Ubisoft sued over Assassin's Creed plot

Murder and conspiracy are the crimes most commonly associated with the Assassin's Creed series, but one author is adding theft to the list. As reported by GamesIndustry International, science-fiction author John Beiswenger is suing Ubisoft, accusing the publisher of copyright infringement due to similarities between his 2002 novel Link and the Assassin's Creed franchise.

As the suit notes, "In 'Link,' the plaintiff's plot includes the conception and creation of a device and process whereby ancestral memories can be accessed, recalled, relived, and re-experienced by the user." It also contains a device to access those memories described similarly to the Animus in Assassin's Creed. The suit notes that both Beiswenger's novel and the Assassin's Creed games contain spiritual and biblical overtones, a theme of good battling evil, and interactions with historically accurate people and places.

Beiswenger is seeking $1.05 million in damages, or $5.25 million if Ubisoft is found to have willfully copied elements of Link. As of press time, Ubisoft had not returned GameSpot's request for comment.