You know your game has hit it big when it gets multiple board games. It's like a rite of passage, a coronation of brand success, a magna cum laude for a property or franchise to evolve and extend beyond its humble roots and into the realm of cross-merchandise branding. And so, like many massive video game franchises, Assassin's Creed has been one of the many laureates in the gaming realm to receive a board game. According to recent reports, it appears as if the bread and butter under Ubisoft's publishing wing could be on the receiving end of yet another board game. Yes, a second Assassin's Creed could be coming.
According to Kotaku, the reason that the board game "could" be coming as opposed to saying it "will" come is the fact that it has to be Kickstarted. It may be an Assassin's Creed game, but it's not being funded by Ubisoft. In fact, it's not even being made by Ubisoft, just licensed from the company. Independent board game maker Triton Noir is heading up the project.
The name of the game is Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice, and it will be a lot more focused compared to the previous board game outing that took place back in 2014. The upcoming game will focus on story, stealth and close-range assassinations, according to the article. It will be set in 1509 and cover the rise of the Brotherhood during the Renaissance, meaning it will take place between the games Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed Revelations.
For those of you who don't know, between those two games the Brotherhood escalated its territory and influence throughout Rome under the leadership of Ezio Auditore. After the events of Assassin's Creed II, and following the destruction of Ezio's original home, the Assassin regrouped and reformed the Assassins guild in Rome with a much stronger focus on establishing an army of killers. This is all before things came to a crashing halt in Assassin's Creed Revelations, which was the finale tale of Ezio's journey.
The board game will allow for up to four players to participate, or you can play the game solo. Much like the actual game that it's based on, players will be able to upgrade the Assassin's headquarters, as well as encounter a few of the characters from the games, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Lucrezia Borgia, and Ezio Auditore.
The upcoming game -- assuming it's successful on Kickstarter -- will join a host of other popular titles made by Triton Noir that have managed to carve out a corner in the board game industry.
At the moment, you can purchase the V-Commandos series from the company's website, while you wait for the Kickstarter to begin for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice come November 13th. The team is currently sculpting the pieces and fleshing out the core game in preparation for the crowdfunding drive.
The board game is expected to provide about 20 hours worth of gaming, so it sounds like there will be plenty of replayability.
