Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is hitting store shelves in less than a month. The game will focus on the time of the Norse Vikings and their attempted conquest of England in the ninth century.
Before players take control of Eivor, who can be either male or female depending on player preference, they can get some background information on the time period and historical moments that the game will be drawing upon.
Ubisoft has launched a five part podcast series on Spotify called Echoes of Valhalla, which introduces players to the Vikings to help them understand the life, customs, and beliefs of these ancient warriors.
You’ll learn what urged the Vikings to leave their “magnificent lands to risk it all for the chance to find fame and fortune.”
Each of the five episodes clocks in at around 15 minutes in length and serves as an introduction to Nordic history.
Part of the fun of an Assassin’s Creed game is living through points of history that you’re familiar with. In Assassin’s Creed 3, for instance, players got to experience moments from the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, as well as hear iconic speeches that are taught in history classes to this day.
But Nordic history isn’t widely taught, especially in American schools. That’s why a podcast centered around these historic figures could help create a knowledge bridge for players that will deepen their experience while playing this game.
The game will release on November 10, the same day as the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles. This news dropped after it was announced that Halo Infinite would be delayed into 2021. That means Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is something of a marquee game for the release of this new console, so a lot is riding on its success.
Of course, Ubisoft has had a rough year. Rampant complaints of workplace discrimination and sexual misconduct from on high have laid waste to the developer’s reputation. A lot of the controversy has been centered around the Assassin’s Creed series.
For instance, it was leaked from an inside source that some within Ubisoft have been trying to create a female-led Assassin’s Creed title for years, with sole female protagonists pitched for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Origins, and Odyssey.
According to these sources, each time this was pitched, it was shot down by some of the higher ups, who stated that, “Women don’t sell.”
On top of that, Ashraf Ismail, the director of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, was fired from the company in the midst of his game’s development after he was named in a slew of sexual misconduct allegations.
