After a long break (OK, maybe not that long), Assassin’s Creed is back. Assassin’s Creed: Origins is taking Ubisoft’s flagship franchise to Egypt, the publisher announced today during Microsoft’s Xbox event today ahead of next week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo tradeshow in Los Angeles.
As rumors suggested, Origins takes place in Egypt and shows the start of the Assassin’s Brotherhood, one of the mainstays throughout the series. It is coming out on October 27 for Xbox One (PlayStation 4 and PC versions are likely).
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has sold over 100 million games, but sales for the franchise were beginning to slow down after a long run of yearly releases. Now, after skipping 2016, Origins is hoping to ramp up excitement for the series again.
A gameplay demonstration showed the hero, Bayek, riding a horse into an Egyptian town. He used an eagle to scout out his environment before scaling a wall and searching for his target. For the first time, the series has stat-based loot, similar to role-playing games like Destiny or The Witcher. Bayek can also level up, adding even more of an RPG flair to the game.
The demo also showed off a new combat system. The franchise’s love of one-hit kill counters is gone. Instead, Bayek attacks with a series of ranged bow strikes and melee weapons.