The official announcement of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey places the game during the Peloponnesian War, which would have occurred nearly 400 years before AC Origins
During Ubisoft’s E3 press conference, the game publisher officially revealed Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with a new trailer that highlighted the next installment in the long-running action-adventure stealth franchise. It was also revealed that the game would take place in Ancient Greece during the time period of the Peloponnesian war, which occurred between 431 and 404 BCE. Fans of the franchise may realize this significance, as the sequel’s predecessor, Origin, took place in Ancient Egypt shortly before the turn of the millennium (around 49-47 BCE).
Considering Assassin’s Creed Origins tells the story of Bayek’s Hidden Ones, the figures that would go on to become the modern-day Assassin’s Brotherhood, this places Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in a strange crux: Can Alexios or Kassandra be Assassins if Bayek’s order won’t be founded for nearly 400 years? Moreover, this time period tells us some crucial information about events that may take place in the game.
In the first Assassin’s Creed, we come to realize that Altair is the Assassin responsible for molding the brotherhood into its modern counterpart; whereas Bayek founds the order in AC Origins, Altair reshapes it. However, Bayek’s Assassins – according to the lore of the franchise – were not the first to appear, with Adam and Eve playing roles in the formation of the Assassins as opposed to the Templars created by their son, Cain.
This suggests then that if the characters Alexios or Kassandra were to become Assassins, it could be critically different from the Order seen in previous games. While it is unknown how this particular issue will be addressed in game, it remains plausible that the protagonist is a descendant of Leonidas, Spartan Hero, and Assassin all at the same time.
Set within the historical context of the Peloponnesian War, this time period tells us that players will be placed in a war between the Delian League led by Athens against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Moreover, players could see major events that took place within the war such as the Peace of Nicias, Sicilian Expedition, the Second War, and the siege of Athens. Of course, this is unknown at the time of this writing, but it remains a real possibility.
Historical figures typically play a dominant role in the story, and Odyssey won’t be different. Since the protagonist is a descendant of Leonidas, that’s already one revealed figure in the game, with potential figures such as Pericles and Archidamus II having a role in the game. Considering it has dialogue choices, it’ll be interesting to interact with these figures of the past. Hopefully, the game’s role in its historical context and fictional lore becomes more self-evident as its release date nears.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey releases October 5, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
