The Assassin's Creed lore and the overarching storyline have become incredibly convoluted and confusing, even to the most die-hard fans of the franchise. The plot became even murkier after the conclusion of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Some of the remaining questions may get answered in Valhalla's DLCs, but there will be plenty of points to address in the upcoming game, set for release in 2022.

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Revisiting events from the past and historical tourism have always been the strongest points of the franchise, so it should come as no surprise that the majority of fan theories regarding the future of the franchise focus on where the next title will be set and how it will play into the grander scheme. However, with the introduction of the Reader and the ending of Layla's story, there is finally potential for addressing the issues that have been boggling players' minds for years.

9 The Black Plague

This theory, while certainly the least exciting of them all, is also a very likely one. It's no secret that Ubisoft tends to reuse a lot of the textures and models from previous Assassin's Creed games to make the process of developing the next game more time and resource-efficient.

With Valhalla set in the Dark Ages, moving the historical plot to Europe ravaged by the Black Plague would be the most natural course of action. Considering how well-realized the cursed locations in Valhalla were, these areas could prove to be a solid foundation for creating a dark, plague-ridden continental Europe setting.

8 The Warring States Period

Given how popular the Assassin's Creed games set in ancient times are, the Warring States period of ancient Chinese history is one of the best settings to continue this trend. Within a period of two hundred years, the region plunged into chaos, with seven factions fighting for control over each other's swaths of land.

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Multiple theories regarding a potential Warring States plotline have sprung up online in recent months. Setting out on a journey to unify China would be a dream come true for many players, but it's also quite unlikely. First of all, it won't let the developers reuse assets from Valhalla, potentially preventing them from meeting the fall 2022 deadline. Secondly, a story of making alliances and conquering regions in a land ruled by multiple factions might just prove to be too similar to the most recent game's plot.

7 Return To The Middle East

Eivor's story in Valhalla comes to its conclusion in the late ninth century, which is a mere three hundred years away from the events of the first Assassin's Creed game. Setting the game in the Middle East during the first crusade would be the perfect way for the franchise to come full circle and return to its roots.

This potential plotline could follow the First (1096-1099) or Second Crusade (1147-1150), and follow the story of how the Order of the Ancients turned into the Knights Templar order, as well as delve deeper into the role of the Assassins in the Holy Land. Perhaps it could even allow players to assume the role of Al-Mualim, Altair's mentor, leader of the Levantine Brotherhood, and the main antagonist of the first Assassin's Creed. 

6 Layla Goes Rogue And Forms A Third Faction

A very interesting theory began circulating on Reddit two years ago. According to its author, Layla was supposed to go insane due to Isu manipulation and create a third faction, independent of the Assassins and Templars. The theory entails that she would get tricked by the ancients to create the new organization, but the events of Valhalla contradict these claims.

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However, it is still entirely possible for Layla to start a new faction. After going into the Grey with the Reader (many fans suspects that the Reader's actually Desmond Miles), they could indeed establish a separate faction that would act out Layla and the Reader's orders from the digital afterlife-like realm in the real world.

5 The Final Years Of The Classic Maya Civilization

This is the only fan theory that allows the series to pick up right where Valhalla left off. The end of Mayan supremacy in Central America is dated at around the year 900, mere twenty-two years after the ending of the last entry in the franchise.

Ubisoft has already created an Assassin's Creed game with a Native American protagonist, but they could go even further and expose the mainstream audience to this largely ignored period in the history of the Americas. Moreover, it opens up the possibility to easily continue Valhalla's narrative, given where Eivor was buried.

4 Eivor Ending Up In Vinland

It is revealed very early on in Valhalla that Eivor's final resting place is in Vinland, all the way in North America. The game and its DLCs fail to present players with any hints as to why and how they ended up there. This opens up the possibility for the next title to continue Eivor's story and establish how they have come to die in present-day Massachusets.

The Vikings' expeditions to North America are a well-documented historical fact. Should Ubisoft want to follow up on Eivor's adventures, setting the next Assassin's Creed title in the Americas during the Middle Ages is the most logical solution.

3 New Templar Protagonist

Shay Cormac's adventures in Assassin's Creed Rogue have proven to be wildly popular among fans of the franchise. Not only did the game expand on the engaging gameplay of Black Flag, but it also allowed players to become more familiar with the Templar point of view on the centuries-old conflict.

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An Assassin's Creed title with a Templar protagonist would be very refreshing to the overarching plot of the franchise, especially if it delved deep into the Order of the Ancients' perspective on the events of the "mythological" trilogy: Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. 

2 The Edo Period In Japan

Around March 2021, a person claiming to be a Ubisoft insider shared some information regarding Assassin's Creed 2022 on a 4chan thread. Like most "industry rumors" that end up posted on 4chan, these "facts" need to be taken with a grain of salt. However, they do present an intriguing and feasible plot and setting for the next entry in the franchise.

According to the anonymous 4chan poster, the next game would be set in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867), and feature a female-only protagonist named Akako Shiratori. The rumor also claims that the upcoming title would be exclusive to the new generation of consoles and PC. Interestingly, the game would expand heavily upon Valhalla's Jomsviking system, with recruiting new Assassins becoming a crucial aspect of the gameplay.

1 Looking For The Right Timeline

Now, this theory may seem outlandish at first, but given the wild twist at the end of Valhalla, it is more possible now than ever before. Fans have been calling for introducing time travel to the franchise for a while now, and Layla's unification with the Reader in the Grey during the final moments of Valhalla finally makes this concept feasible to implement.

Since Layla Hassan went into the Grey to look for a solution that would save the planet once and for all, it opens up the possibility for her to team up with Desmond Miles and hop around different time periods and alternative versions of events to search for a point in history that could reveal a way to prevent the upcoming disaster. It's highly unlikely since it would require the franchise to focus heavily on the modern-day storyline, but if the series was headed towards another rehaul, implementing this theory could justify it, lore-wise.

NEXT: Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Things That Make No Sense About The Game (& Fan Theories That Do)