According to recent reports on the web, the developers of Assassin Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey originally wanted to dedicate much more screen time to the respective female characters in each game.
Jason Schrier, who wrote an article about Ubisoft’s mistreatment of sexual harassment allegations, revealed that the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey team wanted Cassandra to be the only playable character, but was turned down by marketing people as well as the game’s creative director.
Among the many details I learned when reporting this story: the developers of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey wanted Cassandra to be the only playable version, but Ubisoft’s marketing team and creative leader Serge Haskoet wouldn’t allow it. They said women don’t sell.
Elsewhere, the Assassin’s Creed Origins team wanted players to take control of Aya after killing or wounding Bayek at some point in the game. However, his role in the final product was greatly diminished.
Assassin’s Creed Origins was released for PS4, PC and Xbox One in late 2017, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in fall 2018 for the same platforms.