Challenge Mirage is a true love letter to the first Assassin’s Creed titles. It combines the core of the Brotherhood and the pure stealth gameplay found in the original games, celebrating a return to the roots of the franchise and reviving the love of original fans. However, by doing so, it’s also a shift away from the three last titles: Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla; games which brought in new fans with first-hand combat, vast, open worlds, and deep character narratives. So there is a challenge around the perception of Assassin’s Creed in the minds of our target audiences.

Our strategic approach Find common ground with a Big Idea that will be relevant to new fans while celebrating the original ones. To consolidate the nostalgia of the Brotherhood for original fans with the modernity of deep character narratives for new fans, we reinterpreted the original credo “We work in the dark to serve the light” to Mirage’s storytelling “Every light has a shadow”. This big idea emphasizes that in Mirage and the AC franchise overall, nothing is as it seems: every journey towards good is inevitably obscured by darkness. This big idea gave us: A way to connect all game pillars through a common notion of light and shadow: The setting - 9th century Baghdad, the story - Basim’s journey and the legacy - stealth. A way to be relevant to all audiences through different layers of messaging. A way to focus the art direction around light and shadow for the entire launch campaign.

Our work We provided guidelines for Ubisoft describing the big idea for them to use internally. This was so that all assets, and the tone of the entire campaign, were consistent no matter the department. Biborg also captured “Every light has a shadow” throughout the conception and production of the launch gameplay trailer. Drawing upon our experience with YouTube-friendly paid media formats, we created several cutdowns and adaptations alongside the longer format: comfortably fitting the creative orchestration managed with Ubisoft. With a catchy 5” hook to captivate the audience, we were attentive to the brand and product focus, ensuring understanding and viewer retention throughout the trailer. This big idea also directly influenced our work on the developer diaries and the digital artbook, where we created an immersive experience to leap even further into the Assassin's Creed Mirage universe.