Assassin's Creed Mirage takes us to Baghdad in 2023, stars a young Basim

Assassin's Creed Mirage has finally been fully unveiled by Ubisoft, starring Valhalla companion Basim, and it's out next year.

Announced today at Ubisoft's showcase celebrating 15 years of the Assassin's Creed series, Mirage is set in Baghdad, taking place 20 years before the events of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. As such, protagonist Basim isn't the esteemed assassin we know him as in Valhalla, but rather a street thief combing the alleyways and marketplaces.

That's how Basim merely starts out, though, because Mirage will see the now-protagonist transform into an assassin over the course of the new adventure. The reveal trailer from Ubisoft shows Basim getting into trouble with the law, before being rescued by Roshan, who becomes Basim's mentor over the course of Mirage.

Following the reveal trailer, narrative director Sarah Beaulieu joins the showcase to talk about Mirage. It turns out the new game will mark a return to the roots of the Assassin's Creed franchise at large, as Beaulieu reveals there'll be a big focus on stealth, parkour, and assassinations in the new game. 

Joining Basim and Roshan in Mirage will be a cast of characters both fictional and based on real-life people. Beaulieu doesn't reveal which particular historical figures Mirage will select to appear in the new game, but this inspiration is also very in keeping with the earliest Assassin's Creed games.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is launching at some point next year in 2023, Beaulieu says, although the narrative director didn't reveal which platforms the new game would be coming to. What we do know is that you'll get access to the exclusive 40 Thieves quest should you pre-order the new game, which previously leaked online earlier this month.

Here's why the new Assassin's Creed game could mark a big return to the crowd-blending fundamentals.