See Assassin’s Creed Origins Come To Life In Beautiful Concept Art

Assassin’s Creed Origins takes you to ancient Egypt, one of fans’ most requested destinations. To bring this exciting locale to life, concept artists immediately got to work, doing research and brainstorming to create over 300 illustrations for the game. When we visited Ubisoft Montreal for our cover story, the artists showed us some of the images that inspired Assassin’s Creed Origins. It wasn’t an easy task, as there aren’t a lot of references for this time period; the game takes place around 40 B.C., when Cleopatra ascended to power. While this gave the artists some leeway to add their own spin, they also wanted to make sure everything felt accurate and held the allure of discovery the series is known for. "We really need to picture how it could be with all the knowledge from history and also how we want to bring emotion to the player," says art director Raphael Lacoste. "It’s between reality in a sense that I can feel that it’s real Egypt, but at the same time we want emotion," adds creative director Jean Guesdon. "We want it to feel bigger than it is because it’s an entertainment piece that we’re creating. I’m happy with the result." As you can see in the images below, there are plenty of great moments of reveal alongside structures in the distance just begging for exploration. 

Note: Click images for larger versions. 

This image is taken from Siwa village. It may be one of the more isolated settlements, but it's teeming with life on the inside. Here, Bayek walks through the crowd with his eagle, Senu, at his side.  

If you were worried about climbing opportunities, fret not. As you can see, Bayek has plenty of opportunities for navigation, as the artists show off here.

You can't have Egypt without camels, but the desert will also come with its own hazards, such as sand storms. Artists also factored the time of day to get the shadows just right. 

The game has 20 tombs and ruins to explore. The team tried to be as historically accurate as possible, but added some variations in size and colors to make them stand out. “We want temples to be very oppressive, so we use obsidian stone for the statues and use some gold and gray," Lacoste says.

This one shows it all. The pyramids in the background, a felucca in the water, and people living off the land. Lacoste says they team wanted to make sure they showed how people were living, especially in terms of harvesting and using the water from the Nile. 

Discoveries are around every bend. You never know when you might find some ruins worth exploring.

This is a look at Siwa from the outside. As you can see, it was built on a hill, giving it some interesting architecture. 

The artists were surprised by Egypt's variety, especially its different rock formations. "All cliffs and rocks are climbable, which makes the ingredients available to artists and level designers more interesting," Guesdon says.

We’ll have lots more information on Assassin’s Creed Origins throughout the month, so be sure to check back in with our coverage hub.