Breaking News: Ubisoft Announces Assassin's Creed Crossover for Valhalla and Odyssey, marking the return of Kassandra

Ubisoft has today officially announced a new project titled 'Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories', which will add new content to previously releases entries, see the return of fan favourite characters, and answer the many unanswered questions that the series still poses. Launching December 14th 2021, the crossover event will see the immortal Misthios Kassandra meet Eivor the Wolf Kissed.

The announcement follows months of speculation fuelled by datamining discoveries and leaks. At it's core, the crossover content is fan service, and a great way of getting players to return to Ancient Greece, alongside introducing new players to previously established characters. The short but free experiences are split between two entries, with each storyline lasting 2-3 hours per game.

The crossover kicks off with an addition to Assassin's Creed Odyssey titled 'Those who are Treasured'. The Misthios (Kassandra or Alexios) must learn to live with her new found immortality, and is persuaded by her friend Barnabas to go on a treasure hunt, leading to the discovery of a Piece of Eden.

The Valhalla crossover titled 'A Fated Encounter', has Eivor travel to the Isle of Skye in search of a mysterious object that has been causing the locals to experience nightmares. In a teaser trailer released earlier today, she initially mistakes Kassandra for Randvi, something which fans will no doubt pick up on, as during the marketing campaign for Valhalla, theories circulated that Randvi could actually be Kassandra in disguise due to their similarity in appearance. Kassandra and Eivor clash, creating a battle that will no doubt be a challenge for players. Also added to each game are new areas of the map to discover, with the introduction of Korfu (a Greek island in the Ionian Sea) and the mysterious Isle of Skye in Scotland.

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It's also worth noting that Ubisoft have decided to stick to canon for the Valhalla crossover storyline, only allowing Kassandra to meet Eivor on the Isle of Skye, something which is to be commended after two very one sided  marketing campaign for both Odyssey and Valhalla, which heavily featured the non-canon protagonists. 

Official Crossover Promo Image

Although the crossover storylines are on paper, fan fiction, the team seem to have found a way of bringing it to life in a lore friendly way. It could perhaps be that the concept is the first real glimpse at what lies ahead with 'Assassin's Creed Infinity', a project that is being led by a new cross-studio collaborative structure that will see one group within Ubisoft made up of multiple teams working on Assassin's Creed coherently.

The new content is also potentially a big stepping stone for the series, as only a few years ago, the pitching of a crossover storyline within Ubisoft may have found itself side-lined to transmedia material such as a comic book. Execution is everything when it comes to adding new content to previously released games, as it risks creating lore errors and inconsistencies which could lead to retcons. If done correctly though, it has the potential to establish a platform that can be used to tie up loose ends and finally answer the many lingering questions that still remain years after release. For example, what happened to Arno Dorian, and did Connor and Shay ever meet,

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Although fans will no doubt be excited about the crossover storylines, they are not a new thing for the series. Unity and Rogue shared a narrative bridge as Shay Cormac travelled to Paris to assassinate Arno's Dorian's father, a moment we see in both games. In Assassin's Creed Liberation, Aveline de Grandpré is sent to New York to assist fellow Assassin Ratonhnhaké꞉ton / Connor with a mission. The concept of the pair becoming love interests was initially explored during pre-production, in a pairing dubbed 'Connorline' by the internet, but the two were ultimately decided to be incompatible by the development team.

The possibilities for 'Assassin's Creed Crossovers' are endless, and we here at TOWCB can't wait to experience the new storylines.

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Look out for our reviews over the coming weeks.