It's been over a decade since Assassin's Creed 3 launched, and I still remember the controversy over the game's extended narrative opening, which spent hours building up to the big plot twist before finally giving you control of the actual protagonist and letting you play the game. In hindsight, creative Alex Hutchinson agrees that the intro was too long, but it was intended to solve a very specific problem often found in game storytelling.
First quickly spoiler warning if you're still planning on playing Assassin's Creed 3 and want one act twist to remain a surprise. Still here? Good. While the game has always been advertised as having a Native American protagonist named Conner, the game actually begins with you taking control of a British character named Haytham Kenway. After going through a lengthy introduction, Kenway is revealed to be a member of the villainous Templar faction. And Conner's father turns into the game's villain as you take control of the real protagonist.
“It’s difficult in a franchise [development] especially with a lot of marketing, to have something unexpected and fresh, and that's what we wanted, or at least that's what I wanted,” says Hutchinson. FRVR. “So, the idea [was] that Haytham will be Connor's father and, spoiler, he will be a Templar, and then, spoiler, he will become a villain.”
“I think it’s too long,” agrees Hutchinson. “But you won't see that until, you know, in the last two months [of development]. So the exact timing of events – because you're waiting for something to work or for something to happen – then it gets longer because it becomes a teaching section where we teach you as well. [the mechanics]”
