THE CREATION OF EZIO: INTERVIEW WITH ASSASSIN’S CREED HEAD OF CONTENT AYMAR AZAÏZIA
To celebrate the release of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed® The Ezio Collection, Ubisoft sat down with one of our favorite (and most knowledgeable) Assassin’s Creed team members, Aymar Azaïzia. Aymar has been on the brand since Assassin’s Creed® 2 was in development, and was happy to share with us some of his insights into how our favorite Italian Assassin came to be.
What was the most challenging part of the production of the Ezio Trilogy for your team?
“Without hesitation, the ambition behind that trilogy, and the will to be excellent in every aspect. There were a lot of moments, where we were asking ourselves if we were capable of delivering all of that, on time and quality, and every day when you were looking at the build, the game was becoming better and better, and now it seems that those games were made in a flash…
I cherish those moments that helped us craft the franchise.”
Was it a difficult decision to move from Altaïr to a new protagonist and historical setting?
“I still don’t know how Seb[astien Puel] and the guys got the courage to pull that one out. I mean if you look at the context, we released Assassin’s Creed® in 2007, establishing a new brand, with an amazing protagonist.
At that time, you couldn’t go on a forum or anywhere within the gaming community without finding tons of Altaïr avatars, he literally becomes a legend in one single game.
Having the courage to shake everything up and go for a time period that was almost untouched in the video game world, and seemed at that point so far from an action-adventure game setting was a bold move that still impressed me almost after all those years!”
In what ways do you feel Ezio grew over his trilogy?
“Oh for sure, and [generally] we don’t see a lot of characters really aging, but more importantly maturing, in games.
Ezio changed a lot, and he grew on people, and players grew with him. He started out as a young cocky man, who turns into an Assassin, a Master, and a father. Ezio is one of our friends and relatives, the kind of man you want to be.”
Was Ezio’s path set at the beginning of development or did it evolve as the games were made?
“With game development, there is no such thing as a “set path,” but we knew what Ezio’s journey looked like.
To the point that you can find concepts art of Ezio as a kid, in some of our art books. That is always the way you go, we have a story arc in mind, and potential ideas for the future, because everything is permitted right?”
When did the team realize they had created a character who resonated so strongly with the players?
“Usually it takes time, at least for us to process it. The first signs are always coming with E3, and then at release, everyone is checking the internet, going into video game store, and taking the pulse of the community.
When we started to get tons of memes on Ezio and Italy, hearing about how history was great with AC, as well as seeing cosplayers, fan videos, and fan art, we knew that something was happening!”
Who was your favorite antagonist for Ezio throughout the trilogy?
“Cesare Borgia! I used to joke about the fact that he was the first antagonist who wasn’t an old man with a stick… I know, I know, I shouldn’t, but come on!
We are talking about a mastermind, a tactician that inspired Machiavelli to write The Prince! He is as much a fighter, as he is a commander. He is merciless, proven in the battlefield, son of the Pope… It is hard to find such a great antagonist that poses such a challenge! (And he killed Mario!)”
Why did the team invest in creating the short films Lineage and Embers to coincide with the games?
“It was our very first attempt at transmedia. The idea was that we knew that Assassin’s Creed had all that was needed to tell great stories. When AC2 was released, we started out trying to develop our universe on other media: we created Assassin’s Creed: The Fall (a graphic novel).
Lineage was our live action acting as a prequel to AC2, and ultimately Embers was released with Assassin’s Creed® Revelations and it is an animated short. The concept behind Embers was that because of our rule on DNA transition, it is impossible to live the life of an ancestor after they had children (you can then only explore their children’s memories), but we wanted to give Ezio a good ending.
We decided that we wouldn’t do it in a game, but in another form. That is how we started Embers, a beautiful tribute to our hero, and I won’t drop name but a few team members cracked some tears on our first screening.”
Which game in the Ezio Collection are you most excited to relive when it is released?
“Assassin’s Creed 2! I will always feel something special for this title because I joined Ubisoft after playing AC. I wanted to work on that franchise more than anything in the world.
AC2 was the first Assassin’s Creed I worked on, and now I have been working in various positions on all of them, and it will be a decade soon… I look forward to getting back to Italy and Constantinople!”
Want to learn more about the creation of Ezio Auditore da Firenze? Take a look at our interview with Sebastien Puel, Producer on Assassin’s Creed 2 and an Executive Producer on Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood – Assassin’s Creed Revelations.
