A recent rumor from Twitter user Onion00048 claims that the next installation in the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise has already begun its development and will take place in Japan. The title, which is supposedly code-named Assassin’s Creed Warriors, will span multiple periods, from 1603 and 1868, during the historical Edo or Tokugawa period.
The rumor states that the new game will feature a female-only protagonist named Akako Shiratori. Unlike 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which featured a protagonist who could be either male or female, Warriors will allegedly not give players a choice to change the protagonist’s gender. Akako is described as a novice member of the Japanese order of assassins, and likely filling the role of an onna-musha. The onna-mush were female warriors in pre-modern Japan who engaged in battle alongside samurai men.
Additionally, the rumor states that the game will take “heavy inspiration” from Japanese mythology. Previous games in the series featured supernatural creatures and beings tied to the game’s respective time period and culture, so this detail would make sense. If the rumor is indeed true, then players would be able to see mythological creatures from Japanese culture come to life in this upcoming game.
Some of the mythology that Warriors could end up featuring are the Kamiumi and Kuniumi, as well as Yomi, the underworld described in Japan. The story of the Sun, the Moon, and Storm could also be touched on in Warriors, as they are also popular Japanese myths.
Another detail from the rumor states that Assassins Creed: Warriors would not be a cross-generational title and would only be available for the recently released PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC. It is expected that the title will be released in late 2022.
Onion00048 has made somewhat of a name for themselves as a trustworthy source. Previously, the user correctly leaked Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which was just announced last week, among many other noteworthy games.
This rumor seems quite plausible as Ubisoft has expressed interest in setting an Assassin’s Creed game in Japanese history before. Back in 2017, the company offered a survey to many players that contained a list of potential settings for Assassin’s Creed games, and one of the settings listed happened to be Feudal Japan. So this rumor feels all the more likely, as a result.
Last year, gamers got to experience Ghost of Tsushima, a critically acclaimed PlayStation 4 exclusive title that took place in 13th century Japan during the first Mongol invasion. It’ll be interesting to see how similar the two games wind up being if Warriors does end up being a real game in development. Fans will just have to stay tuned and see for themselves. The end of 2021 is likely the soonest that fans could probably expect a confirmation.
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(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)