Why is the new Assassin’s Creed set in Baghdad?

The new game in the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise, titled “Assassin’s Creed Mirage”, had its official launch last Thursday, the 5th, and has already been a huge success among game fans.

Now, the plot is set in Baghdad, in the year 861, around 900 years after the events of “Origins”, and just a decade before “Valhalla”, a game released in 2020. But, have you ever wondered why Is the new title set in the capital of Iraq?

In an exclusive interview with the Aventuras na História portal, the specialist in the history of the Middle East, Raphael Weylandwho worked together with the Ubisoft in reproducing the entire game scenario, revealed that the main reason for choosing Baghdad to portray the new challenges is linked to the history of the franchise itself.

“The franchise started in the Middle East, with Jerusalem and other cities. So we decided we wanted to go back to the Middle East, where it all began, with a story centered on those who came before the Assassins, in fact, in our mythology, the ‘Eden Ones ‘. That’s why we chose a location in the Middle East as the main location.”

Raphael continued his speech by stating that “when we decided on the Middle East and the 9th century, there was practically no place to go. It would be Baghdad, because Baghdad, in the 9th century, was the capital of the Abbasid Empire. It was the most important city in the region, at least one of the largest cities in the world at the time. So for us it was very clear when we decided to go to the Middle East […] that we needed to go to Baghdad.”

“Assassin’s Creed Mirage” is available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, iOS and Microsoft Windows. Check out the full interview!