Assassin's Creed Odyssey cinematic showcases a world of Greek fantasy

Ubisoft dropped an Assassin's Creed Odyssey cinematic trailer for Gamescom today that, to my eye, doesn't look very Assassin's Creed-like at all—particularly when the Gorgon shows up. But it may not be as off-the-ranch as it first appears. Creative director Jonathan Dumont told USgamer that what you see is not necessarily what the world will get. 

The idea is that Layla Hassan, the modern-day lead of Assassin's Creed Origins who's back for more in Odyssey, may not be getting a fully authentic recreation of the ancient world when she dives back into the Animus. "These are small pockets that are lost somewhere in the world. There is a sort of a sub-plot with artifacts. Are you seeing a simulation within a simulation? What are you seeing?" Dumont said. "It's real for Alexios, Kassandra, and that world. But what you are perceiving through that world with Layla, is that real?" 

It may also be that the monsters in the game may not live up to their cinematic billing, Dumont added: "This is something where people have beliefs, and you verify those beliefs. Sometimes people will talk about Cyclops, and it will just be a big guy with one eye." 

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey will be out on October 5, and it will apparently be "much longer" than Origins, which may or may not be good news depending on how you feel about these things. 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.