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Assassin's Creed Rogue's Hero Is "Brash and Arrogant," But Also Has a Conscience

Shay Patrick Cormack is searching for purpose after his father's death.

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[If you don't want to know anything about Assassin's Creed Rogue's story or characters, don't read on]

In Assassin's Creed Rogue, launching this fall for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, you play as a Templar named Shay Patrick Cormack. But who is this man and what drives him? Writer Susan Patrick explains in a new blog post on the Ubisoft website.

Shay Patrick Cormac
Shay Patrick Cormac

"He's brash and arrogant, but has a conscience," Patrick says. "Born to Irish immigrants in New York, Shay finds himself searching for purpose after his father passes away. It is at this point that the Assassins find him and take him in. Despite becoming a successful Assassin, Shay will start to question the motivations of the Brotherhood and eventually, seek redemption by hunting the Assassins down."

Also of note, Cormac is a Gaelic name that means "Raven." And his ship, The Morrigan, is named after the Irish goddess of battle and strife, who often appeared as a raven. "Shay and his ship were truly meant for each other," Patrick says.

Regarding the overall story for Assassin's Creed Rogue, it will dive into the Templar world and show gamers what the world looks like through their eyes as opposed to the Brotherhood. Patrick also points out that the Assassins you've played in past games maybe aren't the most wholesome of people. "In the series up till this point, we've generally presented the Assassins as noble heroes and the Templars as scheming villains," she said. "But in Rogue, we are going to turn that on its head and show you the other side."

Assassin's Creed Rogue takes place in the 1750s and 1760s during the the Seven Years' War, or the French & Indian War, as it is also known. This war was fought in Europe and the Colonies in America, and the global nature of this campaign is part of the reason why Ubisoft chose this time period. "The other reason we chose this time period was because it fit in perfectly with the Kenway saga," Patrick said. "And as eagle-eyed fans have spotted, Haytham makes an appearance in Rogue."

Haytham Kenway, a Templar, first appeared in Assassin's Creed III. When Cormack meets Kenway in Assassin's Creed Rogue, he looks to him as a role model, Patrick says, adding that both characters have things to learn from one another. As for whether or not Assassin's Creed fans will notice any other familiar faces in Assassin's Creed Rogue, Patrick teased, "Fans who are familiar with the series and know a little bit about the timeline can probably piece a few things together."

Assassin's Creed Rogue, launching November 11, is one of two new Assassin's Creed games launching this year, following October's Assassin's Creed Unity for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. That game is set in Renaissance Paris.

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