Assassins Creed Rumour Basim

The Assassins Creed franchise spans the length and breadth of human history, and fans love to speculate where and when the next entry will take place. Earlier today, we were given more food for thought on the matter.

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier has reiterated his earlier reporting, refuting a possible Aztec setting:

“The next AC game is Rift, which is set in Baghdad.” said Schreier. “After that will be AC Infinity, and while that’s going to include a bunch of different games/experiences/biomes/whatever you want to call them, I’ve heard about the main two and neither of them are Aztec.”

Schreier made this comment in a Reddit post discussing Jeremy "ACG" Penter's claim on Twitter that the next Assassin's Creed title would feature an Aztec setting.

We heard whispers of Rift earlier this year thanks to Schreier's own initial reporting. The tasty tidbit that Rift will see Assassin's Creed Valhalla's own Basim Ibn Ishaq return as the protagonist of a smaller, more stealth-focused title was backed up by Eurogamer.

It's worth noting that the Aztec setting, while intriguing, would not line up chronologically if Basim was to be featured as the protagonist unless some kind of time travel or Animus shenanigans were involved. Valhalla is set during the 870s CE, whereas the Aztec Empire was not founded until half a millennia later, in 1428.

Baghdad, which is the capital of modern-day Iraq, was the capital of the powerful Abbasid Caliphate during the early medieval time period in which Valhalla takes place, and is where Basim was born. It would be a fascinating setting to explore, taking the series back to its roots, and makes logical sense when you consider Basim's own personal history.

Here hoping we get official confirmation of Rift during the Ubisoft Forward showcase scheduled for September.

What do you think of Penter's claim, and Schreier's rebuttal? Where do you think the Assassin's Creed franchise will go next? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source reddit.com, via bloomberg.com, psu.com]