Assassin's Creed Origins is a 2017 action role-playing game created by Ubisoft Montreal and released by Ubisoft. It is the tenth major game in the Assassin's Creed series and follows Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015). The story takes place in Egypt during the time when Cleopatra ruled. It follows a Medjay named Bayek of Siwa and his wife, Aya, as they search for revenge after their son is killed. This event leads to the creation of the Assassin Brotherhood and their ongoing conflict with the Templar Order. In the modern day, a character named Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher, joins the Assassins and continues the story.
Development of the game began after the release of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013). Ubisoft Montreal led the project, which took four years to complete with help from nearly 700 people from other Ubisoft studios worldwide. The team worked closely with Egyptologists and historians to ensure the game’s setting accurately reflected ancient Egypt. To address criticism that previous games had become repetitive, Ubisoft changed the gameplay in Origins. Unlike earlier games, which focused on stealth and action, Origins added features from role-playing games and introduced a new combat system based on precise movement. Because of the extra time spent developing the game, Ubisoft was able to improve its quality. This decision was partly due to lower sales of Assassin's Creed Syndicate and technical problems with Assassin's Creed Unity (2014).
Announced at E3 2017, Origins was released on October 27, 2017, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It later became available on Stadia on December 15, 2020. Critics praised the game for its story, characters, voice acting, improved gameplay, world design, historical accuracy, and visuals. However, some reviewers noted issues with the game’s pacing, quest design, and technical problems. The game sold over ten million copies worldwide and was considered for several awards.
After its release, Ubisoft provided additional content for Origins, including two story expansions—The Hidden Ones and The Curse of the Pharaohs—and a free Discovery Tour mode. This mode removes combat and allows players to explore the history and culture of Ptolemaic Egypt through guided tours. The next game in the series, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, set in Classical Greece during the Peloponnesian War, was released in October 2018. It continued the new gameplay style and story introduced in Origins.
Gameplay
Assassin's Creed Origins is an action role-playing video game played from a third-person perspective. Players complete quests—set tasks with specific goals—to advance through the story. They can also explore the open world on foot, horseback, camelback, in horse-drawn vehicles, or on boats. The open world includes much of Ancient Egypt, with deserts, oases, lakes, and cities like Alexandria and Memphis. The main character, Bayek, can swim underwater and explore lakes and rivers, a feature first introduced in the series since 2013's Black Flag. As players explore, they meet non-playable characters who need Bayek’s help. These side tasks often involve rescuing people, fighting enemies, collecting items, or investigating objects. Completing these tasks can lead Bayek to treasure locations. Throughout the game, players can explore tombs, pyramids, and bandit hideouts, solve puzzles, and find synchronization points that unlock new areas and serve as fast travel spots. Other activities include fighting in a gladiatorial arena, racing chariots, and solving stone circle puzzles.
Players earn experience points by completing main story missions, side tasks, discovering new areas, and defeating enemies. When players earn enough experience points, they level up and gain skill points to unlock new abilities. The skill tree has three branches: Hunter, Warrior, and Seer. Hunter improves Bayek’s ability to fight with ranged weapons; Warrior makes Bayek stronger in close combat; Seer increases Bayek’s effectiveness as an assassin. Some missions and areas have level requirements. Players must reach a certain level to complete them, or enemies may be too strong to defeat. To improve combat, Bayek can craft weapons and gear using resources from hunting, dismantling equipment, or attacking supply convoys. Coins earned from looting and completing tasks can be used to buy or upgrade weapons, outfits, and mounts. Some items can be purchased from a special vendor using loot boxes, which require in-game currency. However, certain cosmetic items can only be bought with Helix coins, which are purchased with real money.
Earlier games in the series used a "paired animation system," where combat followed set animations based on player actions and enemy movements. Origins uses a "hit-box system," allowing players to strike enemies directly when using a weapon. Players can choose between light attacks, which are fast but weak, or heavy attacks, which are slow but powerful. Weapons are categorized as common, rare, or legendary, with ratings for damage, speed, and range. Bayek can use eight types of melee weapons and four types of bows and arrows. Legendary weapons are usually obtained by defeating high-level enemies called Phylakes. Enemies also use the hit-box system, so players must balance offense and defense using a shield. Different weapons are needed for different enemy types, and players may need to dodge or parry attacks. Adrenaline builds during combat, and when full, players can perform a powerful melee attack. Bayek can use tools like sleeping darts, poison darts, and firebombs, and use the environment, such as lighting enemies on fire with oil canisters or setting traps near braziers.
The game world allows players to choose between stealth or open combat to complete tasks. Bayek can sneak up on enemies with his hidden blade, though stronger enemies are harder to defeat. The "eagle vision" feature, which highlighted enemies and objects, has been replaced by a companion Bonelli’s eagle named Senu. Players can control Senu to scout areas, revealing enemies. Players can hide in tall grass or climb rooftops to avoid detection. Bayek can also whistle to lure enemies toward him while remaining hidden. Like other Assassin’s Creed games, Bayek is skilled at free running and can climb most structures. Players can also tame wild animals to help fight enemies. Naval combat returns in sections where players control Bayek’s wife, Aya, who can command a ship and attack enemy vessels.
Synopsis
The player plays as Bayek of Siwa, an Egyptian Medjay, and his wife Aya. They work to protect people in Ptolemaic Egypt during times of trouble. The Pharaoh, Ptolemy XIII, tries to keep his rule while wanting to grow his kingdom. His sister, Cleopatra, who was recently removed from power, gathers loyal supporters to challenge Ptolemy. At the same time, the Roman Republic, led by Julius Caesar, attacks Egypt, causing fear of an invasion. Bayek's job as a Medjay leads him and Aya to meet secret groups controlling these events. Together, they form the Hidden Ones, the early group that becomes the Assassin Brotherhood. In the modern day, Layla Hassan, a researcher at Abstergo, secretly studies Bayek and Aya's memories to learn about the Assassins' origins and get a high position in Abstergo's Animus project. While exploring Bayek's memories, Layla may find ancient structures built by the First Civilization. Each structure has a message suggesting Layla might play an important role in a future event that could cause great destruction.
In 2017, Layla Hassan, a researcher for Abstergo Industries, is sent to Egypt to find an artifact. Instead, she discovers a tomb with the mummified body of Bayek of Siwa. To help her career, Layla secretly takes a DNA sample from Bayek and uses a modified Animus device to study his memories. In 49 BC, Bayek, a Medjay who protects the Siwa Oasis, is captured along with his son Khemu by masked men. They are taken to an underground vault in the Temple of Amun and given a dormant Apple of Eden. Bayek is forced to use it to open the vault. Khemu helps Bayek escape, but during the struggle, Bayek accidentally kills Khemu.
One year later, Bayek isolates himself to find the masked men and seek revenge. After killing two of them, he travels to Alexandria to meet Aya. Aya reveals she has also killed two masked men, leaving only one target. Bayek identifies the Royal Scribe Eudoros as the last target and kills him. Eudoros' final words suggest there are more masked men. Realizing Aya should be buried in the same tomb, Layla locates her mummy and inputs her DNA into the Animus. The device connects Aya's memories to Bayek's. Aya directs Bayek to her friend Apollodorus, who introduces him to Cleopatra. Cleopatra confirms the masked men are members of the Order of the Ancients, a group that removed her from power and wants to control Egypt through Ptolemy.
Cleopatra gives Bayek four new targets to kill, while Aya leads a fleet to negotiate an alliance with the Roman general Pompey. Bayek receives a letter from Aya explaining there are more Order members, including Ptolemy's royal guard. He believes Cleopatra is using him to eliminate her enemies. When Bayek fails to report in, Abstergo sends a team to kill Layla, but she defeats them and returns to the Animus. Aya joins Bayek to meet Pompey, but they find him killed by an Order member, Lucius Septimius. Cleopatra decides to meet Julius Caesar, who is negotiating with Ptolemy, and sneaks into the palace hidden in a carpet.
Bayek and Aya break into the tomb of Alexander the Great so Cleopatra can impress Caesar, securing his support in the war against Ptolemy. During the fighting, Bayek kills Ptolemy's regent Pothinus, an Order member, but Caesar stops him from killing Septimius, who is Roman. Aya aims to kill Ptolemy but holds back as his boat is attacked by crocodiles, causing him to drown. Cleopatra becomes Pharaoh and cuts ties with Bayek and Aya, while Septimius becomes Caesar's advisor. Bayek realizes Cleopatra and Caesar have allied with the Order and forms a secret brotherhood to fight them and protect free will.
Bayek and Aya return to Alexander's tomb, where they find Apollodorus, who warns them that Caesar's lieutenant Flavius Metellus is the
Development
Ubisoft Montreal was the main team working on the game, with help from other Ubisoft studios around the world. The team in Montreal had previously worked on Assassin's Creed Revelations and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Development began after Black Flag was completed and took about four years. Ubisoft Sofia and Ubisoft Singapore played important roles in creating the game's map and quests. Sofia worked on the game's tombs and pyramids, while Singapore designed the naval combat. Jean Guesdon and Ashraf Ismail, who worked on Black Flag, returned as the game's directors. Nearly 1,000 people worked on the game; only 300 were from the Montreal studio. Ubisoft called this development model "co-development," where support studios had more freedom and their work was more important to the game than in earlier versions. According to Ismail, the co-development model allowed each area in the game's world to be unique. However, the Montreal studio set some rules that all teams had to follow. For example, quests required players to travel only a certain distance, and in a hub area, there could be only one funny mission and one eradication mission. Ubisoft's goal was to update the series for modern players.
Ancient Egypt was a popular choice requested by fans, but Ubisoft had not chosen it before. Alex Hutchinson, the creative director of Assassin's Creed III, called Ancient Egypt, along with Feudal Japan and World War II, "the worst choices" for a setting. Later, Ismail said the team wanted to explore Egypt and acknowledged fan requests. He believed Ubisoft had avoided Egypt in the past due to technology limits. The game was set in 49 BC because it showed an "impressive clash of civilizations." Egyptian culture was strong but declining, while the Romans and Greeks had growing influence over Egypt, leading to its annexation by the Roman Empire after the game's events. Ismail called this setting "epic" because it showed the "death of one world" and the "birth of a new one." The team started with the map from Black Flag and changed all water areas into land. To fill the large map with meaningful content, they added elements from role-playing games and quests. Puzzles, hunting, and military outposts were included to help players explore. Combat was completely redesigned to give players more freedom. For the first time, difficulty settings were added to make combat easier for players.
The studio worked with Egyptologists and historians and partnered with universities to get expert advice. They also hired in-house historians and consulted experts like Jean-Claude Golvin to place landmarks and recreate ancient paintings. Historians helped shape the game's creative process. For example, Evelyne Ferron, one of the game's consultants, convinced Ubisoft to change a scene showing public mummification in a temple because it did not match Egyptian practices at the time. The language spoken by NPCs was based on Egyptian Grammar by Alan Gardiner, with input from James Allen and Raymond Faulkner. The goal was not to make the game historically perfect but to create an authentic setting. The team studied films and TV shows to see how ancient Egypt was portrayed in pop culture and adjusted the game when historical focus hurt gameplay. Some cities in the game were larger than real-life versions to show the "pharaonic scale" of places like Alexandria and Memphis. Ismail said that if an event was well-documented, artists followed historical consensus. For parts with less research, they created designs based on their own ideas.
The team also worked to make the game world more immersive. They added sandstorms and mirages that players could experience if they stayed too long in the heat. Cities had unique designs that reflected their origins. For example, Alexandria's design was inspired by Pergamon, Turkey, which resembled ancient Alexandria. While most locations were handmade, artists and programmers used computer programs to fill large areas with rocks, grass, and trees. Mini-maps in the HUD were replaced with a compass to reduce clutter and encourage exploration. To make the world more dynamic, the team spent time designing the AI of NPCs, making them follow daily routines, such as working during the day and sleeping at night. Quest givers moved around instead of staying in one place, and players could choose the time of day to assassinate targets. Factions also reacted differently to players.
Alain Mercieca was invited to be the game's narrative director after a cinematic director saw one of his "punk plays" called Squeegee Nights. The main character, Bayek, was more experienced and mature than other protagonists in the series. Ismail described Bayek as a "reactive" character who could show many emotions. As a Medjay from Siwa Oasis, a traditional Egyptian village, Bayek represented an older way of life and Egyptian traditions. Since the game takes place as Egypt is about to be annexed by the Roman Empire, Bayek must decide "what he needs to do, what he needs to become." His journey would eventually lead to the formation of the Assassin Brotherhood. Abubakar Salim, who was initially told he was auditioning for an animated TV series requiring motion capture, voiced Bayek. In 2020, a report from Bloomberg claimed that Ubisoft, especially the marketing team and Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoët, tried to reduce the role of female assassins in some Assassin's Creed games. Initially, Bayek was expected to be injured or killed early, with Aya becoming the main playable character. Actress Alix Wilton Regan voiced Aya.
Release
After the release of Assassin's Creed Syndicate in 2015, which sold fewer copies than earlier games in the series, Ubisoft decided not to release an Assassin's Creed game in 2016. To improve the game’s features and reposition the series as a leading open-world franchise, Ubisoft gave the Montreal studio one extra year to develop the next game. Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot, explained that this time also allowed the team to learn from the challenges of Assassin's Creed Unity (2014), which had a difficult launch that upset fans. Since 2009’s Assassin's Creed II, Ubisoft had released a new game in the series every year. Assassin's Creed Origins was first reported in January 2016, with sources suggesting the game was called Empire and set in ancient Egypt. Ubisoft officially announced the game at Microsoft’s press conference during E3 2017. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One worldwide on October 27, 2017. Five special editions were available at launch. A version for Google Stadia was released on December 15, 2020.
After the game launched, Ubisoft provided many updates and support. They released several gear packs and partnered with Square Enix, the developers of Final Fantasy XV, to create crossover content. All season pass holders received access to two story-driven downloadable content (DLC) packs. The first, The Hidden Ones, was released on January 23, 2018, and takes place five years after the main story, showing Bayek and Amunet working to expand the Hidden Ones’ influence and free the Sinai Peninsula from Roman control. The second DLC, The Curse of the Pharaohs, was originally scheduled for March 6, 2018, but was delayed until March 13. This DLC focuses on Egyptian mythology, with Bayek investigating a curse that brings ancient pharaohs back to life in Thebes. Both DLCs increase the maximum player level and add new outfits, mounts, and gear.
Ubisoft also released free updates. In December 2017, they added a new mission called “Here Comes a New Challenger,” introducing a gladiatorial arena in Cyrene. This update also included a new difficulty mode called Nightmare and enemy scaling, where enemies adjust their strength to match the player’s level. Ubisoft later released a series of missions called Trials of the Gods, allowing players to fight bosses inspired by Egyptian deities. A New Game Plus mode was added in February 2018. In April, an update introduced the Animus Control Panel for PC players, letting them adjust gameplay settings like increasing movement speed, enabling infinite health, and increasing the number of tame animals.
In February 2018, Ubisoft launched Discovery Tour, a feature with 75 guided tours, each lasting five to 25 minutes. These tours explore landmarks, social traditions, and daily life in ancient Egypt. The content includes academic information from historians and Egyptologists, based on research from institutions like the British Museum. Discovery Tour removes combat, making it easier for teachers to use the game in classrooms. The team worked with educators to ensure the tours were accessible and easy to use. A magazine called Damals noted that Discovery Tour changed the game from an entertainment product into an interactive learning tool. The Pointe-à-Callière Museum in Montreal, Canada, used clips from Discovery Tour in its 2018 exhibition on “Queens of Egypt.” A free standalone version of Discovery Tour was released in May 2020. A similar feature later appeared in Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. However, Discovery Tour: Ancient Egypt faced criticism for historical inaccuracies, including the portrayal of an education system that mixed genders, which did not reflect the actual practices of ancient Egypt.
In June 2022, Ubisoft released a patch for Origins that increased the game’s framerate to 60fps on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
Reception
Assassin's Creed Origins received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.
Louise Blain of GamesRadar praised the game's map design, noting that each region felt unique. IGN's Alanah Pearce agreed, saying each city had its own culture and architecture. She added that the game offered a "delightful sense of discovery" because players could find interesting locations naturally. Chris Carter of Destructoid wrote that "at no point did Origins feel inauthentic" and praised Egypt as a unique setting for a video game. Like Pearce, he explored the game's world more than previous Assassin's Creed games. VentureBeat's Stephanie Chan described Egypt as "a spectacle to behold," praising its varied map design and the puzzles inside tombs and temples. Alessandro Fillari of GameSpot also liked Egypt as a setting, calling it "vibrant and lush." He believed it had a "strong sense of life," though he noted some regions were too empty. He praised the busy towns and cities in the game and commended Ubisoft's attention to detail. Christopher Livingston of PC Gamer noted that the recommended level of an area made Origins feel similar to a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) and remarked it created "a feeling of artificial difficulty."
Blain praised the game's design and applauded the team for removing the franchise's usual gameplay features, such as paired animation combat, tailing missions, and too many collectibles. Pearce liked the removal of forced stealth missions and the redesigned parkour system, which fixed frustrations she had with earlier games. She also praised the new progression system, which gave players more choices, and the action-focused combat, which she described as "tense." Suriel Vasquez of Game Informer praised the game's openness, since it allowed players to approach objectives in their own way. He described the combat as more active and involving. Chan described the combat as "flawed" but "generally solid," though she disliked segments featuring Aya and Layla, which she felt interrupted gameplay. Christian Donlan of Eurogamer believed the combat was a significant improvement over earlier games and said it showed the franchise's new direction. He felt the combat was more engaging and required strategy, especially when facing different enemy types. However, he said the combat and gameplay were unoriginal, adding that "everywhere you look in Origins you'll find things you've done in other games." Both Pearce and Fillari complained that the lock-on system did not work properly. Fillari added that it turned "battles that could be tactical and fierce into disorienting and clumsy encounters." Fillari also noted that stealth controls were less responsive than in previous games and called it one of Origins' weakest aspects.
Blain liked the game's quests, noting that starting one side quest might lead to a chain of additional narrative side missions. Pearce called the story "delightfully mystical" and "elaborate," while Fillari praised the narrative for balancing "moments of heartbreak and earnestness." Pearce also praised the side-quests for being memorable and featuring "multi-faceted, interesting characters with believable motives." Carter noted that the game had a rough start, but the story involving the cult and the Order of the Ancients became more interesting over time. Chan criticized some campaign missions, especially those involving assassinating cult members, for being anticlimactic. She praised the side-quests for showing everyday life in Egypt but said they were repetitive. She compared completing locations of interest to running errands. Andy Kelly of PC Gamer added that the game had "a particularly egregious example of padding," writing that during his 28 hours of gameplay, at least eight hours were spent on side content "against [his] will." Livingston remarked that players were often forced to grind for experience points before completing main campaign missions, which disrupted the flow of the story. Bayek is generally well-liked by critics. Donlan called him "charming," while Polygon's Colin Campbell described him as "kind" and "devout."
Chris Naunton of Southampton University created Playing in the Past, a TV series, using Origins to teach the history of ancient Egypt. He and other Egyptologists described the game's depiction of the era as "the best visualization of Ancient Egypt… amazing."
In November 2017, Ubisoft announced that sales of Assassin's Creed Origins during its first 10 days were double those of Assassin's Creed Syndicate, while player engagement increased. 35% of the sales were digital downloads, compared to just 12% for Syndicate. It was the best-selling retail game in the UK in its first week of release, beating competitors like Super Mario Odyssey and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, which were released on the same day. It was the second best-selling retail game in the US in October 2017, behind Middle-earth: Shadow of War, and the third best-selling game in November, behind Call of Duty: WWII and Star Wars Battlefront II. The game sold more than 10 million copies during the life of the eighth generation of video game consoles.
Sequel
After the game, Assassin's Creed Odyssey was released. This game is set in Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War. Ubisoft Quebec created the game, and it was made available on October 5, 2018, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.