Ubisoft working on Project Osborn - Report

When Ubisoft launched Assassin's Creed as its big new intellectual property of 2007, there was concern about how people would react to the game's depiction of organized religions. The publisher handled that touchy topic deftly, as the series went on to post blockbuster sales figures and spawn numerous sequels without much public outcry. The publisher might be flirting with controversy again, as Siliconera is reporting that Ubisoft has a new IP in the works centered around a domestic terrorist looking to take down the US government.

According to the report--which Siliconera is basing on "a source" with an unclear connection to the project--Project Osborn's primary antagonist is John Washington, a descendent of the first American president, George Washington. As the latest in a long line of patriots, Washington is disillusioned when he's serving in Afghanistan with "a chance to stop Al Qaeda," only to have his own military turn on him. As the only surviving member of his unit, Washington supposedly then returns to the US to found his own insurgency.

Siliconera's source reports that Ubisoft is casting Washington as a "modern-day William Wallace" (a historical figure who served as the inspiration for Braveheart). Like Wallace, Washington will apparently use tactics to make up for what he lacks in raw military might. Washington is described as the game's antagonist, going up against Osborn, a group of soldiers pitted against the presidential descendent and led by a Navy SEAL. Players will apparently take part in the squad-based stealth shooter on both sides.

Siliconera reports that the game is being made for high-definition systems. Ubisoft had not returned GameSpot's request for comment as of press time.