The writer of Assassin’s Creed Origins was brought on because of a ‘punk play’ he wrote

Assassin’s Creed Origins, for all its historical leanings, may have a hint of punk to it.

Kotaku has posted a short interview clip with Alain Mercieca, lead writer of the new Assassin’s Creed, who was hired after the cinematic director (who he had previously worked with in another capacity) saw one of the plays he had written, ‘Squeegee Nights’.

Mercieca remembers being told “I want to bring that edge, that spice you guys have, to video games.”

The game, which is rich in stabby action sequences as well as stealthier moments, is being written with a few key values in mind, Mercieca says, including humility. His plays have always been, in some way, about ‘spirtual quests’, and he wanted to do something similar here.

Mercieca has worked on plays and films in the past, but when he was in his early 20s he also wrote his own game (the interview does not give more specific details on this. Although he says not many people in the playwright community knew that he loved games, his dad was not surprised by his new job, telling him “of course you write videogames; that’s all you did when you were with me.”

This is a pretty cool look at the writing of the game, and the process of designing a fictional character within the context of ‘real’ history.

Assassin’s Creed Origins, the first Assassin’s Creed game in two years, is out on October 27 for PS4, PC, and Xbox One.