The Red Lineage Prints by Ubi Workshop

MATH, May 12, 2016

[First thoughts by Raphael Lacoste (Art Director on Assassin’s Creed Franchise)
Altaïr (Ibn-La’Ahad), is the first known Assassin Hero in our franchise. And he was created more than 7 years ago! He is also the youngest assassin of his order, trained in Masyaf, in the mountains of Syria. He is almost like a “killing machine”, focused on his prey, trained to be efficient and stealthy. His life was as dedicated to his duty as one of a monk to his religion. To blend in the groups of scholars in Damascus and monks in the Christian cities of the third crusade, he is wearing a pure white cloth outfit with a tight cloak. This also resonates with his unique charisma and focused attitude . We linked his design with the great white eagle, in all its “bird of prey” glory, as Altaïr chases his targets and swoops on them from above. Altaïr is still renowned as one of the coolest characters designed in the history of video games.]

[Vincent Gaigneux’s rendition (Senior Concept Artist on Assassin’s Creed)
Vincent Gaigneux drew this version of Altaïr, 8 years after the original concept was approved… time passed by quite a bit, and this is how the artist sees the character now. Altaïr is looking down in a upshot view, which gives even more charisma to the character. Just behind him, the eagle, his “animal totem”, reminds us of the connection we made with the bird of prey in the early designs. The Hood, sharpened like an eagle beak, is obvious with this angle, further stressing the link with the bird. His left arm is showing the iconic hidden blade as well as the leather bracer, which were designed to kill stealthily… Lastly, the two subtle touches of red add more depth to the image and remind us of the main colours of the Assassins. Altaïr is one of my favourite character designs of our franchise.]