7 Assassin’s Creed Video Game Details The Live-Action Netflix Show Must Include

Netflix has announced a new television adaptation of the Assassin’s Creed video games, and the series needs to include these seven features of the games. Netflix greenlit a live-action Assassin’s Creed series five years after securing the rights to it and almost a full decade after Michael Fassbender’s underwhelming Assassin’s Creed movie. The news also comes just months after the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Netflix’s take on Assassin’s Creed is still incredibly early in development, so there aren’t many details available about it. We don’t know where the show will take place in Assassin’s Creed‘s timeline, how much of the franchise’s modern-day story will be featured, or even what era of history it will focus on. We also don’t know if Netflix is adapting an existing game or telling a new story, akin to Fallout‘s approach to its games.

There are certain parts of Assassin’s Creed that are essentially guaranteed to be in any adaptation. Things like the hidden blades, parkour and the leap of faith, and the general conflict between Assassins and Templars are baked into the story already. These seven features, however, aren’t as ubiquitous, but they still deserve a spot in Netflix’s adaptation.

Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed Show Has To Mention Desmond Miles & Layla Hassan

Desmond & Layla Were Too Important To Assassin’s Creed’s Modern Storyline To Ignore

While they may not be the most exciting aspects of the Assassin‘s Creed franchise, Desmond Miles and Layla Hassan are prime candidates for the Netflix show. Desmond and Layla are crucial parts of Assassin’s Creed‘s modern day story, and if the Netflix show wants to use it at all, it’ll have to at least reference them.

Desmond was the connective tissue of the first five AC games. Layla – while not nearly as popular – was also incredibly important to more modern games. They’re both important parts of understanding Assassin’s Creed and the reason the series flips between modern and ancient times. Including them would be a good reference, but it would also be good for new viewers who aren’t familiar with the games.

The Assassin’s Creed Show Has To Work In Some Notable Assassins

It May Be Fan Service, But Assassin’s Creed Fans Would Love A Reference To Altaïr Or Ezio

In the same vein of helping viewers who aren’t familiar with the games, Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed show has to at least mention some of the franchise’s most important assassins. Protagonists like Altaïr, Ezio, and Edward Kenway are fan-favorites, but they were also foundational parts of the Assassin Brotherhood as a whole. Viewers wouldn’t have a full understanding of the Order without knowing them.

Netflix’s AC show doesn’t have to actually feature assassins like Ratonhnhaké:ton or Eivor, but it should still mention them. It could be as simple as listing off the lineage of leaders the Order has had through the ages. Ezio could even get a nod to explain why assassins don’t have to cut off their fingers, as long as there’s some mention of those iconic assassins.

The Isu & Pieces Of Eden Should Make A Comeback In The Assassin’s Creed Show

A Linear Television Show Is A Much Better Way To Explore AC’s Isu Storyline Further

Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed show is also the perfect chance to bring the focus back onto the Isu and the pieces of Eden. For the first few games, the Isu were the frame story of Assassin’s Creed as a whole. While it did get a bit whacky in recent games like Odyssey and Valhalla, the Isu were an engaging part of the franchise.

The most recent game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, smartly decided to avoid the Isu storyline almost entirely. It was bogging the games down and detracting from the immersion and historical accuracy of the series, but most of those problems would be gone in a TV show. Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed could revisit the Isu without having to worry about gameplay, which could give it a chance to do that storyline well.

If it handles the Isu and pieces of Eden right, Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed could revitalize the entire modern-day story of the franchise. Instead of being a distraction to wade through in between bits of historical fiction, the Isu could become an intriguing blend of science fiction and fantasy again, like they were in the first few games. The show could even revisit the Grey and Layla’s fate.

Netflix Has The Perfect Chance To Continue AC Shadows’ Update Of The Abstergo Plotline

Netflix’s Show Could Do A Lot With An Evil Tech Company That Can Gaslight Genetic Memory

One of the most recent updates to Assassin’s Creed would also be perfect for Netflix’s show to pick up and run with. Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as previously mentioned, mostly dropped the modern-day frame story of the franchise. In doing so, Shadows made Abstergo, the Templars’ modern company, into a much better villain for the AC show to focus on.

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In the past, Abstergo was part research and part video game company that was basically shoehorned into the games as a way to explain the Animus. Shadows, however, started playing with the idea that Abstergo is a sinister tech giant that can manipulate the very fabric of human memory. Netflix’s take on Assassin’s Creed could have a field day with Abstergo and its questions about memory and genetics.

A television show is also the perfect format for Assassin’s Creed to dive even deeper into Abstergo. Abstergo was never terribly entertaining because there wasn’t much to do in the modern-day sections of the games. Again, the show won’t have the problem of worrying about gameplay, so it can dive much deeper into the corporate intrigue of Abstergo and unravel more of its mysteries.

The Assassin’s Creed Show Can Go Back To The Traditional Animus & Bleeding Effect

The Bleeding Effect Would Work So Well In TV & Would Allow The Show To Go Deeper Into The Modern Day

If Netflix does decide to focus more on Abstergo, that would also open the door to returning to Assassin’s Creed‘s original Animus. Recent games like Shadows, Black Flags, and Unity presented the franchise through the meta-lens of playing a video game. The Animus and its bleeding effect, however, would be great plot points to include in the AC show.

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The best reason to include the Animus and its bleeding effect is simply because it’s cool. That was one of the best parts of the 2016 Assassin’s Creed movie: seeing how a modern person could literally learn from the past and their ancestors. It also added a psychological thriller aspect to Desmond and Layla’s stories which would translate perfectly to a television show.

Another reason to include the Animus is a more functional one. By focusing on the Animus and the bleeding effect, Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed will have a much better basis for a modern-day story. The bleeding effect alone would tie the modern-day protagonist to their ancestor while also working as the perfect explanation for why the show takes place in two timelines.

Netflix Should Show More Of The Broader Assassin Brotherhood

Assassin’s Creed Has Mostly Forgotten About How Expansive The Assassin Brotherhood Is

This may be just personal preference, but I would really like to see the Assassin’s Creed TV series show more of the Brotherhood beyond the main character. In the early games, particularly the aptly-titled Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Ezio and other notable figures weren’t working alone. They had support from a vast network of less skilled but still deadly assassins.

Assassin’s Creed has somewhat forgotten about how vast the Order is supposed to be. Games like Origins and Syndicate did feature a growing or already large Brotherhood, but they were mostly propped up by a single important assassin. I’d rather see Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed focus on an entire chapter of the Brotherhood fighting together against the Templars.

No Matter When Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed Show Is Set, It Has To Include As Many Historical Figures As Possible

Meeting Strange Historical Figures Is One Of The Best Parts Of Assassin’s Creed

My last wish for Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed show is a bit goofy: I want to see as many historical figures as possible. One of my favorite parts of Assassin’s Creed is getting to meet the weirdest historical figures you can think of. Seeing Leonardo da Vinci design a crossbow or getting into arguments with Socrates is a lot of fun, and I hope the show remembers to have a bit of fun with its premise.

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It doesn’t even matter what time period the Assassin’s Creed show is set in, as long as it doesn’t hold anything back with its historical figures. The weirder, the better, in my opinion. This will be the real litmus test: if Netflix can get the historical figures in its Assassin’s Creed show right, then it may have a shot at making a worthwhile adaptation of the video games.

Created by

Patrice Désilets, Jade Raymond, Corey May

Upcoming TV Shows

Assassin’s Creed

Cast

Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Callum Turner, Essie Davis, Ariane Labed, Carlos Bardem, Javier Gutierrez

Movie(s)

Assassin’s Creed