‘Assassin’s Creed’ takes to Netflix in Ubisoft alliance

The agreement opens the door for Netflix and Ubisoft to create live-action, animated, and anime series spinning off Assassin’s Creed game storylines. Image: Ubisoft

Video game titan Ubisoft on Tuesday announced a deal with Netflix to create shows based on its hit Assassin’s Creed franchise.

The first project by the French-based video game group and the leading television streaming service is a series intended to be “an epic, genre-bending [live-action] adaptation” of the game franchise, according to the companies.

Word of the alliance comes ahead of the Nov. 10 release of the latest installment of the game, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla that sets play in a time of Vikings.

The agreement opens the door for Netflix and Ubisoft to create live-action, animated, and anime series spinning off Assassin’s Creed game storylines.

“We’re excited to partner with Ubisoft and bring to life the rich, multilayered storytelling that Assassin’s Creed is beloved for,” said Netflix vice president of original series Peter Friedlander.

“We are committed to carefully crafting epic and thrilling entertainment based on this distinct (intellectual property).”

The action role-playing games are known for historical fiction, setting adventures at significant points in time such as the Crusades and the Renaissance as well as the French and American revolutions.

Assassin’s Creed protagonists have included a Renaissance Italian, a 12th-Century Syrian, a pirate, and a Native American during the colonial period.

The connecting thread in the games is shared ancestry with an assassin part of a group battling oppressive forces.

Since its launch in 2007, the Assassin’s Creed series has sold more than 155 million games worldwide to rank among top-selling franchises, according to Ubisoft.

A team at Ubisoft is devoted to spreading its hit game franchises to other modes of entertainment.

“We’re thrilled to create an Assassin’s Creed series with Netflix and we look forward to developing the next saga in the Assassin’s Creed universe,” said Ubisoft film and television unit head Jason Altman.

Ubisoft has expanded the franchise into books and film. An Assassin’s Creed film starring Michael Fassbender released four years ago met with mediocre reviews and box-office results.

Ubisoft also announced Tuesday deals to make its online subscription service available at cloud game platforms Luna and Stadia fielded, respectively, by Amazon and Google.

Ubisoft+ service will begin testing meshing with Luna in the U.S. next month and with Stadia by the end of this year, according to the company.

Ubisoft+ offerings will include new releases such as Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. NVG

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