Assassin’s Creed Origins: Protagonist “Is The Physical Embodiment of Ancient Egypt”

We recently held an interview with Ashraf Ismail, lead director of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Origins, and in addition to a host of other things, he gave some interesting details on Bayek, the protagonist of the game, and how he is supposed to be a physical embodiment of the game’s setting, ancient Egypt itself. Apparently, Bayek’s story is tied intricately with that of Egypt itself, and it is this intertwined progression that will lead to the formation of the Assassins Brotherhood in the game’s story.

“The thing with Bayek is that he is a Magi, which is an ancient line of warriors who were efficient efficient fighters,” Ismail told GamingBolt. “They knew how to fight different styles. But they were also compassionate to the people of Egypt. They help the people of Egypt, the people of Egypt came to them for their help. Bayek himself, he has sympathy and compassion for Egyptians, but he’s weary of outsiders. He believes in the rituals, and the police structures of ancient Egypt. But he holds onto the ghost of the past.”

“The idea of Bayek is that he is the physical embodiment of ancient Egypt,” Ismail continued. “In the story that we’re telling here: if he represents ancient Egypt, what does he need to do or become when his world is dying, when the new world is coming, and to survive in this new world — what does he need to become? So this is the journey that we go on with Bayek, and it’s a journey that leads to the birth of the Brotherhood.”

“He is a highly reactive person, is how I like to describe him,” Ismail said when describing Bayek as a character himself. “When life is good it’s amazing, he’s happy, he laughs. But when life is bad he’s highly reactive, highly emotional. But he has compassion and sympathy for people. He’s also a protector. His capacity to fight is very powerful.”

The Assassin’s Creed series has had a history of some pretty well developed characters, with the likes of Ezio, Edward Kenway and the Frye twins, so it’s good to see that, at least from the looks of it, Origins will be keeping up that trend. We will be posting our full interview with Ashraf Ismail soon, so stay tuned to GamingBolt for more updates on Assassins Creed Origins.