You won’t be saving the American Revolution in Assassin’s Creed III

As everyone knows by now, Assassin's Creed III will take place during the American Revolution.  The new setting, the sights of notable American heroes like George Washington and Ben Franklin, and the gameplay trailers we've seen have led many to believe that you will be fighting to save America during the Revolutionary War.

If you've seen the Assassin's Creed III TV spot, it's easy to understand why people would feel that way.  Blame it on the marketing, or the setting, but whatever the reason gamers are under the impression that they'll be fighting for American Freedom.

That isn't the case, however. Despite the numerous screenshots and videos we've seen of the new Assassin's Creed III protagonist, Connor, slaying British redcoats, Ubisoft insists the game isn't about "you saving the American Revolution".

"The narrative of the game is 'Assassins versus Templars'," explained Assassin's Creed III creative director Alex Hutchinson. "It's not about you saving the American Revolution".

Early leaks about the game's main protagonist, Connor, revealed he was a half English, half Mohawk Indian who dedicates himself to eradicating tyranny and injustice after his home village is set on fire.  I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any allegiance to either side of the war.

While Hutchinson did say that you'll be "involved in aspects of it", he clarified that the "story picks up before the Revolution kicks off and continues after it."

"So whenever you're at these battle events, you're never going to be in the line infantry shooting a rifle or serving as an actual soldier.  You have an ulterior motive at the battle: Connor's goal is to assassinate a specific person."

"Whoever else lives or dies in that battle is not something that concerns him," he concluded.

Ubisoft revealed yesterday that assassin's Creed III is currently on track to become the highest pre-ordered game in the company's history.  In addition, the game is making history for Ubisoft in North America particularly; pre-orders in the U.S. are higher than any other previous Assassin's Creed titles.  Is it the game's strong emphasis on American history that has led to these booming U.S. pre-orders?