Assassin’s Creed Syndicate expected to have playable female lead

The next entry in the Assassin’s Creed series is likely to have a playable female as one of its lead characters.

Kotaku claims that Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate – believed to be the new name for Assassin’s Creed: Victory – will star a brother and sister as the main protagonists, with the sister being playable for a portion of the game.

The news is significant following the backlash Ubisoft endured last year, when an animator claimed that it had removed playable females from Assassin’s Creed: Unity because it doubled the workload. It was followed by similar comments by a member of the Far Cry 4 team. 

We spoke to animators last summer to investigate these claims.

In the wake of this controversy, Ubisoft promised to continue “showcasing diverse characters” in future titles.

Details for Syndicate/Victory first leaked back in December. Ubisoft Quebec is said to be taking the lead, with the title set in Victorian London.

Kotaku has since learned that players will take on the role of Jacob and Evie, the woman pictured in the concept art above. However, the game will still apparently be skewed towards Jacob’s adventures, with Evie expected to be playable for roughly a quarter of the game.

Ubisoft has previously included playable female assassins, most notably in Assassin’s Creed: Liberation and the series’ various multiplayer modes.

The official reveal of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is expected at 5pm UK time today.

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