Ubisoft confirms 'Assassin's Creed Valhalla' after an 8 hour BossLogic livestream

Two years past the release of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft has finally revealed the title and setting for their next release in the series: Assassin's Creed Valhalla, set during the 9th century Viking invasion of Saxon kingdoms.

Valhalla was slowly unveiled in a 8-hour livestream by digital artist BossLogic, who showed the time-lapsed process of creating the Valhalla art. As the stream went on, more details emerged and led viewers to hone in on specific details that clued them in to the game's setting.

Early clues included snow-capped mountains on the left, referencing the Vikings' Scandinavian homeland, and the fortified castle under attack on the right, which speaks to the several Saxon kingdoms invaded by the Vikings in the mid-800s. Later, the addition of the Vikings' signature spiral-painted shields fighting warriors bearing red Saxon flags clarified the vision and time period.

In a released interview with Ubisoft, BossLogic discussed the process of making the livestream for Assassin's Creed Valhalla and hinted at some elements of the upcoming game. When asked about the composition of the digital painting, he said he placed the game's main character in the center of the piece for a reason:

"I wanted to convey a sense of balance, both with the lighting and thematically...Sometimes, doing something heroic may ask of the hero, to step into a zone where comfort escapes them...and perhaps are being asked to do something on different circumstances would not be viewed as heroic. Circumstance and perspective shape so much of that. I found that to be interesting and wanted to showcase that at play throughout the painting. Our character ... and the player are the pivot point - or anchor that divides (as well as unites) the two halves."

The main character's place as the "pivot point" between the Vikings and the Saxons resembles the similar position of Alexios/Kassandra, the choosable protagonists of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. In Odyssey, the player protagonist's character worked for both sides of the Peloponnesian War and could fight for Athens or Sparta in large scale conquest battles. Odyssey also included extensive naval combat, something the longships on the left side of the reveal art for Valhalla suggest will be included in this next game.

The title, setting, and protagonist reveal was not accompanied by a release date for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but with E3 cancelled this year due to COVID-19, fans of the creed can likely look forward to Ubisoft releasing more information about the main character's assassin adventures in the coming weeks and months.