Assassin’s Creedis a highly acclaimed video game franchise that has captured audiences since the original game’s debut in 2007. The series features action-packed adventures set in historical settings and is known for its intricate plots, engaging characters, and historical settings. One of the most recent additions to the franchise isAssassin’s Creed: The Golden City, a novel by Jaleigh Johnson. The novel casts a new light on the settings, characters, and plot, influenced by bothAssassin’s Creed Valhallaand theupcomingAssassin’s Creed Mirage.
In a recent Game Rant interview, Johnson delves into the ‘palace intrigue' of the novel, her choices in the setting, and what it was like balancing all of that. She discusses how the complex plot brings the story to life, one that embraces the lore of the games but also creates a new world all its own. In the novel, The Hidden Ones send their acolyte, Hytham, to Constantinople alongside master assassin Basim, bothnames fans will recognize fromAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. Hytham and Basim must navigate the shadows of Constantinople to infiltrate the palace and stop an Emperor’s plan to assassinate his son from succeeding.
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Assassin’s Creed: The Golden City - Delving into the Lore and History
Johnson is an accomplished writer who has made her mark in the children’s and YA genres. Her debut novel,The Mark of the Dragonfly, became a New York Times bestseller. Johnson has also authored several other books, includingThe Secrets of Solace,The Quest to the Uncharted Lands, andThe Door to the Lost. Johnson’s experience in writing fiction for different mediums and audiences has undoubtedly contributed to her success in crafting the intricate story ofAssassin’s Creed: The Golden City. However, her journey into the world of gaming started a little closer to home when she learned abouttheAssassin’s Creedfranchiseby watching her husband play them.
“I’ve played the games on and off for a long time, but my husband was the one who actually introduced me to the first game while I was still working in tax preparation,” Johnson said. “I started paying attention to the game, and I got interested in the story. Then I started playing the game and I was hooked.”
Johnson’s love forAssassin’s Creeddeveloped over time, but it was a monumental task to leave her mark on the franchise. Not only did she have to honor the history of this setting and the games Basim is directly tied to, but every bit oflore regarding the Hidden Onesand the franchise as a whole. That point was driven home as she balanced both the franchise’s lore and the real-world history involved in it.
“The enormity of this IP, when taken as a whole, was not quite driven home to me until I looked at this chart that was part of my research materials. It showed all theAssassin’s Creedgames and how they were connected to each other and to their various tie-in products, from novels to movies to comic books, etc. It was this massive, interconnected web that had been years and years in the making. I knew all of that, of course, but seeing it laid out like that made me think, ‘this is both awesome and scary as hell.'”
One of the key aspects of the novel is the characterization of the young Emperor Leo and the ‘palace intrigue’ surrounding the plot of the novel. Part of the process of developing this storyline started with Johnson revisiting the games and re-immersing herself in theAssassin’s Creeduniverse. “I used that for my starting point, asking myself what I as a player and fan of the games would want to see in a novel that would enrich and expand the experience,” Johnson said.
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Assassin’s Creed: The Golden City - The Emperor’s Palace
Johnson ended up using the emperor’s palace as a main setting in the novel, which she said assisted her in bridging the gap between being creative withtheAssassin’s Creedstoryand satisfying the fan base. The setting also acts as a symbol of the “palace intrigue,” or the political friction happening within the plot. This setting not only helps bring out the complexities of an emperor attempting to murder his son, but the dynamic between Hytham and Basim too. While thetwoAssassin’s Creed Valhallacharacterstrust each other, at least as much as anyone can trust Basim, it wasn’t always like that. Hytham was also tasked with discovering if Basim remained loyal to the Hidden Ones, furthering that level of intrigue.
“The palace intrigue, not knowing who to trust, and trying to protect a vulnerable target who is also a pawn in the Assassin/Templar conflict felt like something out of the game. With a novel, I knew I could deepen the complications surrounding that mission and give space to more of the inner worlds of characters like Basim and especially Hytham.”
Johnson claims that, while Leo is based on a real historical figure, she took some “creative liberties” based on possible historical influences in crafting his character. “I tried to consider how everything from his birth and the circumstances of his growing up might be affected by having theAssassin-Templar conflicthappening in Constantinople at the same time,” Johnson said. “How might that change who he is and who he eventually grows up to be, because of the influence of characters like Hytham and Basim?”
Researching the history and political climate of Constantinople was a key part of developing Leo’s character. Johnson said that during her research she found the young Leo’s father, the emperor, had risen to power by assassinating his co-emperor. According to Johnson, there were rumors that the assassinated emperor might be Leo’s real father, leading to “a tangled web of politics and personal relationships.”
“A lot of it was just speculation at the time, but I couldn’t help but think how that boy, Leo, might have grown up with people whispering that he might not truly be the emperor’s son. How could certain parties use that fact against him? The story came very quickly after that, proving that sometimes it’s in the little details.”
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Assassin’s Creed: The Golden City - Balancing Lore and History
The inspiration behind the story came from Johnson’s extensive research into thehistory of Constantinople. She was intrigued by the succession of emperors and how they came to power through assassination or political maneuvering. She also explored the impact of how variations in lineage can affect political rule, and how political figures used lineage as a means of controlling the line of rulers. These details provided a foundation for the story to unfold, and Johnson was able to weave together historical facts with fictional elements to create a compelling narrative.
WritingAssassin’s Creed: The Golden Citypresented challenges for Johnson, and one of the primary challenges was balancing historical accuracy with creative freedom. Johnson wanted to stay true to the essence of theAssassin’s Creeduniverse, while also creating a new, exciting storyline for her readers. Another challenge was the volume of research that went into the novel’s development, which, according to Johnson, was extensive.
“Again, it was probably just the enormity of it all. There’s a lot of research involved in making sure you’re staying true to the franchise, but I tried to stay focused on what I was contributing so that I wouldn’t be too intimidated by the scope of everything.”
Assassin’s Creed: The Golden Cityseems, ultimately, to be a balancing act, and it’ll be interesting to see how fans of the franchise react when it releases.
Assassin’s Creed: The Golden Citywill be released on Jun 26, 2025.
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