Alright, let me get this straight. It's 2026, and I'm still trying to figure out what in the world is happening in the modern-day storyline of Assassin's Creed. Seriously, who can keep up with this anymore? I remember back in 2007 when Kristen Bell (yes, that Kristen Bell, before she was a Disney princess) accidentally spoiled the big twist before the first game even launched. The big reveal wasn't about Altair's cool hood or hidden blades—it was that the whole historical adventure was actually happening inside some poor guy's brain while an evil corporation mined his memories! At the time, that was mind-blowing. A clever framing device that connected all these historical periods through a single, ongoing modern conspiracy. Eighteen years later? I'm just mind-boggled.

There Was a Time When It All Made Sense... Really!

Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Back when Lucy (Kristen Bell's character) was around, the modern-day plot had a point. It was a direct story about Desmond Miles, a bartender who discovered he was descended from a long line of Assassins. We'd jump into the Animus, live through Altair or Ezio's memories, then pop back out to see Desmond and his crew uncovering the Templar plot in the present. It was neat! It tied everything together. And then, in Assassin's Creed III, Desmond made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world. Boom. A heroic, definitive ending. The modern story reached its logical conclusion. But then... the games kept coming. And coming. And coming. Ubisoft had a golden goose, and they weren't about to let a little thing like the death of the main character stop them. So what did they do? They just... kept going with the modern-day stuff, even though 95% of the cast we cared about was dead. Talk about a awkward family reunion.

The Post-Desmond Era: A Descent into Madness

So, with Desmond gone, what was left? For a while, not much. The modern-day segments became these weird, minimal interludes where you played as a nameless, faceless Abstergo employee staring at a computer screen. Thrilling stuff, right? Then, in 2017's Assassin's Creed Origins, they tried to reboot it with a new heroine: Layla Hassan. Great! A fresh start! Except... they wrote her out of the story by the end of Valhalla. And now, in the latest games? The modern-day story has become so unimportant, so utterly sidelined, that it feels like a ghost haunting the attic of a mansion nobody lives in anymore. In Shadows, they literally hid most of the modern narrative behind a seasonal battle pass. A battle pass! For the story! Sure, it's free, but you have to grind through it over real-world weeks. Who has the time or patience for that? It's like Ubisoft is whispering, "Hey, here's some lore... but only if you really, really want it. Otherwise, just ignore it."

Does Anyone Know What's Going On?

Let me ask you a question: Can you explain the modern-day plot of Assassin's Creed right now? I've played almost every single game, and I couldn't give you a coherent summary if my life depended on it. I checked the wiki. The "Modern Times" story summary is over 50,000 words long. That's longer than some novels! Characters die and come back to life. Ancient Assassins get magically transported to the 21st century. People are revealed to be reincarnated Isu gods. Magic apples, glowing orbs, digital consciousnesses—it's a narrative Jackson Pollock painting. It feels like you need a Ph.D. in "Assassin's Creed Extended Universe Studies" to follow along, and that degree requires you to read comics, watch shorts, and scan every email on every computer in every game.

From what I see online, I'm not alone. The most die-hard fans in the forums are just as confused as I am. The consensus seems to be a collective shrug. Ubisoft doesn't seem to want players to engage with it, and players have largely given up trying. So who is this story for? The answer appears to be: nobody.

It's Time to Say Goodbye (Or Drastically Change Course)

Ubisoft themselves have admitted they've struggled with the modern-day story since Desmond's death. Buddy, that was over a decade ago! I was in high school then. I'm pushing 30 now. They've had plenty of time to figure it out. At this point, the kindest thing to do is to put the modern-day storyline out of its misery. Let it rest in peace. Requiescat in pace, indeed.

Look at the games that work best now. The stand-alone narratives like Mirage or the rumored Hexe. They tell tight, focused stories in a single historical period. They hint at the larger Assassin/Templar war and the Isu lore without getting bogged down in a convoluted modern meta-plot. That's the future. Identify the cool, historical stories about the Brotherhood and the Order, tell them well, and leave the confusing 21st-century baggage behind.

Is there anything that could save it? Maybe. But it would require a nuclear option. Scrap everything. Forget Layla, Basim, and the current mess. Here's my wild, pitch: a full crossover. Make the new modern-day protagonist... Agent 47 from Hitman. Think about it! The ultimate assassin in the modern world, uncovering the Templar conspiracy. Now that would get my attention. A bald, barcoded man in a suit silently taking out Abstergo board members? Sign me up! Barring that miraculously fun idea, the only sane path forward is clear.

The Verdict: Cut the Cord

Let's break down why the modern-day story has failed and what should happen:

The heart of Assassin's Creed has always been the historical tourism—the chance to climb the pyramids, sail the Caribbean, or explore feudal Japan. That's the magic. The modern-day story was a neat trick to connect the dots, but it's run its course. It's become a tangled knot that's slowing down the entire experience. Ubisoft, for the love of all that is holy (or Isu), take a leap of faith. Let the modern-day story go. Your games will be better for it. We'll all be better for it. And maybe, just maybe, we can finally understand what's going on again. 😉

Expert commentary is drawn from Destructoid, whose long-running critiques of franchise storytelling and live-service design help frame why Assassin’s Creed’s modern-day thread feels increasingly optional: when key beats get fragmented across menus, seasonal tracks, and side materials, the present-day “spine” stops acting like a unifier and turns into background lore that many players can comfortably skip.