Assassin's Creed Lineage Episode 1 Impressions, Background & World Premiere
Anybody who was paying even a little bit of attention to Ubisoft’s E3 press conference – we know it was hard, but we’re not talking about Cameron’s lecture here – will have picked up that Ubisoft’s current industry buzz word is “convergence” – the seamless transition of two different disciplines or mediums, in this case, film and games. Last week we got chance to see this Ubisoft initiative in action as they presented Episode 1 of the Assassin’s Creed short film, Lineage, to select members of the UK press, and now we can bring it to you.
Yannis Mallat, the CEO of the Toronto and Montreal development studios, isn’t shy in hiding his or his company’s confidence in this what they see as a new phenomenon. “Convergence is, or will be, a fact,” Mallat gestured. “It will happen. It is not just a path or a hope. It will happen; the convergence of the movie industry and the video game industry. We, Ubisoft, anticipate that, and are working, right now, on all the bridges that exist today.”
What is the purpose of all this though? “Content convergence,” according to Mallat, “the true convergence is the convergence that happens in people’s minds. When they play our games, watch our movies, read our comics, read our books. They understand why this happened in such medium... and are making all the right connections,” and thus makes the content mean something more.
Speaking to Yannis Mallat after the viewing, he told us that not only does it help bring an identity and background to the upcoming title (content convergence), but as a result, it’s also helped the game grow. The ability to tap into Hybride's resources - a movie studio with deep seated roots in storytelling and cinematography - is not a bad weapon to have in your arsenal.
This convergence malarkey isn’t a new trend, it’s been going on in the gaming industry for years – just take a look at the Mass Effect books, Halo books and comics, and so much more – but it’s fair to say that no-one has quite taken it to this level before. A genuine video game tie-in that carries with it some great technical feats, franchise authenticity and without so much as an uncomfortable squirm along the way.
Assassin’s Creed: Lineage tells the story of Giovanni, Ezio’s father, the well renowned assassin, as it looks to setup the plot for Assassin’s Creed 2. The story is penned and created by Ubisoft’s new studio, Hybride - who are known for their successes with Sin City and 300 - in collaboration with Ubisoft Digital Arts. Like the aforementioned films, Assassin’s Creed Lineage was shot entirely in a dedicated green room. Episode one is the first of three free episodes – about 30 minutes long in total – that set up Ezio’s inspiration for his mission of revenge.
I’m done talking now. Grab a drink, sit back and take in the sights. Did I tell you this was free?
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