Assassin's Creed games have long immersed players in the middle of historical events and settings. But while that serves as a great background upon which Assassin's Creed's fictional narratives play out, developer Ubisoft hasn't yet seized the opportunity to leverage its settings for genuine educational opportunities. That's about to change with the next game in the series, Assassin's Creed Origins.
Ubisoft has announced Assassin's Creed Origins will pick up a purely educational Discovery Tour mode after launch. Existing separate from the main game, Discovery Tour adds historical annotations to the game world with "dozens of interactive tours curated by historians and Egyptologists." Because you don't have to worry about being attacked at any moment, Origins will let players roam the entire game world to explore the sights of Memphis, Alexandria, the Sand Sea, and the Giza Plateau while learning historical facts about the world and structures around them.
Discovery Tour is something that has been on the team's radar for some time, says Creative Director for Assassin's Creed Origins, Jean Guesdon. "Discovery Tour is another way to enjoy the beauty of the world we've recreated. It's a more educative mode, so it's clearly focused on education and on bringing to people actual facts, more academic knowledge."
From the sound of things, this seems like a pretty neat way to immerse and engage people in what would otherwise serve as just a backdrop for gameplay. Discovery Mode won't be available for launch, but players will be able to get their hands on it as part of a free update in "early 2018."
Assassin's Creed Origins will launch on October 27 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. You can preorder the game now for $59.99.
