If you are sick with the radio towers on the Assassin’s Creed series, would an apology make you feel better?
Patrice Désilets was asked about the idea of the radio towers, and he could only laugh. The Assassin’s Creed creator was in EGLX in Toronto, Canada. Even today, when he’s already moved on to other projects, he’s still associated with one of Ubisoft’s most successful games.
He said one of his favorite titles was Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The expansive universe allows the player to do anything after “finishing the first half-hour or so.” Unwittingly, he brought that over to Assassin’s Creed, where you need to climb towers to unfog the map.
While gamers found the radio towers a novelty at the beginning, they quickly wore out their welcome. Some players have remarked about the bad mechanics where it takes a lot of their time climbing the tower. A digital map would have quickened the pace of the game.
“Sorry, it’s my fault,” he conceded, to which the crowd erupted in laughter.
Désilets left Assassin’s Creed in 2010 and went to work for THQ. However, in a bad stroke of luck, the studio folded only to be acquired by Ubisoft later on. Suddenly, the creative director found himself under his former employer once again. The partnership only lasted for three years before he was fired. The termination led to a legal lawsuit filed by Désilets against Ubisoft.
In explaining why he left Ubisoft, he claimed to be tired of all the “political lying.” For the most part, he was the one facing the press, and the stress proved too much. He said that he was never a good liar, and the constant need to do so burdened him.
He left when he was in the middle of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. But even today, people know him as the “Assassin’s Creed guy,” which is both a blessing and a curse. For instance, being known as the creator of the game opened a lot of doors for him. On the other hand, he could not shed off his previous persona even if he has already moved on.
Désilets said that he hadn’t touched Assassin’s Creed in 10 years, but he’s no longer bothered by the situation.
In August this year, Désilets and his team released Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey under Panache Digital Games. It is the first project by the Assassin’s Creed since Brotherhood back in 2010.
