Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Assassin's Creed characters stare out over a riot.
Image via Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed might have just taken viral marketing to the next level at Olympics opening ceremony

The shadows that serve the Olympic light?

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics kicked off today with the usual fanfare: pyrotechnics, live performances, and, uh, a guy in an Assassin’s Creed get-up running the Olympic torch across the rooftops of Paris.

Recommended Videos

It’s been nearly a decade since Assassin’s Creed Unity took players to the streets of France for some revolutionary parkour-and-murder shenanigans. But that sure didn’t stop what very much looked like a tribute to the game and its French developer, Ubisoft, taking center stage at the Olympics opening ceremony today.

Was this an official marketing effort or partnership between Ubisoft and the Olympics? It’s hard to tell. Ubisoft did lob a couple of tongue-in-cheek references to Unity and its main character, Arno, on social media. And to be honest, if this isn’t supposed to be an Assassin’s Creed nod, then what the hell else is it? Is there some other French property that features hooded mystery men in 18th-century clothing running around on rooftops?

The video game connection is also helped by the International Olympic Committee desperately trying to stay relevant with its many forays into the world of video games. There was the first one that gamers didn’t really care about because it almost exclusively featured games that were just video game counterparts of real-world games (stunning, the fact that kids didn’t care about who was the best Tennis Clash or Virtual Taekwondo player in the world). The next crack at an Esports Olympics is reportedly set to feature games people actually play, like League of Legends and Rocket League, so it does have that going for it.

And, as far as Assassin’s Creed is concerned, it’ll take the free marketing as it enters the final stretch before the release of Shadows, the latest game in the series. Now all that’s left to complete the opening ceremony is for the map to be revealed when the Olympic torch is lit, allowing the torchbearer to jump several stories into a small bale of hay.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Adam Snavely
Adam Snavely
Associate Editor
Associate Editor and Apex Legends Lead. From getting into fights over Madden and FIFA with his brothers to interviewing some of the best esports figures in the world, Adam has always been drawn to games with a competitive nature. You'll usually find him on Apex Legends (World's Edge is the best map, no he's not arguing with you about it), but he also dabbles in VALORANT, Super Smash Bros. Melee, CS:GO, Pokemon, and more. Ping an R-301.