Next Assassin’s Creed Reportedly Set In Baghdad

The recent rumours that the next instalment of Assassin’s Creed would have an Aztec setting are untrue. 

Rumours had been circulating online that the next Assassin’s Creed will have an Aztec setting. The source had previously leaked accurate information regarding Far Cry: Primal, another Ubisoft title. This caused people to lend credence to their claims but they have now been debunked.

According to journalist Jason Schreier (via Bloomberg) the next setting for Assassin’s Creed will be Baghdad and not the Aztec Empire. 

Schreier responded to a Reddit thread surrounding the Aztec rumours, debunking the claim and affirming that Baghdad is where the newest instalment, codenamed Rift, will be taking place. 

“The next AC game is Rift, which is set in Baghdad. After that will be AC Infinity, and while that’s going to include a bunch of different games/experiences/biomes/whatever you want to call them, I’ve heard about the main two and neither of them are Aztec.” 

According to Bloomberg’s reporting earlier this year, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla character Basim will feature in Rift. 

Additionally, Rift was originally planned as an expansion for Valhalla but was spun off into its own standalone game during development. Rift is planned to be a smaller stealth-focused experience rather than the sprawling maps we have been seeing in recent instalments of Assassin’s Creed. 

Baghdad is the modern-day capital of Iraq and is a city with a rich cultural history. As Basim was born in the Abbasid Caliphate, the capital of which was Baghdad, the character seems a natural fit to appear in the location. This marks a return for the series to the Middle East, a geographical area that has featured in the series a few times including the original Assassin’s Creed (The Holy Land & Maysaf), Assassin’s Creed Revelations (Constantinople) and Assassin’s Creed Origins (Egypt).