Assassin's Creed III
A 2012 game set in Colonial America during the Assassin-Templar conflict.
Assassin's Creed III is an action-adventure game from 2012, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It serves as the third numbered main entry in the Assassin's Creed series and follows directly from 2011's Assassin's Creed Revelations. The game launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 starting October 30, 2012, in North America, with Wii U and Windows versions arriving in November 2012. A remastered edition came out in 2019 for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and later for Google Stadia in 2021.
The story blends fictional events with real-world history, centering on the long-running conflict between the Assassins, who champion free will and peace, and the Templars, who seek order through control. The modern-day framing follows series protagonist Desmond Miles as he uses the Animus to relive his ancestors' memories and prevent a 2012 apocalypse. The main plot takes place in 18th-century Colonial America from 1754 to 1783, following two interconnected characters: Haytham Kenway, a British Templar building his Order's influence during the French and Indian War, and his half-Mohawk son Ratonhnhaké:ton (also called Connor), who becomes an Assassin to protect his people and avenge his mother's death, opposing Templar efforts to sway the American Revolution.
The game is set in an open world viewed from a third-person perspective, emphasizing combat and stealth to eliminate targets and explore. Connor can freely roam 18th-century Boston, New York City, and the American frontier, completing side missions outside the main story. A multiplayer mode lets players compete online in solo and team objectives like assassinations and evasion. Ubisoft built a new engine, AnvilNext, for the title. Assassin's Creed III was among the first major games to prominently feature Mohawk people (Kanienʼkehá꞉ka), an Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous group. The development team consulted cultural experts to authentically portray Connor and other Mohawk characters. Several downloadable content packs were released, including *The Tyranny of King Washington*, a story expansion set in an alternate timeline.
Critics gave the game positive reviews, praising its gameplay, narrative, setting, and ambition, but criticizing uneven mechanics, mission design, and pacing. Commercially, it sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Assassin's Creed III
- Developer
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Director
- Alex Hutchinson
- Writer
- Corey May
- Composer
- Lorne Balfe
- Series
- Assassin's Creed
- Engine
- AnvilNext
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3 · Xbox 360 · Wii U · Microsoft Windows · Remastered · Microsoft Windows · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch · Google Stadia
- Genre
- Action-adventure, stealth
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayerNot present in remastered version; legacy multiplayer servers were shut down in late 2022.
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game's plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features series protagonist Desmond Miles using a machine known as the Animus to relive the memories of his ancestors and find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. The main narrative is set in 18th-century Colonial America from 1754 to 1783, and follows two characters whose stories are interconnected: Haytham Kenway, a British Templar who attempts to build a presence for his Order in the colonies during the French and Indian War; and Ratonhnhaké:ton / Connor, Haytham's half-Mohawk son, who becomes an Assassin to protect his people and avenge his mother's death, and battles the Templars' attempts to influence the outcome of the American Revolution.
Reader's Guide
Assassin's Creed III was a commercial success, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay, narrative, setting, and ambitious scale, while criticism was directed at the unevenly developed gameplay mechanics, mission design, and pacing. The game introduced naval gameplay to the series, a feature that would become central in later installments. Ubisoft developed a new game engine, AnvilNext, for the game. The team sought to capture Mohawk culture as authentically as possible and consulted with cultural experts about the depiction of Connor and other Mohawk characters. A remastered version was released in 2019 for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and in 2021 for Google Stadia. The game's modern-day narrative continues in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, released in October 2013, which follows Haytham's father and Connor's grandfather, Edward Kenway. Another prequel, Assassin's Creed Rogue, was released in November 2014.
Did You Know?
- Assassin's Creed III was one of the first major video game releases to prominently feature Mohawk people.
- The game introduced naval gameplay to the Assassin's Creed series.
- The multiplayer servers for Assassin's Creed III were shut down on October 1, 2022.
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