Assassin's Creed Rogue is a 2014 action-adventure game created by Ubisoft Sofia and released by Ubisoft. It is the seventh major part of the Assassin's Creed series and takes place at the same time as Assassin's Creed III (2012) and after Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013). The game also connects to Assassin's Creed Unity, which was released on the same day. It was the last Assassin's Creed game made for the seventh generation of consoles, released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2014 and for Windows in March 2015. A remastered version came out for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2018. The game was later added to the Nintendo Switch as part of The Rebel Collection with Black Flag in December 2019 and released for Google Stadia in October 2021.

The story is set in a mix of real events and fictional history in the North Atlantic. It follows the long-standing conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood, who work to protect freedom, and the Templar Order, who seek control to achieve peace. The framing story takes place in the 21st century and shows the player as an employee of Abstergo Industries, a company that hides the Templars’ goals. While fixing the company’s servers, the player discovers secrets about the conflict between Assassins and Templars. The main story happens during the French and Indian War (1752–1760) and follows Shay Patrick Cormac, an Irish American privateer and Assassin who switches sides to join the Templars after disagreeing with the Assassins’ methods. Gameplay in Rogue is similar to Black Flag, combining sailing on ships and exploring on land, with some new features added.

When it was released, Rogue received mixed reviews. Some praised the story, the choice to play as a Templar, and the naval combat. However, others criticized it for not bringing new ideas to the series, its short length, and its similarity to Black Flag.

Gameplay

Assassin's Creed Rogue is an action-adventure stealth game played in an open world from a third-person perspective. The game includes three main areas: the western North Atlantic (near the Gulf of Saint Lawrence), a fictional River Valley (inspired by the Hudson Valley), and New York City. The first two areas have many individual locations to explore, such as small islands, human settlements, naval forts, and shipwrecks. Like Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, naval exploration and combat are important parts of the game. The Morrigan, the ship controlled by the main character, Shay Cormac, can travel in shallow water, unlike Edward Kenway’s ship in Black Flag. The Morrigan can be equipped with new weapons, including Puckle guns, oil slicks that can be set on fire, and an icebreaker. Enemy ships can board the Morrigan, and some icebergs can be destroyed to create waves that damage smaller ships. However, underwater diving missions from Black Flag are not included because swimming in the cold North Atlantic water causes the player’s health to drop quickly. In the warmer waters of the River Valley, Shay can swim freely.

For combat, the game includes an air rifle, similar to the blowpipe from Black Flag, which lets players silently attack enemies from a distance. The air rifle can use different types of projectiles, such as sleeping darts and firecrackers. At a key point in the story, Shay receives a grenade launcher attachment from a fictional version of Benjamin Franklin, which can fire shrapnel grenades and other types of ammunition. Hand-to-hand combat has changed slightly, allowing players to counter enemy attacks with timing, like in the Batman: Arkham series. Enemy Assassins use skills similar to previous games, such as hiding in bushes, blending into crowds, and performing air assassinations. Poison gas can now be used as an environmental weapon, and Shay has a mask to reduce its effects. When being followed by an enemy, Shay’s Eagle Vision changes to show the stalker’s location, similar to a radar-like system from earlier games. Even without using Eagle Vision, the screen edges turn red to warn the player about nearby stalkers.

Players can upgrade Shay’s equipment through a crafting system that requires animal pelts obtained from hunting or fishing. In-game collectibles, such as Templar treasures, Native pillars, and Viking sword fragments, give Shay new outfits and gear. The Morrigan can also be upgraded using resources from raiding ships, warehouses, and camps, allowing it to fight stronger enemy ships. The five Legendary Ships are hidden boss battles in the North Atlantic, similar to those in Black Flag.

Side missions and activities return, many based on previous games. Because Shay is a Templar, the game adds a new mission called Assassin Interception. In these missions, Shay stops assassinations by finding and eliminating hidden Assassins after intercepting a messenger pigeon carrying an assassination contract. Other missions relate to the Seven Years’ War, including naval battles, freeing prisoners of war, and capturing enemy forts and settlements.

A feature from earlier games is the ability to renovate buildings, which generate income deposited in a bank. Players must collect this income regularly. This system works like the Borgia towers in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and the Templar dens in Assassin's Creed: Revelations, as buildings can only be renovated after their area is freed from Assassin control. The Assassins run a gang with ten hideouts across the three main regions. To clear a hideout, players must kill the gang leader (who can block most attacks and has an unblockable hidden blade strike), burn the gang’s flag, and sometimes kill Templar defectors or rescue captured British soldiers.

Like other Assassin's Creed games, the game includes characters based on real historical figures, such as Benjamin Franklin, George Monro, Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye, Christopher Gist, and Lawrence Washington.

Plot

In 1752, Shay Patrick Cormac (Steven Piovesan) joins the Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins. He shows promise but often disobeys orders. While training with the North Atlantic chapter under Assassin Mentor Achilles Davenport (Roger Aaron Brown), Assassin Adéwalé (Tristan D. Lalla) arrives with news that Port-au-Prince was destroyed by an earthquake while searching for a Precursor temple. Because of his experience sailing ships, Shay is assigned to recover a Precursor box and manuscript from the Templars. However, Shay becomes unsure about the Assassins' goals after they refuse to talk to the Templars and instead order him to kill them no matter the situation.

In 1754, after retrieving the box and manuscript, Shay gives them to Benjamin Franklin (Rick Jones). Franklin’s experiments with the box reveal a map showing the locations of other Precursor temples worldwide. Shay is ordered to investigate a temple in Lisbon. While trying to remove an artifact at the temple’s center, Shay accidentally causes a devastating earthquake, killing many innocent people. He feels guilty and realizes that Port-au-Prince was likely destroyed in the same way. Shay confronts Achilles and learns that Achilles plans to continue searching for Precursor artifacts, risking more lives. Shay steals the manuscript and tries to escape but is caught by the Brotherhood. He is shot and left for dead before he can destroy the manuscript.

Shay is later found by Colonel George Monro (Graham J. Cuthbertson), who saves him and leaves him with Templar supporters in New York. After recovering in 1756, Shay removes Assassin-backed gangs that are harming citizens, drawing Monro’s attention. Monro convinces Shay that he can help improve people’s lives. After reclaiming his ship, the Morrigan, and hiring Christopher Gist (Richard M. Dumont) as his quartermaster, Shay agrees to help the Templars. When the Assassins kill Monro to take back the manuscript, Shay realizes the Brotherhood still seeks Precursor temples. He begins hunting Assassins and becomes a high-ranking Templar.

Over the next three years, Shay kills several Assassins, including Kesegowaase (Danny Blanco-Hall), Adéwalé, Hope Jensen (Patricia Summersett), and Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye (Marcel Jeannin). Only two members of the Colonial Brotherhood remain: Achilles and his second-in-command, Liam O'Brien (Julian Casey), who was once Shay’s best friend. Shay and Templar Grand Master Haytham Kenway (Adrian Hough) travel to the Arctic, where another Precursor temple is found. After defeating the Assassin expedition, Shay and Haytham enter the temple to confront Achilles and Liam. They learn the artifacts can stabilize the world, not control it. During a fight, the artifact is destroyed, causing another earthquake. Shay kills Liam in a duel, and Haytham defeats Achilles. Shay convinces Haytham to spare Achilles to preserve knowledge about the temples. Haytham agrees but leaves Achilles crippled.

Haytham assigns Shay to recover the Precursor box from the Assassins. Over sixteen years, Shay tracks it down. In 1776, with Benjamin Franklin’s help, Shay enters the Palace of Versailles in France and kills Assassin Charles Dorian to retrieve the box. He reaffirms his loyalty to the Templars and suggests the Templars should start their own revolution in response to the Assassins’ actions in America.

In the modern day, the player is an unnamed employee of Abstergo Entertainment who researches Shay’s memories. During the investigation, the player accidentally triggers a hidden memory file, infecting Abstergo’s Animus servers. The company is locked down, and the player must clear the servers by reliving Shay’s memories.

Juhani Otso Berg (Andreas Apergis), a senior Templar, orders the player to upload Shay’s memories to the Assassin servers to weaken their resolve. The Assassins cut off communications in response. In a mid-credits scene, Berg thanks the player and offers a choice: join the Templars or face death. The player’s decision is not shown.

Development

By March 2014, a game named in secret as "Comet" was reported to be in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. By the end of the month, more details were shared, stating that "Comet" would take place in 1758 in New York and include sailing on the Atlantic Ocean. The game would be an immediate follow-up to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and feature a Templar named Shay as the main character. Haytham Kenway from Assassin's Creed III and Adéwalé from Black Flag would also appear in the game.

The game was officially announced on August 5, 2014, after the title was leaked. Game director Martin Capel described it as the end of the series' "North American saga" and said it was designed to meet fan requests, such as allowing players to take on the role of a Templar. The game aims to explain the story between Assassin's Creed III and Black Flag and connects directly to events in those games. Ubisoft Sofia, along with studios in Singapore, Montreal, Quebec, Chengdu, Milan, and Bucharest, are working on the game. Ubisoft stated that the game would not include multiplayer features at the time of release, though they did not rule out adding them later.

Writer Richard Farrese noted that playing as a Templar lets players experience the story from the Templar's perspective, placing them in direct conflict with the chaos caused by the Assassins. A key difference between the two groups, beyond their beliefs, is their access to resources. Farrese explained that the Templars have more wealth and influence than the Assassins, even though they are not in control of colonial authorities at the start of the French and Indian War. This advantage is shown through Shay's access to rare and historically accurate weapons.

The game Rogue includes naval battles and exploration, similar to Black Flag. Writer Susan Patrick explained that there is a thematic connection between Shay Cormac and his ship, the Morrigan, as "Cormac" is a Gaelic name meaning "raven," and The Morrigan is a goddess from Irish mythology linked to war and fate, often depicted as a raven.

Shay's story is based on the idea of an Assassin who changes his mind after a traumatic betrayal. Richard Farrese said Shay rethinks his beliefs and allegiance to the Assassins after a major event, realizing the Templars' goals align more with his own. At the start of the game, Shay is portrayed as a carefree young man who does not take his role seriously, but he struggles with inner conflict as he questions his leaders. Ivan Balabanov, producer and general manager of Ubisoft Sofia, described Shay's journey as a transformation into a serious and determined character who pursues his former comrades for a cause he believes is right. Balabanov noted that Shay is willing to cross many moral lines and that Rogue is the most tragic title in the series.

Ubisoft staff explained that Shay is not evil or ruthless at any point in the story. Instead, the narrative focuses on Shay as a human being, exploring his motivations and the complex choices he makes. The development team aimed to create a relatable character, avoiding a "flat" or stereotypical villain. Balabanov said Shay remembers his former allies and feels regret when he kills them. Producer Karl van der Luhe added that Shay's decision to join the Templars is not about choosing "the dark side," but about aligning with their methods because he believes they are closer to his own values. Van der Luhe noted that both the Templars and Assassins share similar goals, but differ in how they achieve them. Susan Patrick suggested that Shay's pursuit of his former comrades is a way for him to seek redemption.

Marketing and release

Assassin's Creed Rogue was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2014, in North America; November 13, 2014, in most other regions; and November 14, 2014, in the United Kingdom. This release happened at the same time as the release of Assassin's Creed Unity for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. A version of Rogue for Windows was also released four months later, on March 10, 2015.

In addition to the standard edition of Rogue, Ubisoft released three different limited editions.

• The Collector's Edition includes a retail copy of the game, a collector's box, a copy of the game's official soundtrack and artbook, three lithographs, and two exclusive in-game missions (The Siege of Fort de Sable and The Armor of Sir Gunn's Quest).
• The Artbook Edition is available only for PC and includes a retail copy of the game, a collector's box, and a copy of the game's official artbook, along with a hardcase for the artbook.
• The Limited Edition includes a retail copy of the game, the Ultimate Hunter Pack, and the single-player mission The Siege of Fort de Sable.

Four downloadable content packs were released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Each pack added new weapons and/or customization options for Shay and the Morrigan: the Officer Pack, Commander Pack, Templar Pack, and Explorer Pack. All downloadable content for Rogue was later combined into a single pack called the Templar Legacy Pack, which was released on January 13, 2015. Ubisoft also released four Time Saver packs (the Activities Pack, Collectibles Pack, Resources Pack, and Technology Pack). These packs provided players with early in-game resources to upgrade the Morrigan and showed the locations of all collectibles to help with gameplay.

Through Ubisoft's Uplay system, players could get several in-game bonuses, including the Assassin Killer outfit, a Katana and Wakizashi weapon set, and customization items for the Morrigan inspired by the Jackdaw from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

On January 11, 2018, Ubisoft announced a remastered version of Assassin's Creed Rogue. This version was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 20. The remaster includes improved visuals, all previously released downloadable content, and exclusive legacy outfits inspired by Jacob Frye from Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Aguilar de Nerha from the live-action Assassin's Creed film, and Bayek from Assassin's Creed Origins. The remastered version also supports UHD resolution on the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.

In 2019, DAMTOYS released a figure of Shay Cormac. The figure is over 12 inches tall and wears the character's signature robed outfit. It includes accessories such as pistol bags, bracers, and pouches. The action figure has nearly a dozen interchangeable hands, allowing it to be posed with different types of weapons.

Reception

Assassin's Creed Rogue received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the website Metacritic, which collects reviews.

Ray Carsillo from Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game an 8.5/10. He praised the game's interesting main character, enjoyable story, new weapons, and mission design that required players to stop assassinations instead of carrying them out, as in other games in the series. He also noted improved combat mechanics. However, he criticized the story's pacing, frequent bugs, limited replayability, and the absence of a multiplayer mode. He concluded that "Rogue is a more enjoyable experience than I expected. It adds its own unique elements to the series and provides important story details to connect Assassin's Creed III and IV. It serves as a fitting ending to the series' exploration of 18th-century North American colonies."

Eurogamer compared Rogue to Assassin's Creed Revelations, a game that resolved storylines from Ezio Auditore's story and led into Assassin's Creed III. Rogue was noted for expanding on characters and storylines from III and Black Flag. While some settings, weapons, and mechanics were reused from earlier games (such as the New York City setting, naval combat, and building renovations), the inclusion of Assassins as enemies was praised as a new idea. Players used tactics like smoke bombs and hiding, which were also used by the player in previous games. Rogue was described as feeling fresh when exploring its new North Atlantic setting. However, the story missions and single-player campaign were criticized for being shorter than in earlier games.

Matt Miller from Game Informer gave the game an 8.25/10. He praised the variety of activities, environments, and mission types, as well as new features and well-executed gameplay. However, he noted that the gameplay was too similar to earlier games and criticized repetitive combat and the lack of a multiplayer mode. He said, "Rogue is large and full of things to explore. While it lacks new ideas, it offers a lot of gameplay and lore for fans of the series."

Daniel Bloodworth from GameTrailers gave the game a 7.2/10. He praised the return of old characters, beautiful scenery, and interesting missions. However, he criticized the predictable main character, poorly designed early missions, weak boss battles, and many bugs. He said, "Rogue feels similar to last year's Black Flag, even in its menus, but there are some changes because you play as a former assassin hunting former allies."

Daniel Krupa from IGN gave the game a 6.8/10. He praised the engaging story and scenery but criticized the lack of Templar abilities, uninteresting interactions with other characters, uninspired side quests, and a bland world. He also criticized the combat and movement system, which he said had not improved. He noted that the game did not encourage exploration. Mark Walton from GameSpot gave the game a 6/10, criticizing the predictable story, unlikable main character, and lack of interesting missions. He said the game felt like an extended version of Black Flag and did not advance the series. Xav de Matos from Joystiq gave the game a 6/10, saying it did not add new ideas to the series. He said, "Assassin's Creed Rogue is essentially a copy of Black Flag's setting and systems. If you accept repeated use of old ideas in a full-priced game, you may enjoy it."

Critics often discussed the depth of Shay's character. Andy Kelly from PC Gamer praised Shay as a "tough and ruthless" character who avoids harming the weak and shows mercy sometimes. He said more complex characters like Shay should appear in the series. Mitch Dyer from IGN said Shay was a layered and sympathetic protagonist, making for one of the most engaging stories in the series in years. Stephen Totilo from Kotaku said Shay was one of the most interesting characters in the series, with a satisfying story told through gameplay. Softpedia's review praised Shay as one of the most complex characters in the series, with charm and moral conflict. Marshall Honorof from Tom's Guide said Steven Piovesan portrayed Shay as thoughtful and conflicted. However, the Irish accent Piovesan used for Shay was criticized, especially by Irish publications.

In a 2020 review, Shubhankar Parijat from Gamingbolt said Shay's journey from an Assassin to a Templar leader is "fascinating." He said the story, which shows Shay's conflict with former friends and his growing bonds with Templars, deserves a special place in the series.

"You did that kind of thing before to someone like the character you're controlling now and felt good about it. You feel righteous now. Maybe you weren't the good guys before, after all."

Stephen Totilo from the New York Times said that while Shay becomes a "bad guy" by joining the Templars, the game still lets players feel like the "good guy." He said the game gives players a rare chance to play as a "bad guy" and consider whether their actions are right. Shay's portrayal as a sympathetic Templar character is discussed in the 2019 book Playing Utopia: Futures in Digital Games by Lars de Wildt. Shay's tampering with a Precursor artifact, which caused the Great Lisbon Earthquake, is cited as an example of exploring the theme of theodicy in media by Frank G. Bosman.

As of December 31, 2014, Ubisoft had sold 10 million copies of Assassin's Creed Unity and Assassin's Creed Rogue combined.