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Assassin's Creed Syndicate brings the series to London

Assassin's Creed Syndicate brings the series to London

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After last year's foray into Paris, Assassin's Creed is returning to another European capital: London. Following a series of rumors, today Ubisoft officially unveiled the latest game in the series, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, which will shift the setting to Industrial Revolution-era London in 1868.

It will feature both male and female protagonists, siblings Jacob and Evie Frye — the developer came under fire for its comments on female characters at last year's E3 — although Jacob appears to be the game's lead. It's being developed at Ubisoft's Quebec City studio, instead of Montreal where the series is normally developed. Syndicate will let you enlist the help of street gangs during your quest, and the studio claims it will be the fastest game in the series, with a new emphasis on weapons like hidden blades and brass knuckles. The team describes it as more of a brawler than previous entries. London's criminal underworld appears to play a big part in the story, as Ubisoft describes it:

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In Assassin's Creed Syndicate you'll play as Jacob Frye, an assassin born and bred poised to take over the criminal underworld of London during the Industrial Revolution. Amidst blossoming conflicts between newly crowned kings of industry and the working class they exploit for all they're worth, Jacob will work in the shadows as he climbs to the top of the criminal underground as the head of one of the city's most notorious street gangs.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Unity, the previous main entry in the series, was the first built exclusively for the new generation of consoles (ACIV launched on both generations), and featured a stunningly realized virtual version of Paris during the French Revolution. Unfortunately, it was also marred by a seemingly never-ending string of technical issues.

The new game's announcement shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Much like other blockbuster series, including Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed has become an annualized franchise, with at least one new release coming out each year since its debut in 2007. In fact, there's already been an Assassin's Creed game this year, with the launch of the 2D Chronicles spin-off. Next year, meanwhile, will also see the premiere of a live-action Assassin's Creed movie starring Michael Fassbender.

Syndicate is launching on October 23rd for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.