Assassin’s Creed Valhalla hasn’t even come out yet, and already fans are trying to guess about the next installment in the franchise.
Unfortunately, that led to an opportunistic internet user trying to pass off a photo from one of the most popular family movie franchises of all time as definitive proof regarding the future of Assassin’s Creed.
When any supposed leak hits the internet it should be accompanied by a massive grain of salt. People are always trying to pass off fake information to a fanbase desperate for any bit of information they can get their hands on.
When it comes to Assassin’s Creed, speculation is always huge. That’s because every game centers around a new protagonist in some new period of time. We’ve seen Renaissance Italy, the American Revolution, the British industrial age, pirates in the Caribbean, Ancient Greece, Egypt, and much more.
There are three things that one should take into account when a potential leak or spoiler is released. What is the source? Where is the proof? And how believable is it?
In relation to this supposed leak, the answers were a random Reddit user, there is none, and it’s not.
The reddit post was marked “Assassin’s Creed 2021 Setting Leak” and it was posted by a user going by the handle assassafan2020.
“New 4chan post shared a screenshot and a little information,” the post said. “Black plague France is the setting. Releasing 2021. Will be cross gen.”
The screenshot was clickable and when you actually clicked on it, you saw an image of a cloaked figure riding atop a white horse, reaching up to pull his hood off.
Of course, this is not a screenshot from any Assassin’s Creed game past, present, or future. It is a shot of Prince Charming from the Shrek films, which was quickly pointed out and this “leak” was debunked.
The idea of Assassin’s Creed returning to France was already strange enough. The series had already journeyed through the French Revolution in Assassin’s Creed Unity. The series is not known for double dipping into the same location, regardless of time period.
The only time that has happened was during the Ezio trilogy, when both Assassin’s Creed 2 and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood took place in Renaissance Italy. Of course, these games were in continuity with one another, following the same character. The French Revolution and the Black Plague were two completely different time periods, which would be strange for an Assassin’s Creed title.
