490°

Michael Fassbender never played the video game before signing on to Assassin’s Creed

Entertainment weekly:
Ubisoft’s historical fiction-action-adventure series Assassin’s Creed stands as one of the most popular video game franchises ever created, selling more than 73 million copies and spawning comic books, novels, animated short films, even its own hard-cover encyclopedia in addition to popularizing some 20 series-related titles.

Hoffmann3457d ago

Another video game movie adaption I won't watch.

-Foxtrot3457d ago (Edited 3457d ago )

But, but but...Michael Fassbender.

Don't you know one great actor apparently makes an entire film good now. You know according to some people on here.

retrogamer093457d ago

The director and the rest of the cast is really good, too.

-Foxtrot3457d ago

@retrogamer09

That doesn't really matter. Films can have great casts and even a good director but still be below average.

Prince of Persia had a good cast and director, still wasn't a good, faithful video game film.

ninsigma3457d ago

Prince of Persia was still a good enough movie in its own right though. And Gemma Arterton...Nuff said!

Problem is games don't always translate 1:1 for a movie and vice versa. There's generally more to a game than there is to a movie so to pack all of it in probably wouldn't work. Hence why we haven't had anyone really try to make a 1:1 adaption. It works the other way around too. Most games based off of movies aren't very good either.

-Foxtrot3457d ago (Edited 3457d ago )

@ninsigma

Not really. It was pretty lousy to be honest, the guy obviously hadn't played the games who wrote it and just based it off some quick footage he probably seen on Youtube.

"Gemma Arterton...Nuff said"

She's hot...and? Dosen't make the film better

She was playing Farah right...OH YEAH sorry I mean Tamina because they couldn't even get the name/character right.

"Problem is games don't always translate 1:1 for a movie"

Most can...especially ones we've had. Failed video game films like Doom, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, House of the Dead, Max Payne etc could be great films but the problem is they get lazy and don't do a proper adaptation.

It's hilarious because half of the concept for the film is done for you. The story, the characters, the twists, the tone, the settings, locations and so on. Why make it harder for yourself and try to come up with something different, just make a new film altogether if thats the case.

Like I've said 100 times, the reason why book adaptations do so well is because they stick to the source material as much as they can. Soon as you try making your own stories up you are going into the deep end where you will drown.

If you condense the game down, remove the gameplay section and plot points which are only added to prolong the game then it's totally possible to do a good, faithful adaptation.

kotaku773457d ago (Edited 3457d ago )

Prince of Persia was a faithful video game film, just not a good movie.

Hoffmann3457d ago

Don't you know one great actor apparently makes an entire film good now?

That's so ninetish

oasdada3457d ago

Who in their right mind is disagreeing with what you are saying? :S

-Foxtrot3457d ago (Edited 3457d ago )

@oasdada

People who seem to think Michael Fassbender is some sort of god who's own presence can automatically make a video game film good /s

Despite the fact they are straying away from the source material, THE NUMBER ONE THING every bloody video game film has done and what happens? They fail and fall right on their face. People know this but like always they get their hopes up and pretend everything is going to be fine because that's what they HOPE for, not actually be a realist and go "Well it has Fassbender in it but every video game film has either been between crap and below average...I think I may know the outcome here"

I think people are taking it to heart and also think it's an attack on the actor or something.

I just find it funny Ubisoft are using the "it's set in the same world as the games, just a different story" excuse to get away from why they didn't adapt Desmonds story but they still call the film "Assassins Creed" with no subtitle.

Eamon3457d ago

foxtrot, chill out mate.

ninsigma3457d ago

" It was pretty lousy to be honest"

We'll have to agree to disagree there. It wasn't any sort of ground breaking movie by any means but it was fun. And obviously I don't think she makes the movie good, just that she's a bonus ;)

Did you ever think there's a reason they haven't done a 1:1 adaption?? Maybe it's because it's not as easy as you think. You couldn't take say the cutscenes from uncharted and use those as the plot. Games and movies flow very differently and you can't just make one work for the other.

"the reason why book adaptations do so well is because they stick to the source material as much as they can"
I guess you haven't read Eragon then watched it's movie. Man that was damn awful. On the flip side hunger games and harry potter (not all the harry potters) did a good job of adapting the books to movies.

-Foxtrot3457d ago (Edited 3457d ago )

"Did you ever think there's a reason they haven't done a 1:1 adaption??"

Yeah because they are proud pricks who think they know how to do it when they can't

Then they hire screenwriters who have never played the games or like the franchise instead of taking a risk and look at drafts from up coming screenwriters or brand new ones altogether.

" You couldn't take say the cutscenes from uncharted and use those as the plot "

Are you kidding, course you can. I did this as part of my portfolio in University. We had to take something and adapt it into a transmedia world. It was supposed to be 10 pages, I did Uncharted and ended up doing 45 because it was easy. I literally followed the cutscenes, kept most of it in and the dialogue while creating brand new scenes where the gameplay was. I then removed small sections or merged them together.

For example when they ditch Elena I cut it to when they are walking in the Amazon (like the game) but instead of having the scene where Sully gets mad when they've found the spot but there is nothing there I changed it to when they arive outside the temple but he still gets mad because, like I put it "there's nothing here Nate, just a bunch of rubble and run down pillars. That aint worth horse shit kid". I merged the scenes and condensed it down because it would look silly to have them arrive in the spot, Sully getting mad only to walk a bit more and then they find the temple.

It's really not that hard.

"I guess you haven't read Eragon then watched it's movie"

Well I didn't say all of them but Eragon while bad is probably still more faithful then alot of these video game films we are getting and that's saying something.

Even the worst book to film adaptations are average at best.

Imagine if they did Harry Potter and changed it. Instead of meeting Ron it was some guy called Eddie Hitler and Ron was just a back up character who got killed off. Then he would have relationship with Hermione and Snape would be his real dad after having an affair with Lily....Imagine that....that's what Hollywood would probably to do to it if it was a video game.

die_fiend3457d ago

I wish Foxtrot left this site. Way too many comments of which are always complete drivel. No one agrees with you troll, find another group of people to irritate.

UltraNova3457d ago

@Foxtrot,

IMHO, Silent Hills was the only video game to film adaptation worth its price of admission. I mean they managed to portray Nightmare mode almost flawlessly. Plus the general atmosphere of the movie was spot on and the story resemble that of Sh 2 where the parent lost their child to Silent Hill.

Hell, they got Pyramid Head right!

3456d ago
+ Show (11) more repliesLast reply 3456d ago
Aloy-Boyfriend3457d ago (Edited 3457d ago )

Maybe all Video game movies should be CGI like FF VII Advent Children. I'm confident the Sly Cooper and R&C movie will do just fine because of it. Hollywood fks up video game movies all the time. Not sure how some think this will be any different, but it doesn't kill to wait and see either. Oh well... Hopefully it is as fun to watch Prince of Persia was at least

Zeref3457d ago

This is definitely not a good sign.

Bahamut3457d ago

Not a bad one either. A script's a script. Plenty of the cast of Lord of the Rings never read the book. Plenty of the cast of Game of Thrones have also never read the source material. Not playing the game changes nothing except the fact that the guy probably doesn't have time to sit around and play videogames.

extermin8or3457d ago

...... This film has the most hope of any live action game to film adaptation. Simply because the games cover many characters and storylines through various time periods. The games story's will all exist in the same universe as this one and ubisoft writers penned the storyline and they are meticulous with Assassins Creed's lore. This is set alongside the games so it having its own storyline makes perfect sense... And the headline is misleading Fassbender liked the premise so he signed on but has since played some of the games to get a feel for how the characters fight and move etc
Other than that it's set just after/during ezio's time I believe in Spain. And isn't this lynch guy referenced in several of the games?? (isn't he subject 16?)

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3456d ago
Derekvinyard133457d ago

Typical. I assume all these guys don't play the games before they sign on. Marky mark never played max Payne. I doubt gyllenhaal played prince of Persia. Olyphant and friend never played the hitman games. Shame because I like fassbender I think he's a great actor. But then again I'm not sure if you really need to play the whole assassin creed series to really get it, but I would never even think about going in blind if I was getting paid millions like he is.

extermin8or3457d ago

Tbf he said he has played some now

die_fiend3457d ago

Yeah completely believe that if someone offered u millions that you'd say 'no no, I simply must play the games first'. I totally buy that

FasterThanFTL13457d ago

That is fine since he is playing a totally different character from the games but the director needs to have played it to nail down the feel of Assassin's Creed games.

-Foxtrot3457d ago

If you read the characters description his character and his situation sounds almost exactly the same as Desmond.

So instead of just doing Desmond and Altair they decided to create something from scratch...I mean Ubisoft are actually more involved then any other developer with their video game films yet even they can't just do a straight up adaptation.

I'm betting aswell Aguilar will have a similar plot as Altair.

kneon3457d ago

If they were trying to appeal mainly to gamers, and specifically fans of the franchise, then they should try to stay true to the original games.

But the non-gamer audience is much bigger, so that is really their target. If they can write a better story than what is in the game then they should go for it.

extermin8or3457d ago

Well it's set in like fifteenth century Spain....so that'd be hard. It's being done so the games storyline exist in its universe, this is just another part of the story. Just like edward keyway, to arno, to the fry twins, to altar, to ezio to Connor and haytham...

Kalebninja3457d ago

hmmm, i would say this was worrying since the last cast that didnt study the source material was for fantastic 4 which tanked but, I dont think it matters since its not like he's trying to capture a specific character so it probably wont affect his performance at all.

Vhampir3457d ago (Edited 3457d ago )

Michael Gambon didn't read Harry Potter either, while Richard Harris did. Not many actors read source material, well many of them like to "make it their own" anyway. You just have to hope the director at least knows the material. Never forget Mario Brothers.

I doubt anyone will ever get a Fantastic Four that won't bomb, it's just too quirky.

neoandrew3457d ago (Edited 3457d ago )

Why would he? He is an actor that will play in a movie that has its own script, so actually it is good he didn't play any of the games, he can create something on his own, that is what he is the best at.

Liqu1d3457d ago

He played the games after signing on.

neoandrew3456d ago

So he decided as an actor that it can help him in the role.

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70°

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 devs praise games like Space Marine 2 for "lowering the barrier"

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 developers discuss the huge success of Space Marine 2 and its effect on the series as a whole.

Read Full Story >>
videogamer.com
Jingsing2d ago

How about an official level editor for Boltgun?

220°

Phil Spencer Teases 2026 As A "Really Special Year" For Xbox

2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and Phil Spencer has teased it as a "really special year" for the games division.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
TheEroica2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

You got downvotes by pathetic gamers for feeling hopeful about good games coming out next year. Imagine how small your brain must be to downvote someone excited for future gaming joy? It is pretty neat to see people's world view blow up in front of them as they realize Microsoft has put themselves in a driver's seat that Sony hasn't been able to touch all generation.... What's even more pathetic is the same people downvoting you are the same people wishlisting Microsoft games on their ps5s 😂

P_Bomb2d ago

“Imagine how small your brain must be to downvote someone excited for future gaming joy?”

My dude your post history shits on EVERYTHING. You never have a good thing to say about anything lol! 🤣

PanicMechanic2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

“Getting ready for those GaaS reveals! Sony is a shadow of themselves this gen.”

You literally said this a couple of days ago. Start applying the clown make up, you hypocritical jester

derek2d ago

Yep we'll see, they have alot releasing next year.

RaidenBlack2d ago

NGL, next year might be one of the best years in gaming ... starting off with RE9 and GTA VI ...
and then all the good games that's been cooking
Pragmata, Sands of Time, Saros, Gears E-Day, 007 First Light, Blood of Dawnwalker,
Mortal Shell II, Onimusha, Marvel1943: Rise of Hydra
current-gen only Infinity Ward's CoD, Duskbloods
+ My guess: Wolverine, Exodus, Mudang, Crimson Desert, Clockwork etc ...
~ seems like it might get too stacked

1Victor2d ago

@rokos:”Hopefully “
I downvoted you not for been hopeful but because I have seen the same “NEXT YEAR WILL BE SPECIAL “ comment for the last 10+ and hasn’t seen anything special from Microsoft.
I hope next year will be the one that everyone been waiting for since the last 3 years of the Xbox 360, it have to be after over $80 billions spent on acquisitions.

Lightning772d ago

So the new excuse is they don't count because it's from the ABK now huh. I guess all those 3rd party games count even less because they don't own them. According to your always crappy logic.

InUrFoxHole2d ago

Lol. You haven't seen anything special? Do you even game?

OtterX2d ago

Always with the "next year..."! 😂

neutralgamer19922d ago

I don't know they have delivered this year and even last year. And they have a lot more content in the pipeline right now than anyone else. We can't just keep hating on MS

Indiana Jones
South of midnight
Avowed
Flight simulator
Hell Blade 2
Minecraft update
Gears of war reloaded
Indian Jones:expansion
Gears E day
Clockwork revolution
Fable
Doom the dark ages
The outer worlds 2
Grounded 2
Call of duty

OtterX2d ago

How many of those titles were just buyouts of companies that were going about making their games anyways? *Throws cash - "Oh look what we made!"

dveio2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

This list, that's been posted again, and again, and again in every single topic like this, contains almost nothing, literally almost nothing from Microsoft's own creational thoughtprocess.

It's a bunch of former 3rd party IPs.

Now even slowly returning to Playstation in some cases like Indiana, Hellblade, probably Starfield soon too, after they were made exclusively to Xbox on purpose.

Due to Microsoft's lack for own IP material except Halo & Forza. Which, the lack of, was the sole reason for all of it to happen in the first place anyway. Please don't pretend it wasn't.

And just look at all the games that come from Obsidian alone.

You really think Obsidian wasn't already working on Avowed and South of Midnight even without Microsoft buying Zenimax?

Microsoft delivered nothing but cheques.

OtterX2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

@dveio THIS. Lol, this dude thinks Call of Duty wouldn't exist without Microsoft! smh 😂

neutralgamer19922d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Common narrative I see often — that Microsoft shouldn’t get credit for the games its studios release because they “just bought them.” But this viewpoint ignores key context and sets a double standard that other platform holders aren’t held to

No one is saying these games wouldn't exist at all without Microsoft. But let’s not pretend that having a trillion-dollar company backing a studio doesn’t make a massive difference. Obsidian never had AAA funding before the Xbox acquisition. Pillars of Eternity was crowdfunded, and their resources were always stretched thin. Now they’re working on Avowed, with proper support behind it.

Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was made by around 20 people, using borrowed equipment and doing mocap in a boardroom. It was a passion project held together by tape and willpower. Today, Hellblade II exists because they were given resources, time, and freedom — something many developers don’t get unless they’re owned by a company that believes in their vision.

ZeniMax (Bethesda’s parent company) was in real financial trouble before the Microsoft acquisition. Reports and insider accounts have pointed out how much they needed a cash infusion. And while some people want to write off Xbox’s ownership of Bethesda titles, they forget the alternative could have meant layoffs or even closures.

The same goes for Activision Blizzard. Would you really prefer the company to stay under Bobby Kotick, after all the documented workplace misconduct and toxic leadership issues? Say what you want about Microsoft, but their acquisition brought accountability and change to a company that desperately needed it.

At the same time, Xbox gets hated on for doing what every major company does. Sony bought Housemarque, Bluepoint, Insomniac — but no one says Spider-Man 2 “doesn’t count” because of that. Why does Xbox get treated differently for acquiring struggling or undervalued developers and giving them a chance to thrive?

And the idea that Xbox locks games away is outdated. They're pushing cross-platform releases, cloud gaming, Game Pass, and backward compatibility more than any other platform holder. They're not forcing all studios into live service. If anything, their upcoming lineup is less GAAS-heavy and more focused on narrative and creativity — Avowed, South of Midnight, Clockwork Revolution, Fable, Perfect Dark, Towerborne, and others show real variety.

Whether people like it or not, Xbox is now the biggest publisher in the industry and owns the most gaming IPs. But what matters more is how they treat their studios. Most of these teams were previously stuck making AA games with limited scope — now they’re getting the tools and support to aim higher.

So when people say “Microsoft didn’t make those games,” they’re missing the point. It’s not about who started the studio — it’s about who enabled them to do their best work. You don’t have to love Xbox to admit they’ve helped a lot of developers and are taking a player-first approach.

Instead of writing off everything they do, maybe try recognizing the good they’re doing for both devs and gamers. At the end of the day, we should want more studios to succeed — no matter who owns them

BeHunted2d ago

I'm surprised Clockwork Revolution (BioShock meets Dishonored) isn't getting more media attention. The game looks interesting and reminds me of the old RPG games.

anast2d ago

The only good game on that list is Flight sim. The rest are either average or will be average. It's not a good look for MS.

TheEroica2d ago

My god.... Look how many comments are upset about microsoft's successes... 😂 This may be my new favorite thread. Not one gamer saying thanks for all the goodness coming their way, just bitter anger and downvoting the very games they themselves will purchase throughout 2026.... Sony really worked you guys over this generation.... Condolences.

DivineHand1252d ago

@neutralgamer1992 You said what needed to be said.

I have heard for years from older gamers that fanboys are the biggest issue with any fanbase. They will defend or gloss over negative news as long as the correct logo is on the box and they bash the competing platform no matter how much good they are trying to bring.

Right now their advocacy for PlayStation is elevating that platform so high that Sony no longer believes they need to do anything to satisfy their loyal fanbase like they did in the PS4 days.

I just hope most of them will eventually start advocating for themselves and encourage others to do the same. No one should blindly support one platform because these companies do not care about anything other than profit.

neutralgamer19922d ago

Hunted

And first proper game done by the studio with proper AAA budget and saying it will be released when ready

Anast

I believe we went through this before that you are objectively wrong. Meta critic, user reviews, game sales. In Playstation top 10 best selling games were 5 from Microsoft studios

Otter

No this dude is saying so many other studios wouldn't be thriving without MS money and people would be getting abused physically and mentally with Bobby kotick and his side kicks

Also maybe look up how the original founder of Bethesda and zenimax was kicked out of his own company by his best friend lawyer. So that was always a shady place and had been struggling financially before MS paid a premium of almost 7 billion

Eroica

I use to be a die hard Playstation fan and now I only have a Pc. I see how these fans are so toxic. They just can't handle any positive news regarding Xbox. When the best selling games on playstation are Xbox titles. Look at Forza horizon being best seller and that's years old game by MS. I guess ms don't deserve credit for that success too since they are the only company in gaming making acquisitions

Forget the fact Sony paid 3.6 billion for bungie and MS 6.9 for zenimax. Which investment has turned out better

Destiny and marathon with a lot of controversy

While zenimax output is nothing short of amazing compared to what bungie has released

crazyCoconuts2d ago

Yeah it's tricky. "Xbox" has morphed to mean different things to different people.
Console, now Windows, GamePass, and the cross platform games. There's a mix of attitudes towards all those things individually, and maybe an overarching attitude towards MS. But can't argue that the game companies MS recently bought continue to flourish, and GamePass PC has been a great value over the last year.

InUrFoxHole2d ago

@OtterX
You're the dude mad at your exes new guy. She's with someone else... get over it.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 2d ago
Lightning772d ago (Edited 2d ago )

They've had good output so far. So waiting for those games shouldn't be a problem.

Who cares if they're buy outs of companies or whatever excuse you want to make. They're games that are being distributed to other console. Play the games and enjoy it instead of fanboying or complaining.

ocelot072d ago

They going to be a he best and biggest publisher on Xbox, Playstation and PC next year. They not really said anything about Switch 2 though spite claiming to be big supporters.

quenomamen2d ago

If you call making one last Xbox before going full Sega, as Great. Then yea.

TheEroica2d ago

Doesn't feel like you're paying attention to what's happening.

RhinoGamer882d ago

It will be, his net work will hit 50 million and he plans to buy a new mansion in Cape Cod. Thanks everyone! #failup

Show all comments (39)
80°

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