Man, I thought I had a virtually unpronounceable name; the new protagonist for Assassin’s Creed III just totally tomahawked my opinion in the brains. Which, incidentally, is what he does to numerous people in this reveal trailer for the latest instalment in the wildly successful Assassin’s Creed series.

Fortunately, Ratohnhaké:ton (pronounced “Ra-doon-ha-gay-doo” according to Ubisoft reps) has another name: Connor. He’ll have a major role to play as the ancient battle between the Templars and Assassins finds its way to the New World.

The game has been built on an entirely new engine called the “Ubisoft-AnvilNext” engine. The Assassin’s Creed team in Ubisoft has been working on the game for years already, and it is set to be the largest and most detailed outing yet. Hit the jump for the trailer.

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This should come as no surprise, but the reported piece of promotional artwork that was leaked by a Best Buy employee, has turned out to be totally legitimate. I’m sure you had very little doubt. Since then, whether in response to the leak or always intended, Ubisoft has revealed the official box art for Assassin’s Creed III.

On top of this, Game Informer magazine has also unveiled their April issue cover, which sports (you guessed it!) the protagonist from Assassin’s Creed III in a similar setup to the original promotional artwork that was leaked earlier this week.

Ubisoft is still set to reveal information on the Assassin’s Creed franchise next week Monday (05 March) so we’ll likely know the name of our new protagonist and finer details by then. For now, Game Informer has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed III is “set in the latter half of the 18th century” and that we’ll get to “witness firsthand the events of the American Revolution”. Hit the jump for loads of new artwork.

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Who knows, it’s hard to be certain seeing as there’s no official word from Ubisoft. We will, however, know for certain on 05 March once the publisher has issued their “major announcement” regarding the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Kotaku has received the above piece of promotional art; it was sent to them by a Best Buy employee as pre-orders for the game are supposedly starting relatively soon. The image shows what could be the protagonist for the next major entry into the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Judging by what the assassin is wearing, and the old American Continental Flag in the background, the rumours of Assassin’s Creed III being set during the American Revolution are likely to be true. As for the protagonist, it’s now suggested that he’s of Native American descent. While that’s hard to tell by his obscured face, he’s got a tomahawk and bow and arrow so he might be! Not sure how that will fit into the heritage of Desmond Miles, but we’ll know by next week Monday. Hit the jump for a super massive full version of the header image.

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Ubisoft main man Yves Guillemot has revealed the release date for the next major instalment in the Assassin’s Creed IP. The story arc starring Desmond Miles will be concluded on 30 October 2012, but information regarding the historical setting of this next major game remains elusive. The current favourite theory is that Assassin’s Creed III will be set during the American Revolution.

Guillemot revealed this information during an investor call; he also added that the team behind Assassin’s Creed III has been working on the title for three years. Ubisoft plans to put their full marketing weight behind this upcoming game, and Guillemot believes it will be the biggest launch in the publisher’s history.

Assassin’s Creed III will be out on PC (probably delayed by a few weeks and with horrific DRM), PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360.

Source: Eurogamer & Kotaku

The last time we looked at some footage of Ubisoft’s download only survival game, I Am Alive, I said I was cautiously optimistic. Now that a second trailer for the game has come out, I’m willing to remove the “cautiously” part and replace it with “totally”. Yes, “totally” will do nicely – I am totally optimistic about this one now.

The trailer focuses on the combat elements of the game, which appear to be somewhat understated. Killing is a last resort as you make your way through the remains of the earthquake-stricken city. I like the fact that you’re being asked to think about things before you pull the trigger, and how you can bluff your way out of a fight. It makes sense considering the predicament everyone finds themselves in during this game.

That and there’s a hunting bow, which means I’m going to run around shooting arrows at people’s knees until I’m the only adventurer left amongst the rubble. Yeah, you thought that joke was old now, didn’t you? Bet you didn’t see that one coming. I’ll let myself out.