The brutal and deadly world of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed games isn't necessarily something one would normally associate with happy-go-lucky kids' fiction. Between the centuries-spanning conspiracies, the arsenal of lethal weaponry and all of the assassinating, it seems a far cry from the wholesome fare a lot of children tend to engage with. Someone at Ubisoft appears to have thrown caution to the wind, however, judging by the company's recently-announced partnership with Hachette Heroes.
Hachette Heroes is the pop-culture arm of publishing house Hachette Pratique, responsible for publishing books related to movies, TV, comics and, yes, video games too. Previous releases include art books for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, official guides for games like Fortnite, and a series of nerdy cookbooks named "Gastronogeek." This isn't their first foray into Assassin's Creed content, either: art books, lore bibles and a Where's Waldo-style puzzle book are all available on the site, but this latest string in their Predator Bow is certainly one of the most unusual.
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Joining forces with Adam Hargreaves, current author of the universally-beloved Mr. Men and Little Miss children's books and son of the series' creator, Ubisoft and Hachette Heroes announced that they would be bringing out a six-book series of Assassin's Creed-themed titles, starting off with Mr. Ezio, Little Miss Kassandra and Little Miss Eivor. The announcement is light on specific details, merely sharing the vague promise that the characters would be "each try[ing] to complete their own missions," so it's unclear exactly how the bloody content of the games will translate to this particular medium.
Ubisoft, at least, seems fairly confident that the books will prove a hit with fans of all ages by "mixing the Assassin's Creed sense of adventure and history with the colorful and delightful designs of the Little Mr. Men." It should be noted that these books don't appear to have been hit with Hachette Heroes' "For Adults" sticker, unlike some of the other titles in the publisher's library, so the Assassin's Creed books should at least be more suitable for kids than Madame Timide Drague En Ligne ("Little Miss Timid Flirts Online").
For all the jokes about murdering and subterfuge, it's perhaps not that unusual for Assassin's Creed to dabble in children's literature. One of the biggest selling points of the entire series has always been its commitment to historical accuracy, and the games have inspired many a fan to go out and learn more about Renaissance Italy, Victorian London or Ancient Greece. This was taken even further in the most recent games, which included a Discovery Tour mode that allowed players to wander the world free from distraction, admiring the architecture and checking out guided tours from actual historical and archaeological experts.
If the books lean into this side of the franchise, it's not beyond imagining that they could prove not only entertaining, but educational. Still, it's hard to imagine any Assassin's Creed media without any actual assassinations, so it'll be interesting to see how the various parties involved tackle that particular detail.
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