History Franchise / AssassinsCreed

** Rosa being built up as Ezio's LoveInterest in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' was tossed aside in the sequels due to her [[RealLifeWritesThePlot voice actress passing away]].
** Also from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', Lucy was showing hints that she was going to eventually become a LoveInterest for Desmond. However, a [[RealLifeWritesThePlot contract dispute]] regarding her voice actress, Creator/KristenBell, caused Lucy to suddenly get killed off in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood''.
** There are signs that the modern day segments surrounding Desmond was supposed to be building up to a game where you play as Desmond in a current day ''Assassin's Creed'' game. However, due to player backlash towards the modern world storyline, the developers ended up pulling the plug on Desmond's story in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII''.

** Happened to Templars as well, during the rule of the Borgia; Robert de Sable was a WellIntentionedExtremist, and Haytham Kenway would be even more well intentioned and less extremist, but Rodrigo Borgia is using the Templar agenda of "''control''" to achieve his dreams of unlimited wealth and personal power, while he is enjoying [[VillainousIncest incest]], [[PaedoHunt pedophilia]] or ''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs incest pedophilia]]''... and his son Cesare is no better. Although his "Great Minds of History" portrait depicts him as a "''man of faith and passion [who] suffered under a smear campaign under the hands of his enemy, Ezio Auditore''" who instead should be remembered "''for his progressive outlook and focus on family values''", privately the [=21st=]-century Templars consider him an OldShame who, with the Order "''Blinded by greed and personal ambition''" and forgetting its purpose, led the Order into "''dark times for us''", and even admitted that "''greater men pushed on, becoming what we should have aspired to be: true pioneers of scientific research. It was because of them that the era came to be called the Renaissance''."

** Happened to Templars as well, during the rule of the Borgia; Robert de Sable was a WellIntentionedExtremist, and Haytham Kenway would be even more well intentioned and less extremist, but Rodrigo Borgia is using the Templar agenda of "''control''" to achieve his dreams of unlimited wealth and personal power, while he is enjoying incest, pedophilia or ''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs incest pedophilia]]''... and his son Cesare is no better. Although his "Great Minds of History" portrait depicts him as a "''man of faith and passion [who] suffered under a smear campaign under the hands of his enemy, Ezio Auditore''" who instead should be remembered "''for his progressive outlook and focus on family values''", privately the [=21st=]-century Templars consider him an OldShame who, with the Order "''Blinded by greed and personal ambition''" and forgetting its purpose, led the Order into "''dark times for us''", and even admitted that "''greater men pushed on, becoming what we should have aspired to be: true pioneers of scientific research. It was because of them that the era came to be called the Renaissance''."

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedAltairsChronicles'' (2008) [[note]]For the Platform/NintendoDS, iOS, Windows Phone, and Symbian.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' (2007) [[note]]UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, UsefulNotes/Xbox360 (UsefulNotes/XboxOne via backward compatibility) and PC.[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' (2009) [[note]][=PS3=], 360 ([=XBO=] backwards compatible), PC, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, [=XBO=][[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' (2012) [[note]][=PS3=], 360 ([=XBO=] backwards compatible), UsefulNotes/WiiU, PC, [=PS4=], [=XBO=], UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch[[/note]]
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIIILiberation'' (2012) [[note]]UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita, [=PS3=], 360, PC, [=PS4=], [=XBO=], Switch[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' (2018) [[note]][=PS4=], [=XBO=], UsefulNotes/GoogleStadia, PC.[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' (2020) [[note]][=PS4=], UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, [=XBO=], UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, Stadia, PC, [=UPLAY+=][[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedMirage'' (2023) [[note]][=PS4=], UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, [=XBO=], UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, PC, [=UPLAY+=], iOS[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedAltairsChronicles'' (2008) [[note]]For the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, iOS, Windows Phone, and Symbian.[[/note]]

* ''Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines'' (2009) [[note]]For the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedChronicles'' [[note]]All available on UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita, Xbox One and PC.[[/note]]

* ''Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR'' (2023) - A VR game for [[UsefulNotes/OculusQuest the Oculus platform]] that casts you as Ezio, Connor, and Kassandra.

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedMirage'' (2023)

* ''Assassin's Creed: Nexus'' (2023) - A VR game for [[UsefulNotes/OculusQuest the Oculus platform]] that casts you as Ezio, Connor, and Kassandra.

* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:Desmond dies in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII''. The next few games feature anonymous player cyphers as one-off protagonists until ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'' provides a new modern day protagonist in the form fof Layla Hassan. ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' ends with Layla's body plugged into the Yggdrasil and lethally irradiated (since she lost the Staff keeping her alive) while her mind joins with The Reader inside the machine]].

* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:Desmond dies in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII''. The next few games feature anonymous player cyphers as one-off protagonists until ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'' provides a new modern day protagonist in the form of Layla Hassan. ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' ends with Layla's body plugged into the Yggdrasil and lethally irradiated (since she lost the Staff keeping her alive) while her mind joins with The Reader inside the machine]].

* MythArc: The Assassin-Templar Conflict is the framing arc for the whole story. The main games are merely glimpses into the war between the Assassins and Templars, but the greater arc is about a 3-way battle between the aforementioned groups and Those Who Came Before, aka the Isu. Especially Juno, the PredecessorVillain for the series.

* ChangeVsStatusQuo: The core conflict of the series deconstructs this. The Assassins, for all of their revolutionary learnings and crusading for independence are ironically on the side of Status Quo - They think people should be free to evolve on their own; deserving the right to exercise their free will and make their own decisions without external interference, even if those decisions aren't ideal. The Templars meanwhile rely on the status quo for their agenda but actually seek Change - specifically, change [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans as controlled by them]]. The Templar Order has an inherently pessimistic view of human nature, dictating that people are too vulnerable to corruption to be left to their own devices. To them, guidance under the New World Order they strive to create is the best outcome for humanity. More extreme Templars even advocate for [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill the elimination of free will]] altogether to attain this.

* SuperSwimmingSkills: Starting with the second game, all playable characters can swim perfectly and for any length of time without tiring, no matter how much armor they are wearing, except that they can't hold their breath forever underwater. ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' adds a limited immunity to hypothermia and/or frostbite; the player gets desynchronized if they stay in the icy water for too long.

** And now we have ''Mirage'', an explicit return to the original style of city-based, stealth-focused, parkour-heavy gameplay.

** For the Ezio trilogy: Ezio starts each one of his games by getting injured and having to find healing. Ezio climbs a tower with a close friend/family member/fellow Assassin near the start of every game. Ezio beats up Duccio de Luca once in every game. ([[SubvertedTrope You don't have to in Revelations]], [[KickTheSonOfABitch but you get an achievement for doing it anyway]].)

* ''Assassin's Creed'' (TBA) - A full VR game currently in development for [[UsefulNotes/OculusQuest the Oculus platform]].

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: All over the place. "Good" historical figures were Assassins (or at least aided them). The one solid exception is [[spoiler:UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper who was an Assassin who went nuts until he was stopped by Evie Frye]]. "Bad" ones are Templars (though the writers will shake this formula up if they want to do really elaborate conspiracies). Then there are Sages, Wandering Jew-type characters (really [[spoiler:reincarnations of One Who Came Before who was trapped in a proto-Animus]]) amongst whom you can include [[spoiler:pirate Black Bart, mysterious occultist the Count of Saint Germaine, and possibly David Bowie.]]