STACK NZ Magazine November Issue 57

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GAMES FEATURE
10
Vive la
Why did you decide uponThe French
Revolution as the historical setting for an
Assassin’s Creed game?
MAXIME DURAND: The French Revolution was the
perfect template for an Assassin’s Creed title for a
variety of reasons.The Revolution itself was far more
than a simple rebellion against an unpopular king; it
was a total rejection of repressive feudal principles
that had endured for centuries.The French Revolution
gave the middle finger (and the guillotine) to anyone
who supported the old social order of Europe.
It was also a time of firsts. It included the
first-ever assault on the concept of organised
religion, the first genuinely populist uprising
(which was put down by other revolutionaries)
and the first modern police state, with show
trials, informants, and public executions.
On the brighter side, it included the first clear
enunciation of modern liberal principles that we, in
theWest, now take for granted. For all our focus on
the American Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of
the Rights of Man predated the American document
by a year.The French Revolution saw the birth of the
charter of rights; it’s the inauguration of a new world.
At the individual level, it was exceptionally bloody
and nearly all of the victims were civilians. It was a
time of terror in which no one was safe. A man could
be sent to the guillotine on his neighbour’s whim.
In sum, it was an extraordinarily violent, cruel, and
momentous decade that took Europe by surprise.
And while we might think we know what happened,
there are plenty of stories from that time which have,
until now, escaped popular imagination.
The French Revolution is such a complex
period of history.Was it challenging to shape
a game from this monumental historical event?
Assassin’s Creed: Unity is really about Arno’s story,
his relationship with Elise and his redemption quest,
epitomised by his journey from novice, to master
assassin.The French Revolution acts as a backdrop
to Arno’s story. Consequently, we’ll be crossing
paths with numerous and very diverse historical
figures, landmarks and events. Unity is respectful to
historical facts and intentions regarding these, while
integrating them into our unique narrative arc.The
historical experience we propose focuses on a vast
and immersive reproduction of Paris as a playground.
It is filled with real historical crowd life activities, such
as tanners, or popular era songs, like La Carmagnole .
What’s involved in researching a period
for anAssassin’s Creed game? Do you have
a team of resident historical experts or do
you consult externally?
For Unity, we had external and internal historians
who worked hand-in-hand with our core creative
team. In fact, they start their painstaking research
right at the beginning of the conception phase.
The core team does a lot of reading on the
specific setting and era, and even get to visit the
actual location.
We then begin our search for our historical
villain; someone whose many traits can somehow
epitomise an aspect of the setting.The fact that that
character died in a relevant moment in the game’s
timeline is also a plus…
The team itself also undergoes historical training.
We also make any pop culture elements that deal
with our specific timeline, such as books, films or
TV series readily available to everyone. For some
specific team members, such as the artists
responsible for recreating our buildings, monuments
or characters, we provide even more specific
elements such as blueprints and costumes.
We then usually ask for external historians to
review the results.This is important, especially
for the script.
The setting for Assassin’s Creed: Unity was
chosen immediately after Assassin’s Creed:
Brotherhood had been released; but it took years to
recreate the city of Paris to scale and level of detail.
Paris is by far the most ambitious we have ever
attempted in the history of Assassin’s Creed.
Although we get to see and experience Paris on a
daily basis, it’s only when we get to the later stages of
development that we experience it coming together...
the magical moment when crowd-life animations
match their audio and the final art and lighting are
integrated. Only then do we experience the full
immersion we were striving for.
In terms of authenticity, did the team consult period
plans, paintings and documentation in order to
construct a historically accurate
depiction of Paris?
The Paris of ACU is definitely an accurate
reproduction of Paris as it was circa 1789-1810.
We based it on many historical plans to create
our street layout, while adapting it to our navigation
metrics. Also, the 35 landmarks we recreated are
the most faithful ever reproduced on any Assassin’s
Creed game. We use loads of books to get to know
the details, but sometimes we actually consult
archaeological reports.
We do sometimes take a little liberty on
some details, such as the stryge on Notre-Dame.
For the team, this conveyed an important
emotional element, and although it was built a
few decades later, we included it in the game.
On the other hand, the paintings you’ll find in
Notre-Dame are specific to the era.
Also, we divided Paris into seven districts. Each
uses a different architecture set, mood and specific
crowd life.This was done by consulting specific
documentation, such as the Cris de Paris, corporation
lists, and a load of historical costume books. Archives
and libraries, either physical or digital editions, are our
best allies.The result is an impressive, immersive
experience built on a cinematic scale.
According to STACK’s Paul Jones, Maxime Durand has the best
job on earth; he gets to research history for video games.
We spoke with him about the history behind Assassin’s Creed: Unity.
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NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi
Revolution