Assassin's Creed Syndicate and the Depiction of Female "Britishness" in Victorian London

Reid, Andrew; Donald, Iain; Austin, Hailey; Pittner, Fruzsina

Abstract

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Ubisoft Quebec 2015) is the ninth action-adventure title in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Set in Victorian London, the game mixes historical fiction with real-world historical events, people, and environments. This research utilizes an analytical framework developed by the authors (2020), to examine the setting and the backdrop of significant political and social change in nineteenth century Britain, including the role and agency of women in Victorian society. This study explores the depiction of lead – and supporting – female characters within Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and its reflection of Victorian “Britishness” (traditional, cultural, and social values embodied within Britain in the nineteenth century).

Citation

Reid, A., Donald, I., Austin, H., & Pittner, F. (2025, June). Assassin's Creed Syndicate and the Depiction of Female "Britishness" in Victorian London. Presented at DiGRA 2025: Games at the Crossroads, Malta

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Abstract
• Conference Name: DiGRA 2025: Games at the Crossroads
• Start Date: Jun 30, 2025
• End Date: Jul 4, 2025
• Acceptance Date: Feb 11, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Jun 16, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025
• Deposit Date: Aug 1, 2025
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Series Title: Proceedings of DiGRA 2025
• Series ISSN: 2342-9666
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26503/dl.v2025i3.2620
• Keywords: assassin’s creed syndicate, historical games, britishness, representation, victorian
• External URL: https://digraconference2025.org/