It seems like Assassin's Creed Unity is getting all of Ubisoft's advertising love nowadays. It makes sense, knowing that Unity represents a bold new change for the franchise. It likely cost a fair bit of money to get off the ground, and Ubisoft wants to make sure they get that money back.
But with all this Unity hype it's easy to forget that Ubisoft's got two Assassin's Creed games coming out in November, and we haven't heard nearly as much about Rogue as we have about Unity. We know that Templar protagonist Shay Cormac will be running into historical figures and events throughout his journey, just like his predecessors, but we have almost no details. Using what we do know about the game's setting, however, we can certainly guess at what Rogue might have waiting for us.
What we do know is that the game takes place in New York City and around the North Atlantic from 1752 to 1761. Rogue uses the French and Indian War, the American theater for Britain and France's seven-year spat, as its primary setting. This means that Shay will almost certainly be rubbing elbows with some of the war's top military officers. George Washington was a major figure in the war, meaning we'll probably get to see a good amount of him. General Edward Braddock will also likely play a big role, especially since he's a former Templar in the Assassin's Creed mythos. He doesn't get killed by Haytham Kenway until 1755, so Shay still has a good three years to hang out with him.
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Speaking of Haytham, we already know that he and Shay will be close partners throughout Rogue, meaning we'll also likely get to see Haytham's Templar team of historical figures including military men Charles Lee and John Pitcairn. As for other characters from games past, Ubisoft has already confirmed that Shay will be going up against Adéwalé from the Freedom Cry expansion to Black Flag. Eagle-eyed fans have also sworn to have seen a young Achilles Davenport, the Mentor from Assassin's Creed III, fighting against Shay in previous trailers.
Outside the war, there are several events in Colonial America that Shay could have a hand in or at least witness. The Great Expulsion of 1755 included the deportation of the French-speaking Acadian population of Canada, a massive event that could very likely form a plot point for Shay given the game's focus on the North Atlantic.
Mary Campbell could also make an appearance in the game. The 10-year-old girl was famously kidnapped by a group of Lenape Native Americans in 1758. She's known as the first white child to set foot on the land that now belongs to Ohio. Her historical significance may not be enough to make her a major plot point, but she could easily be the star of a side quest.
In 1756, St. Patrick's Day was first celebrated in New York City. Given Shay's obvious Irish heritage and residence in New York, it seems very likely that these festivities will at least be mentioned. On the topic of Shay's Irish blood, Guinness Brewery first opened in 1759. It would take a bit of a narrative stretch to have this event affect the American colonies, but it's certainly worth a casual mention in the game, especially for a company that's still relevant today.
Compared to what we know about Unity, we know precious little about what we can expect from Assassin's Creed Rogue. We can only hope that it'll serve as a fitting end to the Kenway trilogy and a proper send off to the passing generation of consoles.
Assassin's Creed Rogue is set to hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems November 11.
