resulting in most of them being killed. After completing Altaïr's memories, Vidic reveals to Desmond that Abstergo is a front for the modern-day Templars, seeking to find the remaining Pieces of Eden. With Desmond no longer useful, Vidic's superiors order him killed, but Lucy, who is implied to be an Assassin [[Mole (espionage)|mole]], convinces them to keep him alive for further testing. Desmond is left alone in his room, where he discovers strange drawings describing an [[2012 phenomenon|upcoming catastrophic event]].<ref name="Wheeler 2020" />

==Development==
After completing ''[[Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time]]'' near the end of 2003, [[Patrice Désilets]] was instructed to begin work on the next ''[[Prince of Persia]]'' game, with plans to release it on the [[seventh-generation consoles]]. As Microsoft and Sony had not yet revealed their next consoles, the game's initial development from January 2004 was aimed as a [[PlayStation 2]] title, following the same linear approach that ''The Sands of Time'' had taken.<ref name="ign montreal">{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/house-of-dreams-the-ubisoft-montreal-story | title = House Of Dreams: The Ubisoft Montreal Story | first = Mitch | last = Dyer | date = February 3, 2014 | access-date = October 4, 2018 | work = IGN | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181004231729/https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/house-of-dreams-the-ubisoft-montreal-story | archive-date = October 4, 2018 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }}</ref> As more information came in about the capabilities of the next-generation consoles by September 2004, Désilets' team considered expanding the ''Prince of Persia'' acrobatic gameplay into an [[open world]] that would be feasible on the newer systems.<ref name="ign montreal"/><ref name="polygon oral">{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/10/3/17924770/assassins-creed-an-oral-history-patrice-desilets | title = Assassin's Creed: An oral history | first = Richard | last = Moss | date = October 3, 2018 | access-date = October 3, 2018 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181003161121/https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/10/3/17924770/assassins-creed-an-oral-history-patrice-desilets | archive-date = October 3, 2018 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

Désilets wanted to move away from the lead character being a prince simply waiting for his reign to start, but a character that wanted to strive to be a king. He came upon one of his university books on secret societies and its first material related to the [[Order of Assassins]] and recognized that he could have the lead character in the game as the second-highest Assassin, seeking to be the leader of the group.<ref name="polygon oral"/> The game began work under the title ''Prince of Persia: Assassin'',<ref name="edge making p1">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-making-of-assassins-creed/ | title = The Making of Assassin's Creed | pages = 1 | date = March 24, 2013 | access-date = March 24, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130327034149/http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-making-of-assassins-creed/ | archive-date = March 27, 2013 | author = Edge staff | magazine = [[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref> or ''Prince of Persia: Assassins'',<ref name="polygon oral"/> inspired by [[Hassan-i Sabbah]]'s life and making heavy use of [[Vladimir Bartol]]'s novel ''[[Alamut (Bartol novel)|Alamut]]''.<ref name="cvg raymond">{{cite web|title=Interview: Assassin's Creed|work=[[Computer and Video Games]] | url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=148805|access-date=November 3, 2008|date=November 7, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071014034057/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=148805 | archive-date= October 14, 2007 | author=CVG Staff|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=November 10, 2006|url=http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2006/11/10/assassins-creed-producer-speaks-out-we-listen-intently/|title=Assassin's Creed producer speaks out, we listen intently [update 1]|first=Nick|last=Doerr|access-date=November 3, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225110708/http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2006/11/10/assassins-creed-producer-speaks-out-we-listen-intently/|archive-date=December 25, 2008|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Assassin character was fleshed out throughout the game's three-year development in an [[Iteration|iterative]] fashion. The team had some idea of how the character dressed from ''Alamut'' and other historical works in all-white robes and a red belt but had to envision how to detail this in the game.

One of the first concept sketches, drawn by animator Khai Nguyen, suggested the concept of a [[bird of prey]], which resonated with the team. The Assassin was named Altaïr, meaning "bird of prey" in [[Arabic]], and eagle imagery was used heavily in connection to the Assassins.<ref name="polygon oral" /> The team took some creative routes to meet narrative goals and avoid the technical limitations of the consoles. Altaïr was to be a heroic character with a bit of a rough edge, and the artist borrowed elements of the ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' character [[Storm Shadow (G.I. Joe)|Storm Shadow]], a similarly skilled hero.<ref name="polygon oral" /> Rendering long flowing robes was impossible on the newer hardware, so they shortened the robe and gave it a more feathered look, resonating the bird of prey imagery.<ref name="polygon oral" /> Similar routes were taken with other parts of the gameplay to take liberties with accuracy to make the game fun to play. The team wanted Altaïr's parkour moves to look believable but sacrificed realism for gameplay value, allowing the player to make maneuvers otherwise seemingly impossible in real-life. Having leaps of faiths from high vantage points into hay piles and using hay piles to hide from guards was a similar concept borrowed from Hollywood films; Désilets observed that ''Alamut'' described similar actions that the Assassins had undertaken.<ref name="polygon oral" />

To drive the story, the team had to devise a goal that both the Assassins and Templars were working towards. Philippe Morin suggested using the [[Apple of Eden]], which the team initially thought humorous for everyone to fight over an apple; however, as they researched, the team found that many medieval paintings of royalty and other leaders holding spherical objects similar to [[globus cruciger]] which represented power and control, and recognized that an artifact named the Apple of Eden would fit well into this concept.<ref name="polygon oral" />

Among this work was the idea of the Animus, which came about after the team decided to focus on the Assassins. The team considered that the player would travel through several cities and potentially recount numerous assassinations over the past thousand years, including notable ones such as [[John F. Kennedy]]'s, which would require some [[time travelling]]. Désilets had seen a program on [[DNA]] and human history and was inspired by the idea that DNA could store human memories, which prompted the idea that they could have an in-game machine that could be used for time and location jumps and explain other aspects of the game's user interface to the player. Désilets considered this similar to what they had established in ''The Sands of Time''. There, the game effectively is a story told by the [[Prince (Prince of Persia)|Prince]], and while in the game, should the player-character die, this is treated as a mistelling of the Prince's story, allowing the player to back up and retry a segment of the game.<ref name="polygon oral"/> Ubisoft's marketing was not keen on the Animus idea, believing players would be confused and disappointed that the game was not a truly medieval experience. Due to this, the game's first trailer shown at the 2006 [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]] (E3) focused heavily on medieval elements.<ref name="polygon oral"/> Later marketing materials closer to the game's release hinted more directly at the science fiction elements of the game.<ref name="edge making p3">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-making-of-assassins-creed/2 | title = The Making of Assassin's Creed | pages = 3 | date = March 24, 2013 | access-date = March 24, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130530050712/http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-making-of-assassins-creed/3/ | archive-date = 2013-05-30 | author = Edge staff | magazine = [[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] | url-status = live }}</ref>

The game cost $15 million to $20 million to develop and was in the works for four years.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ryan|last=Pearson|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna22247827|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305082340/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna22247827|title=Assassin's Creed sales outpace expectations|website=[[NBC News]]|archivedate=March 5, 2021|date=December 13, 2007|accessdate=October 27, 2023}}</ref> The game had a marketing budget of $10 million.<ref>{{cite web|first=TL|last=Stanley|url=https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA170928668&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-GPS&asid=a894a46c|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20241105155822/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA170928668&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-GPS&asid=a894a46c|title=Ultimate marketing: Ubisoft gets its game on with Comedy, Spike ad blitz|magazine=[[Mediaweek (American magazine)|Mediaweek]]|archivedate=November 5, 2024|date=November 5, 2007|accessdate=October 21, 2024|via=[[Gale Research]]}}</ref>

===Design===
Initial work on the game was to expand out various systems from ''Prince of Persia'' to the open world concept with a team of 20 at Ubisoft Montreal.<ref name="edge making p1"/> A new next-generation [[game engine]], the Scimitar engine, was created to support the open world, though this would take about two years to complete, during which the team used the ''Sands of Time'' engine for development; Scimitar eventually was renamed to [[AnvilNext]] and been used for most of the following ''Assassin's Creed'' games and other titles at Ubisoft.<ref name="edge making p1"/> Elements like wall-climbing were made more fluid, and the team worked to smooth other animation sequences; much of the improvements here came from programmer Richard Dumas and animator Alex Drouin, both of whom had worked together on the same elements in ''Sands of Time''.<ref name="polygon oral"/> Level designers and artists recreating historical structures had to work together to ensure nearly every building could be climbable while still holding the game's historical appearances.<ref name="edge making p2">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-making-of-assassins-creed/2 | title = The Making of Assassin's Creed | pages = 2 | date = March 24, 2013 | access-date = March 24, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130327034052/http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-making-of-assassins-creed/2 | archive-date = March 27, 2013 | author = Edge staff | magazine = [[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]}}</ref> This also helped them to give the feeling to the player that they had as much freedom as possible within the game, a concept that had originated from the success of the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series.<ref name="edge making p2"/><ref name="polygon oral"/>

In contrast to ''Prince of Persia'', where the general path that the player takes through a level is predefined, the open-world approach of this game required them to create cities that felt realistic and accurate to historical information while the player still had full freedom to climb and explore. Outside of special buildings, they crafted their cities like [[Lego]] bricks, with a second pass to smooth out the shapes of the cities to help with pathfinding and other facets of the enemy artificial intelligence.<ref name="polygon oral"/> To encourage the player to explore, they included the various [[Perspective (graphical)|viewpoint]] towers that help to reveal parts of the map. Historically, these cities had such landmark towers, and inspired by those, the developers incorporated them into the map, making these points of interest and challenges for players to drive them to climb them.<ref name="polygon oral"/> Another factor was guiding the player and devising missions for the player that still gave the player freedom for how to approach it but still created specific moments they wanted the player to experience. For these cases, they used simple animations developed in [[Adobe Flash]] to lay out the fundamentals of what actions they wanted and then crafted levels and missions around those.<ref name="polygon oral"/>

As they started to recognize the need for cities in this open-world game, Désilets wanted to make sure they were also able to simulate large crowds, as this had been a limiting factor due to hardware limitations during the development of ''The Sands of Time''; with the [[PlayStation 2]] hardware, they could only support having up to eight characters on screen for ''The Sands of Time'', but the next-generation hardware was able to support up to 120 people.<ref name="edge making p2"/> Having crowds in the game also led to the concept of social stealth, where the main character could mask themselves in the open, in addition to staying out of sight on rooftops.<ref name="polygon oral"/> Désilets had come from an acting background, and one element he had incorporated into the game was to make the player-character feel more like they were controlling parts of a puppet so that the character would appear more human. This led to the use of high- and low-profile action in gameplay, which partially expressed the character's emotions and allowed the player to continue to control the character during the game's [[cutscene]]s.<ref name="edge making p3"/>

The fundamentals of gameplay were completed within nine to twelve months, and another year was spent improving it before they presented the game to Ubisoft's executives in Paris.<ref name="polygon oral"/> [[Jade Raymond]] was brought in<!--not a mistake--> in late 2004 to serve as the game's producer, helping with the team's growth and the game's direction.<ref name="polygon oral"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.xboxgazette.com/interview_assassins_creed.php |title=Assassin's Creed - Interview de Jade Raymond sur Xbox Gazette |access-date=2018-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005060314/http://www.xboxgazette.com/interview_assassins_creed.php |archive-date=2018-10-05 |url-status=live }}</ref> From late 2005 to early 2006, following nearly two years of development, the concept for ''Prince of Persia: Assassins'' had the game's titular prince [[Artificial intelligence (video games)|AI]]-controlled, watched over by the player-controlled Assassin that served as the Prince's bodyguard and rescued the Prince from various situations.<ref name="ign montreal"/> Ubisoft's management and the development had debates on this direction; Ubisoft's management wanted another game in the ''Prince of Persia'' franchise and was not keen on releasing a game with that name where the Prince was not the lead character. The development team countered that with a new generation of consoles, they could potentially make it a new [[intellectual property]].<ref name="edge making p1"/><ref name="polygon oral"/> Near the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]], Ubisoft's marketing team came up with the idea of naming the game ''Assassin's Creed'', which Désilets recognized fit in perfectly with the themes they had been working on, including tying into the creed of the Assassins that "nothing is true; everything is permitted".<ref name="polygon oral"/> The prince character was dropped, and the game focused solely on the assassin as the playable character.<ref name="polygon oral"/><ref name="edge making p1"/>

Following the 2006 E3 presentation and the name change to ''Assassin's Creed'', the Ubisoft Montreal team grew to support the last year of the game's development, with up to 150 persons by the end of the process.<ref name="edge making p1"/> Added team members included those that had just finished up production on ''[[Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones]]'', as well as former staff that had recently been let go from [[Gameloft]], another publisher owned by Ubisoft's co-founder [https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/09/19/mobile-luminaries-michel-guillemot Michel Guillemot].<ref name="polygon oral"/> The Scimitar engine was completed, allowing the team to transfer their work and improve detail and art assets.<ref name="polygon oral"/>

According to Charles Randall, the lead AI developer for the game's combat systems, the game was initially only based on the main missions of assassinating the main targets and had no side quests. About five days before they were to have sent the [[final software version for mass production]], they were contacted by their CEO, who said his son had played the game and found it boring and gave them a missive to add [[side quests]]. The team spent the next five days hastily rushing to add the collecting side quests to give the game more depth and ensure these were bug-free to make their mass production deadline. While a few noted bugs fell through, they had otherwise met this target.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-05-23-the-wild-story-behind-why-the-first-assassins-creed-game-has-side-missions | title = The wild story behind why the first Assassin's Creed has side missions | first = Wesley | last = Yin-Poole | date = May 23, 2020 | access-date = May 23, 2020 | work = [[Eurogamer]] | archive-date = 9 June 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200609163030/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-05-23-the-wild-story-behind-why-the-first-assassins-creed-game-has-side-missions | url-status = live }}</ref>

===Voice acting===
On September 28, 2006, in an interview with ''[[IGN]]'', producer [[Jade Raymond]] confirmed that Altaïr is "a medieval hitman with a mysterious past" and that he is not a time traveller.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/736/736393p1.html|title=IGN: Assassin's Creed Preview|work=IGN|date=28 September 2006|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919102238/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/736/736393p1.html|archive-date=September 19, 2011|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In a later interview on December 13, 2006, with ''IGN'', [[Kristen Bell]], who lent her voice and likeness to the game, talked about the plot. According to the interview, the plot centers on [[Genetic memory (parapsychology)|genetic memory]] and a corporation looking for descendants of an assassin.<ref name="IGN 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/13/ign-exclusive-interview-kristen-bell?page=3|title=IGN: IGN Exclusive Interview: Kristen Bell|website=IGN|date=December 13, 2006|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014065333/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/13/ign-exclusive-interview-kristen-bell?page=3|archive-date=October 14, 2014|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

{{blockquote|text="It's actually really interesting to me. It's sort of based on the research that's sort of happening now, about the fact that your genes might be able to hold memory. And you could argue semantics and say it's instinct, but how does a baby bird know to eat a worm, as opposed to a cockroach, if its parents don't show it? And it's about this science company trying to, ''Matrix''-style, go into people's brains and find out an ancestor who used to be an assassin, and sort of locate who that person is."<ref name="IGN 2006"/>|sign=Kristen Bell, 2006}}

Actor [[Philip Shahbaz]] voices Altaïr,<!--See [[IMDbName:1717255|Philip Shahbaz]]--> whose face is modelled on Francisco Randez, a model from Montréal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lienmultimedia.com/article.php3?id_article=13885|title=Francisco Randez prête son visage à Altaïr|work=Lienmultimedia|language=fr|access-date=April 15, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213161241/http://www.lienmultimedia.com/article.php3?id_article=13885|archive-date=February 13, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.modelresource.ca/Bios/Randez/motw.shtml |title=Francisco Randez |work=The Models Resource|access-date=September 15, 2009 |archive-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430040935/http://www.modelresource.ca/Bios/Randez/motw.shtml }}</ref> Al Mualim's character is roughly based on [[Rashid ad-Din Sinan]], who in 1191 was the leader of the Syrian branch of the [[Hashshashin]] in the [[Nizari Ismaili state]] and was nicknamed "The Old Man of the Mountain".<!--See https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rashid-ad-Din Al Mualim--> Al Mualim was referred to as Sinan in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Barratt|first=Alistar|date=March 15, 2021|title=New clues lead to new rumours about the next Assassin's Creed's setting|url=https://us.millenium.gg/news/22983.html|access-date=December 6, 2022|website=Millenium US|archive-date=6 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206184223/https://us.millenium.gg/news/22983.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On October 22, 2007, an ''[[IGN Australia]]'' interview with [[Patrice Desilets]] mentioned that the lead character's climbing and running were done by "Alex and Richard – the same guys from ''[[Prince of Persia]]''".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/10/22/assassins-creed-au-interview-patrice-desilets|title=IGN: Assassin's Creed AU Interview: Patrice Desilets|website=IGN|date=October 22, 2007|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014074942/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/10/22/assassins-creed-au-interview-patrice-desilets|archive-date=October 14, 2014|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Release==
The game was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 13, 2007, in North America, November 16 in Europe, and November 21 in Australia and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |author=GameSpot Staff |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassins-creed-golden/1100-6181699/ |title=Assassin's Creed golden |publisher=[[GameSpot]] |date=October 29, 2007 |access-date=May 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507003453/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassins-creed-golden/1100-6181699/ |archive-date=May 7, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Chiappini |first=Dan |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassins-creed-delayed-in-australia-and-new-zealand/1100-6182760/ |title=Assassin's Creed delayed in Australia and New Zealand |publisher=[[GameSpot]] |date=November 13, 2007 |access-date=May 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507003433/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassins-creed-delayed-in-australia-and-new-zealand/1100-6182760/ |archive-date=May 7, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

It was made public in April 2008 that ''Assassin's Creed'' would be sold digitally and available for pre-order through [[Valve Corporation|Valve]]'s software distribution, [[Steam (service)|Steam]]. The PC version of ''Assassin's Creed'' was released in North America on April 8, 2008. Four bonus mission types, not seen in the console versions, are included. These four missions are archer assassination, rooftop race challenge, merchant stand destruction challenge, and escort challenge. Because of these four exclusive missions that are only available on the PC, it was released and is sold under the name of ''Director's Cut Edition''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.spong.com/article/14941/Assassins_Creed_PC_New_Investigation_Types?cb=496|title=Assassin's Creed PC: New Investigation Types – News|publisher=Spong|date=March 4, 2008|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102200459/http://news.spong.com/article/14941/Assassins_Creed_PC_New_Investigation_Types?cb=496|archive-date=January 2, 2009|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

A [[pirated]] version of the game has been in existence since late February 2008. Ubisoft purposely inserted a [[computer bug]] into the pre-release version to unpredictably crash the game and prevent completion as a security measure; however, players were able to use extra content available on the Internet to bypass it.<ref name="gamespot piracy lawsuit">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6195570.html|title=Ubisoft sues over Assassin's Creed leak|website=[[GameSpot]]|first=Brendan|last=Sinclair|date=March 6, 2008|access-date=August 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212192917/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6195570.html|archive-date=February 12, 2009|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1254 |title=So... Assassin's Creed PC? |first=Jim |last=Rossignol |date=March 4, 2008 |access-date=March 6, 2008 |website=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307153019/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1254 |archive-date=March 7, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> The pirated version of ''Assassin's Creed'' was one of the most popular titles for piracy during the first week of March 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1263|title=The Yarr-ts: Piracy Snapshot 5.3.2008|first=Kieron|last=Gillen|date=March 5, 2008|access-date=March 6, 2008|website=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309024516/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1263|archive-date=March 9, 2008|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The presence of the bug and performance of the pirated version of the game was believed by Ubisoft to lead to "irreparable harm" for the game and resulted in low retail sales; [[NPD Group]] reports that 40,000 copies of the PC title were sold in the United States in July, while more than 700,000 copies were illegally downloaded according to Ubisoft.<ref name="gamespot piracy lawsuit"/><ref name="gamasutra piracy lawsuit">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19736 |title=Ubisoft Files $10M Suit Over Assassin's Creed PC Leak |publisher=[[Gamasutra]] |first=David |last=Jenkins |date=August 7, 2008 |access-date=August 7, 2008 |archive-date=August 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080816212216/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19736 }}</ref> In July 2008, Ubisoft sued disc manufacturer Optical Experts Manufacturing, believing the company to be the source of the leak, citing poor security procedures that allowed an employee to leave with a copy of the game.<ref name="gamespot piracy lawsuit"/><ref name="gamasutra piracy lawsuit"/>

A digital rights management-free game version was later made by [[GOG.com]], a digital distribution store and a subsidiary of [[CD Projekt]] and [[CD Projekt Red]]. It is available on the GOG Store and [[GOG Galaxy]]. On July 10, 2007, during [[Microsoft]]'s [[E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)|E3]] press conference, a demo was shown taking place in [[Jerusalem]]. Features that were demonstrated included improved crowd mechanics, the chase system (chasing after a target trying to flee), as well as deeper aspects of [[parkour]]. This was the first time when Altaïr could be heard speaking. It was again showcased for 20&nbsp;minutes on July 11, 2007. A video showed an extended version of the E3 demo and included Altaïr trying to escape after assassinating of Talal, the slave trader.<ref>{{cite web|date=July 2007|title=Assassin's Creed Stage Demo|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/assassins-creed-2007/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3|access-date=December 6, 2022|publisher=Ubisoft|via=Metacritic|archive-date=11 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711025753/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/assassins-creed|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Music==
[[Jade Raymond]], the producer of ''Assassin's Creed'', said: "For ''Assassin's Creed'' we wanted the score to capture the gruesome atmosphere of medieval warfare but also be edgy and contemporary."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/soundtracks/assassins-creed-score-is-baftastic-311580.php |title=Assassin's Creed Score Is BAFTAstic |access-date=May 11, 2008 |last=McWhertor |first=Michael |date=October 16, 2007 |website=[[Kotaku]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708215610/http://kotaku.com/gaming/soundtracks/assassins-creed-score-is-baftastic-311580.php |archive-date=July 8, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> The musical score was composed by [[Jesper Kyd]] in 2007. Six tracks were made available online to those who have purchased the game; a password was given to people to insert at the soundtrack section of the Ubisoft website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://assassinscreed.us.ubi.com/soundtrack/index.php |title=Soundtrack's - Assassin's Creed |access-date=May 11, 2008 |publisher=[[Ubisoft]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416194330/http://assassinscreed.us.ubi.com/soundtrack/index.php |archive-date=April 16, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> The soundtrack is available from various [[online music store]]s. Several tracks are also available on Kyd's [[MySpace]], his official website, and his [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kv7eZVKNE0k4RCe9_p0OmqTcvd66Kba0s YouTube channel]. The released tracks have the archaic [[Latin]] chorus and dark orchestral music, while "Meditation Begins" features a kind of [[Saltarello]] with a very ominous, dark, ambient overtone with men whispering in Latin. The atmosphere in these tracks is what Jesper Kyd is known for and is effective ''[[in situ]]''.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=October 6, 2014|url=http://tracksounds.blogspot.com/2007/10/assassins-creed-soundtrack-by-jesper.html|title=Tracksounds Now!: Assassin's Creed (Soundtrack) by Jesper Kyd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425051739/http://tracksounds.blogspot.com/2007/10/assassins-creed-soundtrack-by-jesper.html|archive-date=April 25, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline  = ''Assassin's Creed'' Soundtrack{{efn|While the song "The Chosen (Assassin's Creed)" by [[Intwine]] featuring [[Brainpower]] was made contributing to the game, it was not featured in the game nor its soundtrack. Other songs used in previews and trailers, such as "Teardrop" by [[Massive Attack]] and "Lonely Soul" by [[UNKLE]], are also not present on the soundtrack.}}
| title1    = City of Jerusalem
| length1   = 3:11
| title2    = Flight Through Jerusalem
| length2   = 3:39
| title3    = Spirit of Damascus
| length3   = 1:31
| title4    = Trouble in Jerusalem
| length4   = 4:04
| title5    = Acre Underworld
| length5   = 3:24
| title6    = Access the Animus
| length6   = 9:34
| title7    = Dunes of Death
| length7   = 1:46
| title8    = Masyaf in Danger
| length8   = 3:43
| title9    = Meditation Begins
| length9   = 2:47
| title10   = Meditation of the Assassin
| length10  = 3:43
| title11   = The Bureau
| length11  = 3:12
}}
{{notelist}}

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
{{Video game reviews
| MC = (PS3) 81/100<ref name=mcps3>{{cite web|title=Assassin's Creed (ps3) reviews at Metacritic.com|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/assassinscreed|access-date=August 15, 2009|website=[[GameRankings]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222193501/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/assassins-creed|archive-date=December 22, 2011|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><br/>(X360) 81/100<ref name="mcx360">{{cite web|title=Assassin's Creed (xbox360) reviews at Metacritic.com|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/assassinscreed|access-date=August 15, 2009|website=GameRankings|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315032316/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/assassins-creed|archive-date=March 15, 2012|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><br/>(PC) 79/100<ref name="mcpc">{{cite web|title=Assassin's Creed Director's Cut (pc) reviews at Metacritic.com|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/assassinscreed|access-date=August 15, 2009|website=GameRankings|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127193832/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/assassins-creed-directors-cut-edition|archive-date=January 27, 2012|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| 1UP = B−<ref name=1UP>{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/reviews/assassin-creed_3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618234401/http://www.1up.com/reviews/assassin-creed_3 |archive-date=2012-06-18  |title=Assassin's Creed: Review |first=Michael |last=Donahoe |date=November 12, 2007 |access-date=September 21, 2022 |publisher=[[1Up.com]]}}</ref>
| EuroG = 7/10
| Fam = 37/40
| GI = 9.5/10
| GRadar = 5/5
| GSpot = 9/10
| GTM = 4/5
| IGN = 7.5/10<ref name="Goldstein 2007">{{cite web|last=Goldstein|first=Hilary|title=Assassin's Creed Review|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/11/13/assassins-creed-review?page=1|website=IGN|date=November 13, 2007|access-date=April 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421004908/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/11/13/assassins-creed-review?page=1|archive-date=April 21, 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
| PSM = 5/5<ref name="Nelson 2008">{{cite magazine |last=Nelson |first=Randy |title=Review: Assassin's Creed |magazine=[[PlayStation: The Official Magazine]] |publisher=[[Future US]] |issue=2 |date=January 2008 |pages=76–77}}</ref>
| OXM = 8.5/10
}}
''Assassin's Creed'' received "generally favorable" reviews from critics according to [[review aggregator]] website [[Metacritic]]. ''[[Famitsu]]'' awarded the Xbox 360 version of ''Assassin's Creed'' a 36 (9, 9, 9, 9) and the PlayStation 3 version a 37 (10, 8, 9, 10) out of 40, positively citing the story, presentation, and acrobatics, while criticizing the one-button combat, map layout, and camera problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.n4g.com/News-86589.aspx|title=Famitsu reviews Dragon Quest IV, Assassins Creed, Guilty Gear 2 and more|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416143039/http://www.n4g.com/News-86589.aspx|archive-date=April 16, 2009|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/assassins-creed-nabs-37-40-from-famitsu/|title=Assassin's Creed nabs 37/40 from Famitsu|work=[[Joystiq]]|date=November 2, 2007|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009090600/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/assassins-creed-nabs-37-40-from-famitsu/|archive-date=October 9, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''[[Game Informer]]'' awarded ''Assassin's Creed'' a 9.5 out of 10, praising the control scheme, replay value, and intriguing story, and expressing frustration over the repetitive information gathering missions.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Miller|first=Matt|date=December 2007|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/5A4BC70F-8959-4C67-BCFB-2E942E49B93A.htm|url-status=dead|title=History with a Twist|magazine=Game Informer|issue=176|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109081644/https://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/5A4BC70F-8959-4C67-BCFB-2E942E49B93A.htm|archive-date=November 9, 2007|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref> On ''The Hotlist on [[ESPNews]]'', ESPN's Aaron Boulding called the game's concept of social stealth "fairly original" and added: "Visually, the developers nailed it."<ref>[https://www.espn.com/videogames/news/story?id=3129115 ESPN – Easy Points – 'Tis the Season – Videogames]</ref> ''[[GameTrailers]]'' praised the story (giving a 9.7 score to its story), and also cited repetitive gameplay and bad [[Artificial intelligence (video games)|AI]] as somewhat stifling its potential. It wrote that "''Assassin's Creed'' is one of those games that breaks new ground yet fails in nailing some fundamentals."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gametrailers.com/player/27754.html|title=GameTrailers ''Assassin's Creed'' Video Review|work=GameTrailers|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504202631/http://www.gametrailers.com/player/27754.html|archive-date=May 4, 2009|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The game also received a 10 out of 10 from ''[[GamesRadar]]'',<ref name="mcps3" /><ref name="mcx360"/> as well as from ''[[PlayStation: The Official Magazine]]''.<ref name="Nelson 2008"/> According to ''[[GamePro]]'', it is one of the "finest gaming experiences ever created" if one is willing to be patient due to the lack of fast-paced action.<ref name="GamePro">{{cite web|url=http://gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/reviews/146348.shtml|title=''Assassin's Creed'' review|last=Melick|first=Todd|date=November 14, 2007|publisher=[[GamePro]]|access-date=January 8, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071110130850/http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/reviews/146348.shtml|archive-date=November 10, 2007}}</ref> Kevin VanOrd of ''[[GameSpot]]'' gave it a 9 out of 10, stating that "the greatest joy comes from the smallest details, and for every nerve-racking battle, there's a quiet moment that cuts to the game's heart and soul."<ref>{{cite web|last=VanOrd|first=Kevin|date=November 13, 2007|url=http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed/reviews/assassins-creed-review-6182793/|url-status=dead|title=''Assassin's Creed'' Review|website=GameSpot|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725061108/http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed/reviews/assassins-creed-review-6182793/|archive-date=July 25, 2013|access-date=December 21, 2022}}</ref>

While still awarding the game decent scores, several publications cited a number of significant shortcomings. Michael Donahoe of ''[[1Up.com]]'' gave it a B− for the story concept but felt more could have been done, writing "it's apparent that these grandiose ideas may have been a little too much to master the first go-round. ... at least the groundwork is laid for a killer sequel."<ref name=1UP/> ''[[Eurogamer]]'' stated that the gameplay "never evolves and ultimately becomes a bit boring, and quite amazingly repetitive."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=87432&page=3|title=Assassin's Creed Review // Xbox 360 /// Eurogamer|date=November 13, 2007|website=Eurogamer.net|access-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref> ''[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]''{{'}}s Darren Wells commended the game for its "great story, great graphics and intuitive controls". At the same time, he criticised it for "some missions that don't feel right on the PC and its loopy menu system."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wells|first=Darren|date=June 2008|title=Assassin's Creed|journal=[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]|publisher=[[Next Media]]|issue=176|page=54|issn=1320-7458}}</ref> Hilary Goldstein of ''[[IGN]]'' gave the game a 7.5/10 ("Good"), stating that "a bad story, repetitive gameplay elements, and poor AI lead to the downfall of one of the more promising games in recent memory." Conversely, he complimented the combat animations and the climbing mechanic, and admired how accurately Ubisoft depicted the major cities of Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus to their real-life counterparts.<ref name="Goldstein 2007"/> In Andrew P.'s mixed review for ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]''<!--(Kage)-->, he wrote that the game features "a challenging [[parkour]] path of escape", and while intriguing, it is "an incomplete template based on multiple other games".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=P.|first=Andrew|title=Review of ''Assassin's Creed''|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=224|date=January 2008|page=89}}</ref>

===Awards===
''Assassin's Creed'' won several awards at the 2006 E3. ''Game Critics'' awarded it "Best Action/Adventure Game";<ref>{{cite web|title=2006 Winners |url=http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/2006winners.html |website=[[Game Critics Awards]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080322213612/http://gamecriticsawards.com/2006winners.html |archive-date=March 22, 2008 |url-status=live |access-date=March 23, 2008 }}</ref> "Best Action Game", "PS3 Game of the Show", "Best PS3 Action Game", and "Best PS3 Graphics" from ''IGN''; "Best PS3 Game of the Show" from ''[[GameSpot]]'' and ''[[GameSpy]]''; "Best of Show" from ''GameTrailers''; and "Best PS3 Game" from ''1UP.com''. ''Assassin's Creed'' was nominated for several other awards by ''[[Xplay]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/54789/XPlay_Best_of_2007_Awards_Nominations.html|title=2007 X-Play Best of 2007 Award Nominations|access-date=December 10, 2007|work=[[G4 (U.S. TV channel)|G4]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325184936/http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/54789/XPlay_Best_of_2007_Awards_Nominations.html|archive-date=March 25, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> as well as [[Spike TV]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182621.html?sid=6182621&part=rss&subj=6182621|title=Halo 3, BioShock top Spike TV noms|last=Magrino|first=Tom|date=November 11, 2007|access-date=November 11, 2007|website=[[GameSpot]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202204526/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182621.html?sid=6182621&part=rss&subj=6182621|archive-date=February 2, 2009|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''Assassin's Creed'' received multiple nominations at [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences|AIAS]]' [[11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards]]: "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure Game of the Year|Adventure Game of the Year]]", "Outstanding Innovation in Gaming" and outstanding achievement in "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation|Animation]]" (which it won), "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction|Art Direction]]", "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement|Gameplay Engineering]]" and "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement|Visual Engineering]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2008&idGame=910 |title=D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Assassin's Creed |website=interactive.org |publisher=[[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=13 September 2023}}</ref> It was listed by ''Game Informer'' at 143 in their list of the top 200 games of all time. It also received the editor's choice award from ''GameSpot''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=GameInformer |issue=200|last=McNamara|first=Andy|magazine=Game Informer |publisher=Sunrise Publications|year=2009|issn=1067-6392}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Game Informer Magazine 2010 Manitowoc: for video game enthusiasts.|magazine=Game Informer|isbn=9781583946954|issn=1067-6392|oclc=688210946|last1=Bartol|first1=Vladimir|date=18 December 2012}}</ref>

===Sales===
Sales for ''Assassin's Creed'' were said by the publisher to have "greatly outstripped" their expectations.<ref name="Ubisoft">{{cite web|url=http://www.ubi.com/US/News/Info.aspx?nId=5017 |title=Ubisoft Announces Outstanding Sales Performance For Assassin's Creed and Raises Guidance for Fiscal 2007-08 |publisher=Ubisoft |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218091159/http://www.ubi.com/US/News/Info.aspx?nId=5017 |archive-date=December 18, 2007 |access-date=January 4, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the United Kingdom, ''Assassin's Creed'' debuted at number one, knocking [[Infinity Ward]]'s ''[[Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare]]'' from the top; the majority of the debut sales were on the Xbox 360, which claimed 67% of the game's total sales.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.mcvuk.com/news/28912/Chart-Assassination-for-Call-of-Duty|title=Chart Assassination for Call of Duty - Games Industry - MCV|magazine=MCV UK|date=20 November 2007|access-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009050021/http://www.mcvuk.com/news/28912/Chart-Assassination-for-Call-of-Duty|archive-date=October 9, 2008|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases of ''Assassin's Creed'' each received a platinum sales award from the [[Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association]],<ref name=platinumelspa>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515224703/http://www.elspa.com/?i=3944 |url=http://www.elspa.com:80/?i=3944 |title=ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum |work=[[Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association]] |archive-date=May 15, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies per version in the United Kingdom.<ref name=gamasutrasales>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918063107/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112220/ELSPA_Wii_Fit_Mario_Kart_Reach_Diamond_Status_In_UK.php |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112220/ELSPA_Wii_Fit_Mario_Kart_Reach_Diamond_Status_In_UK.php |title=ELSPA: ''Wii Fit'', ''Mario Kart'' Reach Diamond Status In UK | last=Caoili | first=Eric | date=November 26, 2008 |work=[[Gamasutra]] |archive-date=September 18, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On April 16, 2009, Ubisoft revealed that the game had sold 8 million copies.<ref name="Ubisoft Unveils Assassins Creed II">{{cite web|url=http://www.ubisoftgroup.com/gallery_files/site/270/574/1956.pdf |title=Ubisoft Unveils Assassins Creed II |publisher=Ubisoft |access-date=June 4, 2009 |archive-date=April 19, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419150200/http://www.ubisoftgroup.com/gallery_files/site/270/574/1956.pdf }}</ref>

==Sequels==
{{main|Assassin's Creed}}
A [[prequel]] for the game, titled ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'', developed by [[Gameloft]],<ref>[http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/DS/Assassin%27s+Creed%3A+Altair%27s+Chronicles/review.asp?c=5722&srch=assassins+creed "Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227205007/http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/DS/Assassin%27s+Creed%3A+Altair%27s+Chronicles/review.asp?c=5722&srch=assassins+creed |date=2008-12-27 }}. ''PocketGamer''. Retrieved October 7, 2008.</ref> was released on February 5, 2008, for the [[Nintendo DS]].<ref name="DS">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ds/action/assassinscreed/news.html?sid=6180807&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;2 |title=Nintendo lays out Q4 '07, Q1 '08 slate |work=GameSpot |access-date=December 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212181248/http://www.gamespot.com/ds/action/assassinscreed/news.html?sid=6180807&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;2 |archive-date=February 12, 2009 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> A port of ''Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles'' has also been released for the [[iPhone]] and the [[iPod Touch]] and [[Java ME]] on April 23, 2009, as well as for the [[Palm Pre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/gameloft-previews-assassins-creed-for-iphone-ipod-touch |title=Gameloft previews Assassin's Creed for iPhone, iPod touch |last=Starrett |first=Charles |date=April 14, 2009 |publisher=iLounge |access-date=April 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419160110/http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/gameloft-previews-assassins-creed-for-iphone-ipod-touch |archive-date=April 19, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' was released in the United States and Canada on November 17, 2009, and in Europe on November 20, 2009.<ref name="IGN: New Ghost Recon, Assassin's Creed 2 Coming">{{cite web|url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/947/947324p1.html|website=IGN|title=IGN: New Ghost Recon, Assassin's Creed 2 Coming|date=July 17, 2009|access-date=April 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125093737/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/947/947324p1.html|archive-date=January 25, 2009|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Assassin's Creed Tour|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://assassinscreed.ubi.com/ac3/en-GB/games/assassins-creed/index.aspx ''Assassin's Creed'' UK website]
*[http://assassinscreed.ubi.com/ac3/en-us/index.aspx ''Assassin's Creed'' U.S. website]
*{{IMDb title|0932936|Assassin's Creed}}
*[https://www.mobygames.com/game/assassins-creed Assassin's Creed] on [[MobyGames]]

{{Assassin's Creed|state=expanded}}
{{authority control}}

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