You’ve seen the fan art. You know the one—a hooded figure perched on a gargoyle overlooking a bombed-out Reichstag or stalking a target through the neon-lit streets of occupied Paris. It’s been the holy grail of the community for over a decade. Honestly, the obsession with Assassin’s Creed in World War 2 is kind of exhausting at this point, but I get it. The sheer drama of the 1940s fits the Templar vs. Assassin conflict like a glove. But here’s the thing: Ubisoft has spent years dancing around this era, and there's a huge gap between what players want and what the actual lore says happened.
Most people assume the series hasn’t touched the 1940s because guns would break the game. That’s a common misconception. We’ve already had rifles in Unity and revolvers in Syndicate. The real reason is more complicated.
The Secret History of Assassin’s Creed in World War 2
The Animus has actually shown us snippets of this era before. Do you remember Lydia Frye? In Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, there’s a literal "glitch" in the simulation that transports you to London during the Blitz. You play as Jacob Frye’s granddaughter, hunting German spies and taking down Messerschmitt planes with AA guns. It was a proof of concept. It proved that a modern urban setting with automatic weapons could actually work within the franchise's mechanics.
But Lydia’s story is just a teaser. If we look at the established lore—the stuff buried in the database entries and the Assassin’s Creed: Conspiracies comics—the Templar influence during the war was terrifying. According to the lore, the "Big Three"—Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt—were all basically manipulated by the Templars to some degree. It wasn't about "good guys vs. bad guys" in the way history books write it. It was about which faction could use the chaos of the war to establish a New World Order.
Then you have the Pieces of Eden. We know from the games that Hitler had a Golden Apple. He used it to influence the masses. The Assassins sent a team to deal with him, but the details are messy and intentionally vague. This isn't just fan fiction; it's the foundation of the series' alternative history. The problem is that Ubisoft is terrified of the political minefield that comes with a full-scale game in this setting.
Why the Setting is a Technical Nightmare
Think about the parkour. In AC Valhalla or Odyssey, you’re climbing mountains and wooden longhouses. Easy. In a 1940s city, the streets are wider. The buildings are taller and made of reinforced concrete. You can’t just leap across a 40-foot gap in a Parisian boulevard.
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Ubisoft would have to fundamentally change how movement works. We saw a bit of this in Syndicate with the grapple hook. People hated it. People loved it. It was polarizing because it felt like it bypassed the "soul" of the climbing. To make Assassin’s Creed in World War 2 feel right, they’d need a system that rewards stealth over traversal, maybe something closer to Splinter Cell or Hitman than the traditional pirate-ship-sailing simulators we’ve had lately.
Social stealth would be the real star here. Imagine trying to blend into a crowd of German officers at a gala in occupied territory. That’s the peak Assassin fantasy. It's not about the hidden blade; it's about the social engineering.
The Real-World Lore Most Fans Miss
Most people don't know about Boris Pash. He’s a real historical figure who shows up in the AC lore as a high-ranking Templar. He was part of the Alsos Mission, which was the real-life Allied effort to find out how far the Nazis had gotten with their nuclear program. In the AC universe, they weren't just looking for nukes—they were looking for Precursor technology.
This is where the game would actually get interesting.
- The Resistance: You wouldn't be a front-line soldier. You'd be a saboteur in the French Resistance or the Polish Home Army.
- The Targets: You wouldn't be killing random generals. You'd be hunting the "Inner Circle" who were using the war as a cover to find Isu vaults.
- The Weapons: Think suppressed Welrods, Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knives, and early improvised explosives.
It’s a gritty, dark tone that the series hasn't really touched since the original game in 2007.
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Is It Ever Actually Happening?
Look, Ubisoft is currently focused on Assassin’s Creed Shadows (the Japan game) and Hexe (the witch trials). They’ve got their hands full. But the demand for Assassin’s Creed in World War 2 hasn’t gone away. If anything, the success of games like Sniper Elite and the recent Hitman trilogy shows there is a massive market for "stealth-action in a historical military setting."
There are rumors, though. Always rumors. Some "leakers" claim that an upcoming Infinity project might feature smaller, episodic stories, one of which could finally give us the full Lydia Frye treatment or a new operative in occupied Berlin.
But let’s be real for a second. The further the series moves away from its "stealth" roots into "massive RPG" territory, the harder a WW2 setting becomes. You can't have a level-50 Nazi officer who takes ten sword swings to the face to die. It breaks the immersion. A WW2 game would require a return to "one hit, one kill" mechanics. It would require bravery from a studio that has played it very safe with their formula recently.
The Misconception of Modernity
A lot of players argue that the "modern" world is too boring for the Animus. I disagree. The 1940s is the perfect sweet spot. It’s "modern" enough to feel high-stakes, but "old" enough that you aren't dealing with satellites, cell phones, and drone strikes. It’s still a world of shadows, paper documents, and physical keys.
If you want to understand what this game could actually look like, look at the "Velvet Fury" missions in the Conspiracies comic line. It follows Eddie Gorm, a British sailor turned Assassin in 1943. It deals with the race for the atomic bomb. It’s tense. It’s violent. It’s exactly what the franchise needs to shake off the "everything is a massive open world" fatigue.
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Practical Ways to Scratch That Itch Right Now
Since we don’t have a full Assassin’s Creed in World War 2 game yet, you have to look elsewhere to get that specific vibe.
First, go play the "The Last Maharaja" or "The Dreadful Crimes" DLCs in Syndicate if you haven't. They lean much harder into the detective/spy elements that would define a 1940s game. Specifically, find the portal at the far eastern end of the Thames to trigger the WW1 Lydia Frye missions. It’s the closest thing we have to a modern AC experience, and it's shockingly polished for a side-mode.
Second, check out The Saboteur. It’s an old game—released in 2009—but it’s basically "Assassin’s Creed in Nazi-occupied Paris" before Ubisoft ever thought of it. You climb buildings, you blow up fuel depots, and the world literally changes from black-and-white to color as you inspire the local population. It’s dated, sure, but it captures the atmosphere perfectly.
If you’re a lore nerd, pick up the Assassin’s Creed: Conspiracies and Assassin’s Creed: Bloodstone graphic novels. They cover the Vietnam War and World War 2 extensively. They bridge the gap between the games and the deeper mythology of the Brotherhood's role in the 20th century.
Stop waiting for a trailer that might not come for another five years. Dive into the existing lore and the "glitch" missions. The story is already there; Ubisoft just hasn't put a $100 million budget behind a 3D version of it yet.
Your Next Steps:
- Boot up AC Syndicate: Navigate to the "Time Distortion" on the map to play the Lydia Frye WW1 segment. It’s the best mechanical preview of how the series handles guns and 20th-century urban layouts.
- Read the Conspiracies Comics: These are canon and detail the Brotherhood’s actual involvement in the development of the atomic bomb.
- Track the Assassin’s Creed Infinity Updates: This platform is designed for smaller, "experimental" settings. If a WW2 project is coming, it will likely be announced as a "Hub" experience rather than a standalone $70 title.