Assassin's Creed Unity is a 2014 action-adventure game created by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released in November 2014 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, and in December 2020 for Stadia. It is the eighth major game in the Assassin's Creed series and the next game after 2013's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. It also connects to Assassin's Creed Rogue, which was released for older consoles on the same day as Unity.
The story is based on a mix of real historical events and fictional elements. It follows the long-standing conflict between the Assassins, who aim to protect peace and freedom, and the Templars, who seek peace through control. The framing story takes place in the 21st century and features an unnamed protagonist who joins the Assassins to find the body of an 18th-century Templar leader. The main story is set in Paris during the French Revolution from 1789 to 1794, following Assassin Arno Dorian as he works to uncover the true forces behind the Revolution and seeks revenge for his adoptive father’s murder. Unity keeps the series’ third-person open-world exploration and introduces improved combat, parkour, and stealth systems. It also adds cooperative multiplayer, allowing up to four players to work together on story-based missions and explore the open world.
Assassin's Creed Unity received mixed reviews when it was released. It was praised for its graphics, character customization, setting, and character development. However, opinions were divided about its story, gameplay, mission design, and multiplayer format. The game was widely criticized for many visual problems and technical errors, leading Ubisoft to apologize and offer a free expansion called Dead Kings, which serves as an epilogue to the main story. Players who had purchased the game’s season pass (which was later removed from sale due to the controversy) also received a free copy of another Ubisoft game. Despite the mixed reviews, Unity was a commercial success, selling over 10 million copies by May 2020. It was followed by Assassin's Creed Syndicate in October 2015, which continues the modern-day story but sets its main plot in Victorian-era London.
Gameplay
Assassin's Creed Unity is an action-adventure, stealth game played from a third-person view and set in a large, open world. The game recreates Paris in the late 18th century at nearly the same scale as real Paris. The setting includes seven major districts: Le Louvre, Île de la Cité, Le Marais, La Bièvre, Les Invalides, Quartier Latin, and Ventre de Paris. It also includes the town of Versailles, located outside Paris. The commune of Saint-Denis, renamed Franciade during the French Revolution, is part of the free Dead Kings expansion pack.
Players can complete side missions in the open world, such as "Paris Stories," where they help historical figures with small problems; "Murder Mysteries," where they investigate crime scenes, gather clues, and question witnesses to find the culprit; and "Nostradamus Enigmas," which are riddles that lead to artifacts that unlock special rewards. Collectibles like treasure chests, cockades, and artifacts are scattered throughout Paris and provide rewards, such as new gear or cosmetic items.
The combat system in Unity was improved from earlier games in the series, with fencing inspiring the new fighting style. Stealth features were also enhanced, including manual crouching and the Phantom Blade, a silent crossbow version of the Hidden Blade. Previous linear assassination missions were replaced with a "Black Box" design, allowing players to choose how to approach targets by exploring the environment for entry points or distractions. New commands, "Free-run up" and "Free-run down," help players climb buildings more easily in either direction. Larger crowds in the game allow for new interactions, such as scaring bullies, ending fights, or chasing thieves.
For the first time in the series, the main character, Arno Dorian, has abilities that can be upgraded through a skill tree. Players earn points to improve skills in stealth, melee, and ranged combat, as well as health. Arno’s weapons, armor, and equipment can be customized, with quality levels up to 5 for legendary items. More weapons are available, including swords, axes, rifles, and throwable items like smoke bombs. The Dead Kings expansion adds the Guillotine Gun, a grenade launcher with an axe attached.
The game includes an in-game economy centered around the Café Théâtre, a ruined building that serves as Arno’s headquarters. Players can renovate the café to unlock new rooms and increase income. Additional taverns around Paris can also be purchased to boost earnings.
Unity introduces cooperative multiplayer, allowing up to four players to join missions together. Players can meet online friends in taverns, which act as social hubs. If a friend is in a mission, they appear as a "ghost" version of their character, and players can join their session. Each player controls their own version of Arno, with gear and customization retained. Most missions and activities can be played alone or with others, but main story missions are single-player only.
The game connects to a "freemium" companion app, which previously limited access to certain collectibles like treasure chests and assassination targets. After an update in February 2015, players no longer need the app to access these items.
Synopsis
The main character of the game is Arno Dorian (Dan Jeannotte), a Frenchman born in Versailles to an Assassin father. After his father is killed by Shay Patrick Cormac at the end of Assassin's Creed Rogue, Arno is adopted by a family that holds an important role in the Templar Order. His new father figure is the Templar Grandmaster. Arno feels guilty when his adoptive father is murdered, so he begins a journey to make up for his mistakes. This leads him to join the Brotherhood of Assassins, where he works to improve himself, similar to characters like Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze from earlier games. Arno's love interest is Élise de la Serre (Catherine Bérubé), the daughter of the Templar Grandmaster who adopted him. Élise also investigates her father's death and how it relates to changes in the Templar Order's beliefs. The story includes appearances by real historical figures, such as the Marquis de Sade (Alex Ivanovici), Maximilien Robespierre (Bruce Dinsmore), and a young Napoleon Bonaparte (Brent Skagford).
Arno's story begins in Versailles as a child but takes place mostly in Paris. His adventure in Paris starts on the night before the French Revolution in 1789 and continues until the Thermidorian Reaction in 1794. In the modern day, the game shows Assassins contacting players and asking for help to explore Arno's past and assist in the present. Players can also participate in cooperative multiplayer missions that follow the Brotherhood of Assassins during the French Revolution. The game introduces "time anomalies," which allow Arno to travel to different points in Paris's history, such as the Belle Époque or the Nazi occupation of Paris during World War II.
In 2014, Abstergo releases their Helix software, which lets people access genetic memories through a gaming device. While exploring a memory of Jacques de Molay (Mario Desmarais), in which he hides his codex and sword during the sacking of the Paris Temple in 1307, the player is contacted by the Assassin Brotherhood through an agent named "Bishop" (Kate Todd). Bishop invites the player to join the Assassins and shows a video about a Sage with precursor DNA that Abstergo wants to study. Bishop asks the player to find another Sage whose remains they hope to recover.
The player relives the memories of Arno Dorian, a French-Austrian nobleman. After his father, Charles, is assassinated in 1776, Arno is taken in by François de la Serre, the Grand Master of the French Templars. In 1789, Arno is asked to deliver a message to de la Serre but forgets to do so and instead meets Élise, de la Serre's daughter, who has recently joined the Templar Order. Later, Arno finds de la Serre murdered and is blamed for the crime. He is imprisoned in the Bastille, where he meets Pierre Bellec (Anthony Lemke), who knew his father. Bellec helps Arno escape during the Storming of the Bastille and introduces him to the Brotherhood of Assassins.
Returning home, Arno is rejected by Élise, who tells him the message he failed to deliver warned of her father's murder. Arno joins the Brotherhood to fight the Templars responsible for de la Serre's death. During his investigation, Arno rescues François-Thomas Germain (Julian Casey), a silversmith held hostage by the acting-Templar Grand Master Lafreniere (Noel Burton). Arno kills Lafreniere, only to learn that Lafreniere was trying to warn de la Serre and that Germain is a Templar extremist who staged a coup after being exiled by de la Serre. When Germain starts killing members of Élise's faction, Arno convinces her to talk to the Brotherhood. The Assassin Mentor Mirabeau (Harry Standjofski) agrees to help, but is later killed by Bellec, who wants to destroy the Brotherhood leadership he sees as weak. Arno is forced to kill Bellec after he tries to convince him to join him.
While searching the Tuileries Palace for letters from Mirabeau to King Louis, Arno meets Napoleon Bonaparte, who helps him escape. Arno learns that Germain plans to start a revolt against the King and works with Napoleon and Élise to stop him, repairing his relationship with Élise. As the Revolution continues, Arno tracks Germain to Louis' execution but chooses to protect Élise instead of pursuing Germain. Élise rejects Arno for this, and he is exiled from the Brotherhood. After months of depression, Arno is found in Versailles by Élise, who convinces him to return as Paris falls into chaos during the Reign of Terror. With Élise's help, Arno discredits Maximilien Robespierre, whom Germain had placed in charge of creating chaos. After finding Robespierre, Élise shoots him in the jaw and forces him to write down Germain's location.
Arno confronts Germain, who is using de Molay's sword—a Sword of Eden—and follows him to the Templar crypt under the Paris Temple, where Élise arrives to help. After Arno is temporarily injured, Élise tries to fight Germain alone, but the Sword explodes, killing Élise and seriously wounding Germain. Arno kills Germain, who reveals he is the Sage and wanted to remove the Templars who had forgotten de Molay's teachings. The game ends with Arno explaining how his understanding of the Creed has changed and promising to protect Paris and remember Élise. He rejoins the Brotherhood and becomes a Master Assassin. Years later, Arno and Napoleon recover Germain's skeleton and place it in the Catacombs of Paris. Bishop is relieved, confident Abstergo will not find it, and tells the player they will be in touch.
One month after Élise's death, a grieving Arno finds shelter in Franciade. He is approached by the Marquis de Sade, who asks for help finding a manuscript by Nicolas de Condorcet hidden in a tomb beneath the city, in exchange for a ship to take Arno to Egypt. During his search, Arno meets tomb raiders led by Captain Philippe Rose (Taylor Price), a subordinate of Napoleon, who wants to steal an Apple of Eden from a Precursor temple under the city's church. Arno discovers the manuscript has been stolen by a child named Léon (Eamon Stocks), who is captured by the raiders. Arno rescues Léon and retrieves
Development
Development for the game started soon after the release of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood in 2010. The main team split into smaller groups during the early stages of Assassin's Creed III. On March 19, 2014, early images of the game were shared without permission, and the title Unity was revealed. These images showed that Unity would take place in Paris during the French Revolution, include a new assassin, and be released in late 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On March 21, 2014, Ubisoft confirmed the game was in development for over three years, sharing early footage. They also confirmed the release date for the fourth quarter of 2014 and announced a version for Windows. Ubisoft writer Jeffrey Yohalem explained that the French Revolution setting was hinted at through symbols in the ending of Brotherhood. Ubisoft Montreal led the project, with help from studios in Toronto, Kyiv, Singapore, Shanghai, Annecy, Montpellier, Bucharest, Quebec, and Chengdu.
At E3 2014, trailers for the game were shown, including a new cooperative multiplayer mode for up to four players, a first for the series. The trailer featured a cover of the song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Lorde, produced by Michael A. Levine and Lucas Cantor. The development team used the power of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to improve the game’s NPC crowds. Up to 1,000 individual AI characters can appear in a crowd, each acting and reacting independently. The PC version uses Nvidia’s GameWorks technology, including TXAA anti-aliasing, advanced DX11 tessellation, and Nvidia PhysX, due to a partnership between Ubisoft and Nvidia.
Lead game designer Benjamin Plich said the game would be more challenging than previous entries because the counter button was removed, and guards would be more aggressive. He also mentioned the game would include synchronized Double Assassinations.
In August 2014, Assassin's Creed Rogue was announced for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and it was linked to the story in Unity.
The game was written using a mix of C++ and C#, with about 15.5 million lines of C++ code and 5 million lines of C# code.
On October 6, 2014, Ubisoft said they worked with academic historians, such as Laurent Turcot from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and Jean Clement Martin from the Sorbonne, to revise the script for accuracy about 18th-century Paris.
Like other games in the series, Unity includes real-world landmarks. The game’s version of Paris features the Tuileries Palace and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Through a "time anomalies" feature, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty also appear, even though they did not exist during the French Revolution. After the April 2019 fire at Notre-Dame, unconfirmed reports suggested Ubisoft had detailed scans of the cathedral that could help with its reconstruction. Ubisoft clarified that their model was not historically accurate but donated €500,000 to the cathedral’s restoration and offered Unity as a free download for a week after the fire. Ubisoft later reused the Notre-Dame model for a virtual reality tour called Notre-Dame de Paris: Journey Back in Time, allowing users with compatible headsets to explore the cathedral’s interior and exterior.
Release
The game was first planned to be released worldwide on October 28, 2014. However, on August 28, 2014, the release was delayed. It was scheduled for November 11, 2014, in North America; November 13, 2014, in Europe and Australasia; and November 14, 2014, in the United Kingdom. Vincent Pontbriand, a senior producer at Ubisoft, explained the delay by saying, "As we got close to finishing the game, we realized we were near the target but still needed more time to improve some details to ensure Assassin's Creed Unity is excellent." The game also received a day one patch that included additional updates.
In March 2026, an update was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. This update improved performance and allowed the game to run in 4K at 60 frames per second on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Reception
Assassin's Creed Unity received "mixed or average" reviews from critics when it was released, according to a website called Metacritic.
Matt Miller from Game Informer gave the game 8/10. He praised the detailed environment and architecture, the voice acting, missions that required strategy, challenging gameplay, and a well-paced story. However, he criticized the controls, balance, and serious technical problems. He also said the navigation and combat systems needed improvement. Louise Blain from GamesRadar gave the game 4/5. She praised the rich and atmospheric game world, character-focused missions, improved free-running mechanics, character customization, and satisfying combat. However, she criticized the game's framerate and poor enemy AI design.
Chris Carter from Destructoid gave the game 7/10. He praised the new movement system, likable characters, iconic setting, smooth animation, and improved draw distance. He also praised character customization and large crowds. However, he criticized the predictable story, technical issues, and co-op multiplayer missions that could not be played alone. He said, "Unity feels like a step back. It lacks the sense of adventure from earlier games in the series, but it's worth playing if you like the series." Tom Bramwell from Eurogamer gave the game 7/10. He praised the setting, rich content, inspiring story, and interesting side-missions. However, he criticized the overused mission design, the auto-correct system in free-running, and the lack of weapon customization. He called the game a "missed opportunity."
Marty Sliva from IGN gave the game 7.8/10. He praised the recreation of Paris and the ideas in the multiplayer mode. However, he criticized the unrefined stealth, weak story, and lack of a strong lead character. He said, "Unity is a beautiful and entertaining example of what the series could become, but it is not truly revolutionary." Tom Senior from PC Gamer gave the game 65/100. He said, "Unity could be enjoyable if not for technical issues, performance problems, microtransactions, and weak combat and free-running systems. In its current state, it is a failed attempt at change." Sam Prell from Joystiq gave the game 2.5/5. He said, "It is hard not to like what Unity does right, but it has serious flaws." PC World called the game "a new low for the series" and criticized its small scale, poor gameplay, and high system requirements. CNET said the game "may satisfy fans but fails to find its direction."
At the 18th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Assassin's Creed Unity for "Animation," "Art Direction," and "Sound Design."
Upon release, the game had many bugs, glitches, and technical problems that affected performance and online features. Ubisoft Montreal's CEO, Yannis Mallat, apologized for the poor launch, saying the game's quality was reduced by bugs and technical issues. Ubisoft stopped selling the game's season pass and Gold Edition and offered the first DLC, Dead Kings, for free. Those who bought the season pass received a free digital copy of one of six Ubisoft games and continued access to additional content for Unity. However, they had to give up the right to sue Ubisoft over the game and the reduced value of the season pass.
In February 2016, Ubisoft said it would not release any new Assassin's Creed games for the rest of the year, citing issues with Unity. Ubisoft said it learned from feedback and promised to improve the series. This decision may be related to a financial report that said Assassin's Creed Syndicate had a slower launch than expected.
The French Left Party and its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, criticized the game's portrayal of the French Revolution, saying it showed Robespierre as a violent person and Marie Antoinette as a weak character. Mélenchon called the game's history "propaganda" that harms France's self-image. Alexis Corbière, a party official, said the game used old-fashioned ideas about the Revolution. He told buyers to "enjoy the game but think critically about its message."
In an interview, the game's creative director, Alex Amancio, said the team tried to show history as accurately as possible. However, a producer, Antoine Vimal du Monteil, said the game is a mainstream video game, not a history lesson.
By December 31, 2014, Ubisoft had sold 10 million copies of Assassin's Creed Unity and Assassin's Creed Rogue combined. In April 2019, Ubisoft made the PC version of Unity free and asked for donations to help rebuild Notre Dame de Paris after a fire. Ubisoft donated €500,000 to the restoration effort. In May 2020, Ubisoft said Unity and ten other games from the eighth console generation had sold over 10 million copies by March 2020.
Controversies
Ubisoft acknowledges concerns about diversity in video game stories. The Assassin's Creed series is created by a team with many different backgrounds and beliefs. The company aims to reflect this diversity in game settings and characters. In Assassin's Creed Unity, players control Arno, the main character, whether playing alone or with others. Arno has a variety of tools and abilities that make him unique. Previous games have included playable characters like Aveline, Connor, Adewale, and Altaïr. Ubisoft continues to explore ways to include diverse characters, including strong female roles in Assassin's Creed Unity.
After the cooperative multiplayer mode was announced at E3 2014, more details were shared by creative director Alex Amancio and technical director James Therien. Amancio explained that the mode did not allow players to choose female avatars because of "the reality of production." He noted that creating a female character would require twice as many animations, voices, and visual designs, especially since players could customize their characters. This was supported by Therien. Level designer Bruno St-André added that about 8,000 extra animations would have been needed for a female avatar.
Some members of the gaming community expressed disappointment. Brenna Hillier of VG247 pointed out that nine development teams worked on the game and criticized Ubisoft for using a "tired" excuse for not including female characters. Tim Clark of PC Gamer noted that earlier Assassin's Creed games had playable female characters in multiplayer modes, such as in Brotherhood, where female assassins were available. He suggested that Ubisoft’s decision may not have been widely supported internally. Jonathan Cooper, a former Assassin's Creed designer, estimated that adding a female character would take only a day or two of work, not 8,000 animations. He also mentioned that Aveline de Grandpré, the female lead in Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, shares many animations with Connor Kenway. Fans created petitions asking Ubisoft to reconsider its stance. Patrice Désilets, a former Assassin's Creed designer, said Amancio’s reasoning was valid but encouraged Ubisoft to allow gender options for players.
During this time, Insomniac Games released a video for their upcoming game Sunset Overdrive. When asked, "Can you play as a female character?" the presenter answered "yes," showing a female character dressed like Ezio Auditore.
Amancio clarified that in Unity, players always control Arno, even in co-op mode. He compared this to Watch Dogs, where players control Aiden Pearce. Arno’s skills, gear, and weapons allow players to personalize their experience, but the character’s appearance (face) changes while the body remains the same. This choice helps players showcase their collected gear during gameplay.
In October 2014, Ubisoft’s senior producer Vincent Pontbriand stated that all console versions of the game would run at the same resolution of 900p to avoid debates. Some believed this was to match the Xbox One’s performance with the PlayStation 4, but Ubisoft denied this. Pontbriand explained the decision was due to limitations in the consoles’ CPUs, which affected the number of NPCs and AI in the game. Keeping the game at 30 frames per second required this choice.