Assassin’s Creed Valhalla puts players into the shoes of Eivor, a Norwegian Viking tasked with leading the recently-settled Raven Clan in a war-torn 9th Century England. They’re someone who finds themselves burdened with a purpose beyond their pillaging and raiding – and easily one of the most interesting protagonists we’ve seen in any Assassin’s Creed game. With this game taking place in the 870s, this isn’t going to be the British Isles we know and (maybe) love – or, is it? Ubisoft is sharing some interesting facts about its’ Assassin’s Creed games during its’ series-wide celebrations and one fact about England in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has everyone saying the same thing.
On June 21, the official Assassin’s Creed social media account shared some interesting “behind-the-scenes facts” with fans all about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Through this, we have learned that both the 1066 Norman Invasion and the Viking raid of Lindisfarne in 793 were considered as settings, and that Eivor was originally named Jora – but that was changed because it roughly translates into “horse”. However, we have also learned that Ubisoft built Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s England with wandering post-apocalyptic wastelands in mind. Can you see where we’re going with this?
Yeah, that’s right – everyone is making the same joke. Living in England right now is like wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland. So, surprisingly, nothing has really changed in the last 1,150 years (give or take).
If you’re wondering what Ubisoft actually said, we suppose we’ll tell you. Discussing some lesser known facts about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s development, Ubisoft revealed the following:
“England’s world design was built to evoke a feeling of wandering the ruins of an almost post-apocalyptic Roman world.”
Eivor's original name? Connections to AC3?
Learn more about the making of Assassin's Creed Valhalla with these behind-the-scenes facts! #AC15 👇 pic.twitter.com/EDmwxlD1oE
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) June 21, 2022
If that isn’t a whole mood, we don’t know what is. To Ubisoft’s credit, a lot of the open areas are quite scenic – beautiful even. You only really feel as though you’re exploring a strange post-apocalyptic Roman world when you’re in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s larger cities – some of which you may recognise. Lundun (London), Wicestre (Winchester), and Northwic (Norwich) all feature as some of the game’s largest urban areas.
In addition to this, post-launch content has introduced parts of Northern Ireland, the River Severn, and the Isle of Skye to the game’s impressive selection of locations. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is easily the most ambitious title in the series to date, but it looks like Ubisoft might be headed back to the series’ roots with a new Assassin’s Creed game based on Valhalla’s Basim reportedly in the works.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (1 Month) Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (1 Month) $14.99 $1.00 Buy Now Network N earns commission from qualifying purchases via Microsoft and other programs.
In addition to this, evidence for an Assassin’s Creed 1 remake is mounting. We won’t find out what’s next until September 2022, but for now, we can hope that Ubisoft will offer us a setting that’s more upbeat than the post-apocalyptic wasteland called England.