Ubisoft and WEBTOON, the world's largest digital comics platform, are collaborating on the original webcomic Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple, a sequel story to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Available exclusively on WEBTOON, the first episodes of Forgotten Temple are now available in English, French, Korean and Japanese, with new episodes rolling out in the weeks to come. Three seasons are planned for the webcomic series.
Published by Redice Studio, the series will continue the story of Edward Kenway immediately following the events of Black Flag, after his full integration into the Assassin Brotherhood. Edward is on a dangerous quest to find Pieces of Eden on the coasts of Southeast Asia, and will have to face off with new, mysterious Templars to do so. In the present day you'll be introduced to Noa Kim, a Korean American descendant of Edward, who investigates the Assassin's past while searching for information on his family.
To learn more about Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple, Ubisoft News spoke with Ubisoft Senior Transmedia Content Manager Etienne Bouvier.
Assassin's Creed has so many characters and stories to tell. How did you decide to tell a sequel story to Black Flag?
Etienne Bouvier: This was indeed a very careful choice that we made, both with Redice Studio and with the teams at Ubisoft Montreal. This being our first webtoon, we wanted this project to feature a character who has a strong personality and who is a fan favorite. We also wanted the storyline to be set in Asia, which is not completely uncharted territory for the franchise, but still filled with great narrative opportunities. Edward's older years, after 1725, were still an open avenue, and this was the perfect opportunity for us to sail once more with this epic character and give him the sequel story he deserves.
We know that Edward eventually returns to England; is this story set before that? And why did you want to take him to Southeast Asia?
EB: The very first panels of the webtoon are set in 1725 England, where Edward is tipped off about ancient ruins in Southeast Asia that could very well be First Civilization. In order to build a true, compelling Assassin's Creed experience, we needed a setting that would fit Edward's abilities as a sailor, and which had just enough legends and traditions, but also clashing political influences from all the colonial states lurking over it. This is also a geographical area that is quite new for the franchise, and we wanted to be able to showcase a fresh, different cultural experience, that fans could enjoy through the eyes of Edward. This is a new journey for the franchise, on so many levels.
Why did you decide to team up with Redice Studio? What about their specific style fit with what you were trying to do?
EB: Redice Studio is one of the most internationally acclaimed webtoon studios, with massive hits like Solo Leveling. They have a great track record when it comes to developing engaging action/adventure-oriented webtoons, with strong characters and kick-ass art direction. These were all the ingredients we needed for our first project in the webtoon space. When venturing into a new medium, it is always comforting to know that you work with experts who are able to properly address a growing audience. Also, Redice was able to gather a team of fans of the franchise who were dedicated to showcasing true love and expertise about our games, and Edward more specifically. It's all about passion when developing an engaging narrative, and a lot of work, too, obviously!
How does telling an Assassin's Creed story in a comic differ from a game? What things can you do in comics that you can't in games?
EB: The great thing with comics is that they deliver a linear experience for the reader that reflects the careful crafting, as well as the cultural background and artistic influence, of the team creating it. Each comic, webtoon, or manga that we develop at the transmedia level is a way to offer the very personal take of a small team on our franchise, with their original voice. It also allows us to explore narrative avenues that are more focused than in a game, with a smaller cast of characters. Thus, we can deep-dive into their personal psychology, focusing on internal dialogue and character development.
Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple launches exclusively on WEBTOON on April 24 in English, French, Korean, and Japanese, with more territories to come later this Spring. Ubisoft is working on two more webcomics with WEBTOON. For more on Assassin's Creed, read about the podcast Echoes of History, and visit our dedicated news hub.
