The Assassin’s Creed series boasts a mind-boggling eleven games that each tell a part of a single, massive story, though most of the games take place in different parts of the world, during distinct periods in history.
Some entries in the franchise feature more traditional romance subplots such as the love story between the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore and the bookseller Sofia Sartor in Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Set against the backdrop of 1500’s Constantinople, their relationship is flirtatious and built on mutual respect and fascination over the course of the game.
Other games, such as the latest installment in the saga, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, set in Ancient Greece, give the player greater choice about not only what gender they wish to play as but also the gender of the NPC’s they wished to romance. This allows the player to role-play their Assassin as any sexuality they so chose, a refreshing change from the previously much more limited options – to a point.
Assassin’s Creed developer, Ubisoft, released a final chapter to the story of Odyssey that included a scene where the protagonist marries and has a child with a partner of the opposite sex. This was a move that surprised and upset many LGBTQ+ fans, who had previously seen the game as a step forwards for representation in the world of video game romance.