Ubisoft announces collaboration with a host of famous publishers, talented authors and illustrators to continue expanding the Assassin’s Creed universe towards new media. Assassin’s Creed fans around the world will be able to find out more about the various stories from their favorite franchise by visiting the new site featuring publications from 2021 and beyond at assassinscreed.com/stories.
With the upcoming launches of new novels, graphic novels, manhua, webtoons, and most recently several podcasts, Assassin’s Creed narrative expands across all formats: short stories, illustrated fiction and digital works. “With a license as rich as Assassin’s Creed, many artists are eager to offer their own vision of the brand!” Explained Aymar Aza.theaunt, Transmedia Director of Ubisoft Montreal. “A great creative opportunity to publish an important work for the genre in question and produced by authors and illustrators recognized in their field”.
Ubisoft is working with a large group of publishers, each bringing their own experience to help further develop the Assassin’s Creed universe. Aconyte Books, Editis and Starfish are developing new short stories in their respective languages (English, French and Chinese). On the illustration front, Glénat will publish graphic novels in French, while Dark Horse Comics has made an Assassin’s Creed comic miniseries in English and Ulab has developed original manhuas. On the digital side, partner Ximalaya is about to launch its first narrative podcast of Assassin’s Creed, while Korean studio Redice will produce the very first webtoon. In Italy, some of these publications will be distributed by Panini and Star Comics, which recently announced a master agreement with Ubisoft for the publication of graphic novels taken from the brand’s greatest hits.
To better differentiate the huge range of Assassin’s Creed products existing and evolving on different media, Ubisoft is creating three different labels that will help fans choose which ones to go to:
- Classics: Direct adaptations, based on video game stories
- Chronicles: new adventures on favorite characters among the Assassins
- Originals: new stories involving new protagonists and time periods.
Some of this year’s newest transmedia creations come from collaborating with highly talented Asian authors and artists from China, Japan and Korea, with several manhua and webtoons currently in development. “With so many people across Asia dedicated to creating new content, one of Ubisoft’s top priorities has been building new local relationships with talented partners,” said Julien Fabre, Ubisoft Associate Director of Publishing.
By bringing talents from around the world to work in transmedia storytelling, Ubisoft wants to enrich the Assassin’s Creed universe with authentic stories recognizable by local fans. “We are all users of stories. With this new global vision and local approach, we want to offer new content in familiar formats to fans, deeply rooted in their cultural background and history “adds Etienne Bouvier, Ubisoft Publishing Content Manager.
Here is a selection of new releases planned in Italy for this year:
NOVELS:
- ASSASSIN’S CREED THE MING STORM (CHRONICLES): Written by Chinese best-selling author Yan Leisheng, this novel is the beginning of a high-action trilogy set in 16th-century China with Shao Jun, a young Assassin already loved by fans as the protagonist of the video game Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China. The novel will be published in Italy by Panini.
ILLUSTRATED FICTION:
- ASSASSIN’S CREED DYNASTY (MANHUA) (ORIGINALS): Launched as a webcomic in China by local developer ULAB, Assassin’s Creed Dynasty has already surpassed 150 million views online and reached third place in the Wuxia genre on the Tencent platform. It will soon be available in other territories in print format. Readers will be able to follow the adventures of Li E, an Assassin who tries to save the Tang Dynasty from a civil war. Assassin’s Creed Dynasty will be published in Italy by Panini starting from March 2022.
- Assassin’s Creed VALHALLA: BLOOD BROTHERS (MANHUA) (CHRONICLES): Fans will soon be able to discover the adventures of two Viking brothers in this manhua set in the world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, not long before the appearance of Eivor Bite di Lupo. Like Assassin’s Creed Dynasty, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Blood Brothers will also be released in Italy by Panini in March 2022.
- Assassin’s Creed VALHALLA FRENCH GRAPHIC NOVEL (CHRONICLES): Star Comics will publish the original graphic novel in Italy in the spring of 2022. Readers will discover the tale of an aspiring Assassin and a Christian Monk in the adventure that will take them from Ravensthorpe to Scotland crowded with mysteries.
