The Assassin's Creed series has taken us far and wide in telling the story of the ongoing conflict between the Order of Assassins and the Knights Templar, and with such a geographical and historical scope Ubisoft also has a duty to accurately and respectfully depict the various cultures seen in the series.
Expectations are now high for Assassin's Creed Mirage, which is set in Baghdad during the 9th Century, as the game has gained attention for its inclusion of Athan, the Islamic call to prayer.
The feature was highlighted by Malek Teffaha, senior manager of project management of global diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at Ubisoft, on Twitter, after it was mentioned by creative director Stéphane Boudon in a development diary released on YouTube.
- Assassin's Creed Shadows' Japanese setting has been "very, very tricky" because Ubisoft wants to be "respectful" and "avoid telling a culture about their own culture"
- Japanese officials "taking appropriate action" after viral Assassin's Creed Shadows video shows destruction of their shrine: "If they had asked us, we would have refused"
Ok.One of my favorite parts of the new #AssassinsCreedMirage diary that dropped today is the confirmation that indeed you will be able to hear the Athan (أذان), the Muslim call to prayer, within the game world!A lot of care was put into this game. Less than two months left! pic.twitter.com/uUipE451TWAugust 18, 2023
Ubisoft is receiving praise from many for choosing to include Athan, as well as its accurate depiction. Notable developer Rami Ismail states this is possibly the first time the Athan has been portrayed fully and accurately in a Western entertainment franchise, which he says is "incredibly damning" on the industry as a whole.
This is very good https://t.co/carWolZ6SuAugust 18, 2023
I think this'll be one of the first times *any* Western entertainment blockbuster has portrayed the Athan fully and accurately, which remains incredibly damning as far as I'm concerned. https://t.co/vJdknXY6YBAugust 19, 2023
Ubisoft's attention to detail and research has made players even more excited to explore the game and hear the Athan for themselves once it releases on October 5.
Assassin's Creed Mirage is releasing a week earlier than originally planned, giving it a headstart amongst October's other big releases including Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2
