The story of Assassin's Creed follows the life of the legendary Assassin Mentor Ezio Auditore. Born into a noble family during the Renaissance in Florence, Ezio's life is shattered after witnessing his father and brothers being executed by the Templars. Inheriting his father's hidden legacy, he takes up the Assassin's mantle and gradually rises through the ranks, eventually becoming one of the most respected Mentors in the history of the Brotherhood.
For this project, John decided to focus on the trilogy that chronicles Ezio's growth and transformation throughout his life. The game itself would be entrusted to Martel and his team.
After the successful development of Resident Evil 2, Martel's team had more than proven their capabilities. They possessed the technical expertise, production experience, and creative vision necessary to tackle a project of this scale. More importantly, judging from both Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2, Martel had demonstrated a remarkable understanding of what mainstream players wanted.
As a series traditionally known for horror, many developers would have focused almost entirely on frightening players. They would have emphasized survival mechanics, limited resources, puzzle-solving, and constant tension.
However, when Martel took charge of Resident Evil 2, he deliberately shifted the design philosophy. While retaining the atmosphere of the original, he reduced the emphasis on pure horror and significantly expanded the shooting mechanics, action sequences, and cooperative online gameplay.
Although some long-time fans who preferred the classic horror experience voiced their dissatisfaction, the impressive sales figures spoke for themselves. Whether that approach was right or wrong remained a matter of opinion, but one thing was undeniable: Martel was a game producer who always prioritized the broader market.
"An Assassin's story?" Martel asked curiously after briefly reviewing John's design document in the office. "But this assassin seems very different from what I imagined."
Before receiving the complete GDD and supporting materials, he had spent several days speculating about the project. When he first heard the title Assassin's Creed, he naturally imagined something similar to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, only set in a historical era rather than the modern world.
In his mind, he pictured a silent figure dressed in dark clothing, slipping through moonlit rooftops. Guards patrolled the estate below while the assassin moved like a shadow, scaling walls, avoiding detection, and carrying a poisoned dagger. After infiltrating the mansion, the assassin would quietly eliminate the target before disappearing into the darkness without leaving a trace. That was probably the image most people associated with the word "assassin."
Yet after receiving John's design documents and examining the character concepts produced by Evelien's team, Martel found himself completely baffled. Had he misunderstood the meaning of the word assassin?
The character wore a white hooded robe with a highly distinctive and stylish design. Martel hadn't even researched the clothing styles of Renaissance Florence yet, but he was already certain of one thing: There was no way ordinary citizens dressed like that.
What exactly was this supposed to be? Shouldn't assassins blend into crowds? Shouldn't they be as inconspicuous as possible? Looking at the eye-catching white robes and elaborate outfit, Martel couldn't help thinking that the character looked less like a hidden killer and more like someone wearing a giant sign that read: "I'm an Assassin."
"Assassin is only a title," John replied with a smile after noticing Martel's puzzled expression. "What truly matters is their creed and their spirit. The Assassins fight to preserve free will and humanity's right to choose its own path."
He paused before continuing. "In the game, the Assassins are the primary faction the player joins. Their enemies, the Templars, seek to control humanity by manipulating free will and centralizing power. But the line isn't always clear. If an Assassin begins imposing his own will on others, then despite his title, he has become a Templar in spirit. Likewise, if a Templar genuinely fights to protect freedom of choice, then in a sense, he has become an Assassin."
John's explanation was brief, but it conveyed the philosophical foundation of the story.
Martel listened carefully and nodded. "So the word 'Assassin' is more of an ideological symbol?" he asked. "In reality, this isn't a stealth-focused assassination game at all, is it?"
Because John was both the creator and the company's leader, Martel wisely refrained from saying what he was really thinking. After all, accusing the game wasn't exactly the smartest career move.
Still, he had begun to understand the game's core concept. Despite its title, Assassin's Creed wasn't simply about stealth kills and covert operations. The Assassins represented a philosophy rather than a gameplay restriction.
Although Martel didn't say it outright, John immediately understood what he meant. He coughed awkwardly before defending his idea. "That's not entirely true. Players can absolutely perform assassinations. In fact, assassination missions are one of the major gameplay pillars."
John became more animated as he spoke. "Imagine infiltrating an enemy stronghold, identifying your target among hundreds of soldiers, and then striking at exactly the right moment. The game slows down, the camera zooms in, and the hidden blade lands the finishing blow. That kind of feedback is incredibly satisfying, almost like executing an ultimate move in a fighting game."
Then John paused for a moment and added with a perfectly serious expression: "Besides, if every witness at the scene is eliminated, isn't that technically a perfect assassination?"
"..." Martel opened his mouth, only to close it again. For several seconds, he couldn't think of a single response.
Although the game hadn't even entered full production yet, an incredibly vivid image had already formed in his mind. A lone Assassin stood proudly in the middle of a square littered with hundreds of bodies.
Looking around at the carnage, he calmly declared: "Now that was a perfect assassination."
Fortunately, Martel decided not to dwell on the contradiction between the game's title and its actual gameplay. Instead, he continued reading through the design document.
A few moments later, he noticed something interesting. "Mr. John, is the story structure of Assassin's Creed completely linear?"
As he examined the gameplay section, he could already infer quite a bit from his years of development experience, even though John hadn't written extensive explanations.
"More accurately, it's pseudo-linear," John answered. "Think of the mission structure in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain rather than the fully interconnected, anything-goes progression of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."
John had spent considerable time debating this decision. Should the game embrace the open-ended design philosophy of Skyrim, where countless storylines flowed together like rivers joining the sea? Or should it focus on a stronger narrative path with more controlled pacing? After much consideration, he ultimately chose the latter.
That said, the gameplay itself would still borrow ideas from several games he remembered from his dreams. Open-world exploration, character progression systems, equipment upgrades, and RPG-style growth mechanics would all play major roles. Simply put, the game would introduce substantial RPG elements into the Assassin formula.
And when it came to RPG progression systems, Martel was unquestionably among the best game producers in the country. That was one of the primary reasons John had entrusted Assassin's Creed to him.
The discussion continued for nearly two hours. Inside the office, the two men carefully analyzed every major aspect of the project, from combat design and open-world structure to mission flow, narrative pacing, and the philosophical conflict between Assassins and Templars. Only after they had covered the most important elements did the meeting finally conclude.
Martel returned to his own office, his head filled with new ideas for the project. Meanwhile, John remained behind, making further refinements to his latest game design plan.
Just as he finished updating several key sections, his phone suddenly vibrated. A new message had arrived, and it was from Steven from Power Storm. The message was simple: Steven wanted to meet with him for a chat.