Assassin's Creed Valhalla is about to start its second year of content with one of the most ambitious expansions Ubisoft has ever produced and now with Georgi Popov as the director, the game is in good hands for what's next.
Popov has over a decade of experience working on Assassin's Creed, from Liberation to Origins, and is now at the helm of Dawn of Ragnarok. So we take the opportunity to talk with him about the new adventure that will put us in Odin's shoes in a world 100% inspired by Norse mythology.
The franchise typically depicts historical and realistic events, what is the team's approach when it's time to tell a story that goes deep into Norse fantasies?
Georgi Popov: “The Nordic culture and its traditions are immense. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, players follow the journey of Eivor and the Clan of the Raven across England, Norway, Ireland, and France. Players experience Viking daily life, the hardships and the joys. They also have a small opportunity to delve into their beliefs during the events of Asgard and Jotunheim.
“But there was so much more to explore and we wanted to take a deep dive into its sagas and legends. Mythology has a huge impact on Viking culture and history in general. We wanted to portray these events as they truly happened, the true story of Odin so to speak."
What is the design philosophy behind this new area when Odin has the ability to go anywhere as a raven?
GP: “Svartalfheim is the surreal kingdom of the dwarves. It is infested with karst hills and deep canyons that are home to many of its mines. We want players to be amazed at the sights of Svartalfheim, but at the same time have the tools to explore the many treasures it holds and give them a new gameplay experience.
“Very early in the project our gameplay programming team produced a prototype with the Power of the Raven and it immediately clicked, we knew as soon as we saw it that it was going to make players feel powerful, like a god and at the same time creating a exciting new way to traverse this world.”
What's the challenge behind keeping combat exciting and challenging when you have all these powerful new abilities?
GP: “When we designed the game we wanted to freshen up the combat experience for all players, no matter if they are hardened veterans or if they prefer the exploration and stealth aspects of the game. We wanted the experience to be new and refreshed, but not necessarily more difficult.
“For example, part of the differences is the need for attention to the environment that players will need to develop. When Muspelheim's forces arrive, they bring the fiery lava with them, creating rivers and lakes of magma. This is a hazard that players should always be on the lookout for, being careful to dodge can help them or it can put them right in the middle of a deadly lava pool; and of course, the way to mitigate the risk of lava is the Power of Muspelheim that will make players immune, but when is the best time to use it? Do they have it or do they have to find an enemy that has it to take it from them? ?, these are aspects that the players will need to learn and master”.
Are we going to be able to take these powers into the base game and wreak havoc on England, Ireland and France?
GP: “The short answer is 'No'. The story in Dawn of Ragnarök takes place after the events in Asgard and Jotunheim. God's powers are enabled by the Hugr-Rip, a powerful artifact given to Odin by the dwarves of Svartalfheim. For story consistency, Odin will not have possession of the Artifact on any of the other worlds and thus the powers can only be used on Svartalfheim.
“But we have some additions for Eivor as well, players are going to discover new abilities in Svartalfheim. They will have mythical effects in the dwarven realm, but can also be used in the real world, in a realistic way that is consistent with the rest of the game.
And furthermore, for all Valhalla players there will be new abilities available in the game when Dawn of Ragnarök is released, regardless of whether they purchased the expansion or not."
Thanks so much for the talk Georgi and good luck with the launch.
GP: "Thanks to you, we are very excited about the game and look forward to all the adventures and stories that the community will share from Svartalfheim."
Assassin's Creed Dawn of Ragnarok will be available on March 10 on PlayStation consoles, Xbox and also on PC via Steam, Epic Store and Ubisoft Connect.
Note originally published: La Voz de la Frontera
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is about to start its second year of content with one of the most ambitious expansions Ubisoft has ever produced and now with Georgi Popov as the director, the game is in good hands for what's next.
Popov has over a decade of experience working on Assassin's Creed, from Liberation to Origins, and is now at the helm of Dawn of Ragnarok. So we take the opportunity to talk with him about the new adventure that will put us in Odin's shoes in a world 100% inspired by Norse mythology.
The franchise typically depicts historical and realistic events, what is the team's approach when it's time to tell a story that goes deep into Norse fantasies?
Georgi Popov: “The Nordic culture and its traditions are immense. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, players follow the journey of Eivor and the Clan of the Raven across England, Norway, Ireland, and France. Players experience Viking daily life, the hardships and the joys. They also have a small opportunity to delve into their beliefs during the events of Asgard and Jotunheim.
“But there was so much more to explore and we wanted to take a deep dive into its sagas and legends. Mythology has a huge impact on Viking culture and history in general. We wanted to portray these events as they truly happened, the true story of Odin so to speak."
What is the design philosophy behind this new area when Odin has the ability to go anywhere as a raven?
GP: “Svartalfheim is the surreal kingdom of the dwarves. It is infested with karst hills and deep canyons that are home to many of its mines. We want players to be amazed at the sights of Svartalfheim, but at the same time have the tools to explore the many treasures it holds and give them a new gameplay experience.
“Very early in the project our gameplay programming team produced a prototype with the Power of the Raven and it immediately clicked, we knew as soon as we saw it that it was going to make players feel powerful, like a god and at the same time creating a exciting new way to traverse this world.”
What's the challenge behind keeping combat exciting and challenging when you have all these powerful new abilities?
GP: “When we designed the game we wanted to freshen up the combat experience for all players, no matter if they are hardened veterans or if they prefer the exploration and stealth aspects of the game. We wanted the experience to be new and refreshed, but not necessarily more difficult.
“For example, part of the differences is the need for attention to the environment that players will need to develop. When Muspelheim's forces arrive, they bring the fiery lava with them, creating rivers and lakes of magma. This is a hazard that players should always be on the lookout for, being careful to dodge can help them or it can put them right in the middle of a deadly lava pool; and of course, the way to mitigate the risk of lava is the Power of Muspelheim that will make players immune, but when is the best time to use it? Do they have it or do they have to find an enemy that has it to take it from them? ?, these are aspects that the players will need to learn and master”.
Are we going to be able to take these powers into the base game and wreak havoc on England, Ireland and France?
GP: “The short answer is 'No'. The story in Dawn of Ragnarök takes place after the events in Asgard and Jotunheim. God's powers are enabled by the Hugr-Rip, a powerful artifact given to Odin by the dwarves of Svartalfheim. For story consistency, Odin will not have possession of the Artifact on any of the other worlds and thus the powers can only be used on Svartalfheim.
“But we have some additions for Eivor as well, players are going to discover new abilities in Svartalfheim. They will have mythical effects in the dwarven realm, but can also be used in the real world, in a realistic way that is consistent with the rest of the game.
And furthermore, for all Valhalla players there will be new abilities available in the game when Dawn of Ragnarök is released, regardless of whether they purchased the expansion or not."
Thanks so much for the talk Georgi and good luck with the launch.
GP: "Thanks to you, we are very excited about the game and look forward to all the adventures and stories that the community will share from Svartalfheim."
Assassin's Creed Dawn of Ragnarok will be available on March 10 on PlayStation consoles, Xbox and also on PC via Steam, Epic Store and Ubisoft Connect.
