Hidden in plain sight within the world of The Division 2, a poster of a man carrying staff or a trident and a metallic orb that strongly resembles an Apple of Eden, and the title “Valhalla” written on top, rumors about the setting of the next Assassin’s Creed began to spread like wildfire with everyone predicting that it will be set in the Viking era, then came the Kotaku article confirming this to be true through their own sources, and adding that the next Assassin’s Creed project is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, titled “Kingdom” and is set for release in 2020, and does indeed revolve around the Viking era. Ubisoft has not made any official announcements nor commenting on any of the reports.

Meanwhile, we can take a short trip back to Ubisoft survey from last year which was sent out to select users, asking what they’d prefer the next setting to be. Among the settings was the Peloponnesian Wars of Greece which was announced months later to be true as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was revealed. Among the other suggestions was “Viking Invasions and their great army” as well as “The Dark Ages and the historical King Arthur”. The complete survey can be found here.

The Dark Ages span from the 5th century until the 10th century AD. The Viking Era is a name given to the period between 793 – 1066 AD. King Arthur, the legendary British leader, led the defense of Britain against Saxon invaders in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, atop the mountains west of Lakonia, an Easter Egg in the form of a sword in the stone can be spotted at the highest peak which is a clear reference to the Sword in the Stone, Excalibur which belonged to the legendary King Arthur.

This could therefore lead us to the speculation that the next Assassin’s Creed game which is reportedly set around the Viking Era could revolve around the Viking Invasions of the British Isles, with their great army and perhaps Excalibur, a Sword of Eden, will play a role in the story as the Piece of Eden in focus.

• Gods and Creations

Like the Etruscan and Capitoline Triads were the basis of the First Civilization members of Juno, Minerva and Jupiter, Norse mythology is rich in gods and mighty weapons. Figures like Odin, Thor, Loki, Freyja and Baldr along with mythical weapons such as Thor’s Hammer Mjölnir all qualify within the Assassin’s Creed lore as First Civilization members and their technology, in addition to the already-established Trident of Eden which was explored in The Fate of the Gods novel which also features a Viking setting.

Other than the gods and their fierce armory, Elves and Dwarves are also part of the Norse mythology. Knowing the recent Assassin’s Creed games and the way they incorporate non-human creatures beside the Isu either as Animus glitches or Isu experimentations, Dwarves, Elves as well as the Valkyries could be incorporated into the game either as a subspecies evolved into what they are as a result to Isu experimentation or as Isu who used their own technology to enhance themselves, similarly to how Durga from the Brahman graphic novel had multiple pairs of arms, and The Sphinx in Odyssey who was a hybrid creature.

• Yggdrasil

According to the Eddas, The Tree of Life is an immense ash tree that is center to the cosmos and considered very holy. The gods go to Yggdrasil daily to assemble at their things, traditional governing assemblies. The branches of Yggdrasil extend far into the heavens, and the tree is supported by three roots that extend far away into other locations; one to the well Urðarbrunnr in the heavens, one to the spring Hvergelmir, and another to the well Mímisbrunnr. Creatures live within Yggdrasil, including the dragon Níðhöggr, an unnamed eagle, and the stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór. 

• Ragnarok

A series of events, including a great battle, known as Ragnarok, foretold to lead to the death of a number of great figures (including the Gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr and Loki), natural disasters and the submersion of the world in water. After these events, the world will resurface anew and fertile, the surviving and returning gods will meet and the world will be repopulated by two human survivors.

Ragnarok represent a very interesting concept within the Assassin’s Creed lore as its a story that strongly resembles the Great Catastrophe, also known as Toba, which led to the eventual extinction of the First Civilization circa 75,000 BCE and the rise of humanity which went on to repopulate the earth and create the human civilization as we know it. In the Assassin’s Creed lore, Adam and Eve, the two human/Isu hybrids who stole an Apple of Eden from the Isu and led the rebellion against the First Civilization ten years prior to Toba Catastrophe. Of course, the mythologies are often not an accurate retelling of actual Isu history since the events took place millennia ago, but it represents a close enough anecdote.

The concept arts of a Viking Assassin’s Creed game depicted on this page are not official concept arts from the upcoming game, but rather the vision of fans and fellow artists who conceptualized what an Assassin’s Creed title set around the Viking era would look like. The Codex does not own any of these artworks and the credits go to their respective artists; Michele Nucera and Petros Stefanidis.