Assassin's Creed: Mirage: Why Did They Choose Baghdad as the Game's City?

Stéphane Boudon talks about the most interesting aspects of the city

Assassin's Creed: Mirage: Why Did They Choose Baghdad as the Game's City?

Stéphane Boudon talks about the most interesting aspects of the city

Assassin's Creed: Mirage is the highly anticipated return to the roots that fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise have been requesting for a long time. Since it was revealed, many were excited, but there was also curiosity about why Baghdad was chosen as the setting for its narrative. Now, we have the answer.

Recently, at LEVEL UP, we had the opportunity to interview Stéphane Boudon, the creative director of Assassin's Creed: Mirage. There, we asked him about the decision to choose Baghdad as the game's city and whether it was solely because Basim is the protagonist of the story.

Boudon explained that the choice of Baghdad went beyond simply selecting a city where Basim lived. Instead, they were considering this location because, in those times, it was a kind of world capital.

"In fact, it was a sort of anti-connection. We were thinking about [making it in] Baghdad even before because it was really the center of the world at that time. In fact, Darby McDevitt, who wrote the character of Basim in Valhalla, already placed him there at the center of the story. So, it was very straightforward for us to gather the entire team and create this game around Basim in Baghdad," he explained.

Boudon also pointed out that the architecture of Baghdad makes it perfect for the return to the roots of Assassin's Creed. This is because its densely built structures, flat roofs, and connections between buildings make it ideal for parkour.

But that's not all; choosing Baghdad also opened up several narrative opportunities: "It was such an interesting city in terms of storytelling that you will really see when you explore the Baghdad of the 9th century like never before and really discover this story that we crafted around it and really show you what was possible at that time."

Are you excited to explore Baghdad in Assassin's Creed: Mirage? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Assassin's Creed: Mirage will arrive on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on October 5, 2023.

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