I starten af Assassin's Creed-serien var der ret meget fokus på Desmond Miles som karakter i nutiden, der aktivt oplevede fortiden gennem forskellige Assassin-forfædre, som desuden skubbede et narrativ frem om espionage, intriger og til sidst Splinter Cell-inspireret infiltrering i Assassin's Creed III.
Men efter det tredje spil droppede Ubisoft ideen om et nutidigt, dybdegående narrativ, og har i stedet i flere omgange forsøgt sig med alternativer, der placerede stort set al fokus på selve tidsperioden.
Men det vil Assassin's Creed Shadows lave om på - ja, der kommer igen fokus på et nutidigt narrativt også. Under den nylige BAFTA-uddeling har Marc-Alexis Coté, seriens boss, slået fast overfor Eurogamer, at Shadows vil bringe nutiden i fokus:
"Ending Desmond's arc was a difficult decision, and afterward, the modern storyline struggled to find its footing. The continued focus on characters hunting for Isu artefacts made the narrative more predictable, and reduced the conflict between Templars and Assassins to a straightforward pursuit of control over - let's be honest - magical relics. This shift pulled focus away from what had always been at the heart of the franchise: exploring our history. As this approach became repetitive, both players and critics felt the modern day storyline had become a secondary concern, more of a side-quest, rather than an integral part of the overall experience. Furthermore, the compounded complexity of 15 years of lore built in this parallel storyline created a cognitive load that made the franchise difficult to approach for newcomers. Assassin's Creed Shadows will be the first step on the road toward putting history back at the centre of the players' experience with a modern-day narrative that will serve to enhance, rather than overshadow, the historical journey."
Det er store ord, og hvad det betyder må vi vente til februar med at finde ud af.