Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that answer the question.
Query: When was the first Assassin's Creed released?
The video game series took inspiration from the novel Alamut by the Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol,[1] while building upon concepts from the Prince of Persia series.[2] It begins with the self-titled game in 2007, and has featured eleven main games. The most recent released game is 2018's Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
"Assassin's Creed III: Liberation" was released on October 30, 2012, the same day as "Assassin's Creed III". The game is available in a PS Vita bundle pack with a new crystal white Wi-Fi Vita and a 4GB memory card. In Japan it was released under the title "Assassin's Creed III: Lady Liberty".
"Assassin's Creed Unity" was followed by "Assassin's Creed Syndicate", which takes place in Victorian England, and was released in October 2015.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles is a series of video games in the "Assassin's Creed" franchise. The series consists of three games developed by Climax Studios and published by Ubisoft. The games feature new protagonists and a design that is new to the franchise, a 2.5D world inspired by traditional brush paintings. The first entry, "China", was released on April 21, 2015, on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The second entry, "India", was released on January 12, 2016 on the same platforms. The last game, "Russia", was released on February 9, 2016.
Assassin's Creed Rogue is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Sofia and published by Ubisoft. It is the seventh major installment in the "Assassin's Creed" series, and acts as a sequel to 2013's "" and a prequel to 2012's "Assassin's Creed III" with its final mission being the prologue to 2014's "Assassin's Creed Unity". It is the last of the "Assassin's Creed" game to be released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Ubisoft announcing that the company will no longer release games for them, except for its casual rhythm series "Just Dance". The game was first released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November and December 2014 in North America, Australasia, Europe and Japan, and released for Microsoft Windows on March 10, 2015. A remastered version was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 20, 2018.
Assassin's Creed II is a 2009 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the second major installment in the "Assassin's Creed" series, a sequel to 2007's "Assassin's Creed", and the first chapter in the "Ezio trilogy". The game was first released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2009, and was later made available on Microsoft Windows in March 2010 and OS X in October 2010. Several minor game related features could be redeemed on Uplay and three downloadable expansion packs were released on Xbox Live.
The game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its storytelling, visuals, art design, and originality, although the game was also criticized for the repetitive nature of its gameplay. "Assassin's Creed" won several awards at E3 in 2006, as well as several end-year awards after its release. The game spawned a sequel, "Assassin's Creed II", which was released in November 2009. Since the release and success of "Assassin's Creed II", subsequent games have been released, with various other Assassins and time periods.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the third major installment in the "Assassin's Creed" series, a direct sequel to 2009's "Assassin's Creed II", and the second chapter in the 'Ezio trilogy'. The game was first released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November and December 2010, and was later made available on Microsoft Windows in March and June 2011.
Assassin's Creed: The Americas Collection, developed by Ubisoft Montreal, features Assassin's Creed III, Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The collection was released on October 28, 2014.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the sixth major installment in the "Assassin's Creed" series. Its historical timeframe precedes that of "Assassin's Creed III" (2012), though its modern-day sequences succeed "III"s own. "Black Flag" was first released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U in October 2013 and a month later for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles is an episodic 2.5D action game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Xbox One. The first episode is available with the purchase of Assassin's Creed Unity's DLC season pass and features Shao Jun in 16th century China.[39] The second entry, India, was released on January 12, 2016 on the same platforms, and the last entry, Russia, was released on February 9, 2016.[40]
In February 2016, Ubisoft announced they would not be releasing a new game in 2016 in order to step "back and [re-examine] the Assassin's Creed franchise... [and take the] year to evolve the game mechanics and to make sure we're delivering on the promise of Assassin's Creed offering unique and memorable gameplay experiences".[24] On the decision, Guillemot said that "Ubisoft started to question the annualized franchise with the release of Assassin's Creed Unity, and the fact that Assassin's Creed Syndicate had "a slower launch than expected". Guillemot added that "by moving away from the annual iterations of the franchise, it will give the Assassin's Creed teams more time to take advantage of new engines and technology".[25] Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's director Ashraf Ismail, commented on an interview that he and the team would be interested in doing an Assassin's Creed game in an Ancient Egyptian setting, along with reiterating an earlier statement that a female leading character was not an impossibility for the series.[26] In May 2017, Ubisoft confirmed the development of Assassin's Creed Origins. It was announced to be set in the Ptolemaic Egypt in June 2017. The game was released worldwide on October 27, 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows.[27]
Ubisoft's senior vice president of sales and marketing, Tony Key, said the game would enjoy the biggest marketing commitment in company history. Ubisoft UK MD Rob Cooper has said that "Assassin's Creed III" is a good entry point for newcomers to the series, and that he thinks "Assassin's Creed III" will hold its own against this year's biggest releases. In March 2012, the "Assassin's Creed: Double Pack" was released both as a retail purchase for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and for download on PSN, which brings together the first "Assassin's Creed" and "Assassin's Creed II" in a virtual compilation box.
Assassin's Creed Unity is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released in November 2014 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the eighth major installment in the "Assassin's Creed" series, and the successor to 2013's "". It also has ties to "Assassin's Creed Rogue" which was released for the previous generation consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on the same date.
Assassin's Creed II: Discovery is a video game for the Nintendo DS and iOS developed by Griptonite Games and written by Darby McDevitt. It's part of the "Assassin's Creed" series of video games. Ubisoft's producer Ben Mattes officially revealed the development of the game in Apple Inc.'s keynote speech on September 9, 2009, for a November 17 release. The iOS version was delayed, but Ubisoft did not comment with a reason for the delay. In contrast to "", the previous title in the "Assassin's Creed" series to be on these devices, "Discovery" is a 2.5D side-scroller. Both iPhone and DSi users are able to use their devices' camera function to display portraits as wanted posters in-game. "Discovery" was released concurrently with "Assassin's Creed II" and "". The game takes place within "Assassin's Creed II" between The Battle of Forli DLC in Sequence 12 and Bonfire of the Vanities DLC in Sequence 13.
In early February 2013, during its quarterly financial call to investors, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the next "Assassin's Creed" game, due for release some time before April 2014, would feature a new hero, time period, and development team. On February 28, 2013, Ubisoft posted their first promotional picture and cover for their next "Assassin's Creed" game, following leaked marketing material days before. It announced the title of the game as "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" and featured an unnamed character holding a flintlock and a sword with a black flag in the back ground containing the Assassin's symbol with a skull. A reported glitch on the official "Assassin's Creed IV" website suggested the game will release on next-gen consoles and October 29 as the release date, which was confirmed by the first trailer for the game, released on March 4, 2013 (originally leaked on March 2, 2013, but was quickly pulled by Ubisoft).
Assassin's Creed: Heritage Collection collects the first five games of the main series into one collection, featuring Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Assassin's Creed III. Released on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 8, 2013.[42]
Work on "Assassin's Creed III" began in January 2010 (almost immediately after the release of "Assassin's Creed II") by a senior team of Ubisoft developers. The title was in development for two and a half years and had the longest development cycle since the first "Assassin's Creed". When Ubisoft first revealed "" in 2010, as new details came to light, there was some confusion within the gaming community as to whether this would be "Assassin's Creed III". According to the developers, "Brotherhood" was not "Assassin's Creed III", and the third installment would not star a "pre-existing character." Ubisoft Montreal's developers stated in their interviews that "Assassin's Creed III" would be released eventually.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It was released on October 23, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on November 19, 2015, for Microsoft Windows. It is the ninth major installment in the "Assassin's Creed" series, and the successor to 2014's "Assassin's Creed Unity".
Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection, developed by Virtuos and Ubisoft Montreal, features remastered versions of Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations single-player modes, using the Anvil engine, for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (the multiplayer being excluded from the package). The games feature improved graphics, lighting, effects and textures, and also include all previously released downloadable content for the single-player. In addition, the bundle features the short films Assassin's Creed: Embers and Assassin's Creed: Lineage. The collection was released on November 15, 2016 to mixed reviews,[43][44] being generally criticized for its minimal graphical enhancements, the dated gameplay, and the capped 30 frames per second.[45][46]
The "PS3-Only edition" includes the standard game contents plus a complete version of the "Assassin's Creed" original game included in the game disc. This edition is only available to those who bought the game when it first released or pre-ordered it. The "Animus Edition" features an Animus box, an in-depth encyclopedia, an animated short film ("Assassin's Creed Embers Movie") and the original game's soundtrack. In-game content included is an exclusive mission ("Vlad the Impaler Prison"), an armor from "" ("Armor of Brutus") in single-player, weapons capacity upgrades, and two additional multiplayer characters ("The Crusader" and "Ottoman Jester").
Assassin's Creed: Lineage is a series of three short films based on the "Assassin's Creed II" video game, which describes the history of Ezio Auditore and his family. The films are made by Ubisoft, with the collaboration of Hybride Technology, and the first episode was released on 26 October 2009 on YouTube. The films have a promotional goal for the game as well as an attempt for Ubisoft to make its first step in the film industry.
In November 2010, Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot teased "something "Assassin's" related" in 2011, despite an earlier statement by Ubisoft Montreal's Jean-Francois Boivin that no "Assassin's Creed" game will be released in 2011. Geoffroy Sardin of Ubisoft later confirmed that there will be a "big" Assassin's Creed game in 2011. Guillemot also explained that ultimate goal for Ubisoft is to release new games in the franchise annually along with Ubisoft's most popular other franchises. In February 2011, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the next "Assassin's Creed" game would be released during its next fiscal year, which starts on April 1, 2011, and ends on March 31, 2012.
On November 12, 2009, Ubisoft released "Assassin's Creed II" themed virtual items on PlayStation Home to promote the release of the game, as well as the game "" for PSP. "Assassin's Creed II" virtual items and an Ezio costume were also released on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360's avatars. On November 19, 2009, more "Assassin's Creed II" virtual items were released in PlayStation Home, along with a costume for Ezio, which was released on November 26, 2009, in which the player could obtain and roam PlayStation Home in it. On December 3, 2009, more 15th century Italian renaissance themed items were released in Home.
Ezio's "Purple Assassin" costume is available to download on "LittleBigPlanet", as of December 8, 2009, on the PlayStation Network.
"Assassin's Creed: Lineage" was first released on DVD in March 2010 as a bonus content in a special "Lineage Edition" of "Assassin's Creed II" (also known as "Special Film Edition"). The DVD was included in the special editions of ": Auditore Edition" (exclusive to Australia, Europe and New Zealand) and "Limited Codex Edition". A North American DVD release has been announced and will be in stores 15 November.