The story has changed, but the series’ lead writer doesn’t see that as cause for concern. Citing the recent critical success of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, he believes that the future of the franchise has never been brighter; even if traditional storytelling becomes less and less important.

While fan enthusiasm for the modern day portions of the game - which followed modern-day Assassin Desmond Miles - and the historical memories - Miles’ ancestors - may be somewhat uneven, especially in terms of gameplay, it became clear that the series was, for better or worse, Desmond’s story. But with Desmond now gone, and the developers having claimed that there certainly is an ending for the series in mind, where does the franchise go next?

Speaking with Edge, Darby McDevitt - story and script writer for both Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Black Flag, as well as other series tie-ins - explained that Ubisoft’s plan for the series has been changing for some time. First, it was the shift from an Abstergo satellite to the end of the world as the event driving the plot, and now it includes stepping away from its former hero:

The fans may debate just how much of an ending Assassin’s Creed 3 really offered, other than removing Desmond’s presence in the overall fiction. The developers left themselves with a wide-open modern setting in which to expand on the mythology of the Animus, the Assassins, and the Templars.

That being said, the surprisingly successful response to the pirate theme of Black Flag is already building buzz that Ubisoft might consider launching it as a standalone series, tied to the core AC fiction in a less pronounced fashion. But even if Ubisoft chooses to “end” that particular story - and Black Flag left hero Edward Kenway with more than enough sequel potential - they’re faced with a new problem: make another naval title, or tailor the next story to include it due to its popularity?

It’s grounds for a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ deseign dilemma - or is it? According to McDevitt, the next game won’t need to be a pirate tale to build on the breakthrough:

We can’t even begin to imagine what other forms the core gameplay of Black Flag could take, but it’s good to know the developers are up to the task. Especially since the success with which Black Flag’s open world fed into the story experience, challenging players to live as Edward Kenway would have, not wasting hours as the -always-pressed-for-time Ezio Auditore.

It might sound surprising to hear it coming from a writer, but McDevitt sees the gameplay of Black Flag doing much of the work as a good thing, and something players will likely see more of in the coming years:

The development team has already claimed that the perpetual, MMO-like world of Watch_Dogs will be blazing a trail for the rest of Ubisoft’s franchises, so how it will work to help the singleplayer experience, not just multiplayer will be interesting to see.

Of course, one can’t bring up the future of Assassin’s Creed without descending into conspiracy theories or speculation. But anyone pointing to the Abstergo Entertainment emails suggesting future settings may want to relax, as McDevitt owns up to giving the community a taste of its own medicine:

What are your hopes for the next Assassin’s Creed game given how much Black Flag got right? Have any theories on what the studio could be up to next, or is it too soon to even speculate? Apparently we might be in store for not one, but two sequels this year, so who knows what’s possible.

“I will say that fans definitely think alike. We have the same goals for the series, let’s say. I’ll leave it at that. We always want to surprise.”

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: Edge