Chapter Summaries

Song Ren learned why Nathan and Sam Drake were devoted to treasure hunting, then watched Nathan reunite with Elena and continue the adventure with her. The married couple worked together toward the pirate utopia, while their affectionate exchanges left Song Ren lamenting his single status.

• After Nathan fell unconscious, the story revealed that he and Sam were the sons of historian Cassandra Morgan, and they took the Drake names to finish her expeditions.
• Nathan woke up, and Elena joined him as they fought the Coastline Mercenaries, solved puzzles, and made their way across the island.
• Elena confronted Nathan for keeping her in the dark, and Nathan admitted he had been afraid of losing her.
• Nathan and Elena continued toward the pirate utopia, flirting and bickering as Song Ren suffered from their romantic exchanges.

Song Ren played through Nathan and Elena’s search for Sam in Libertalia, where they uncovered Henry Avery’s betrayal and fought their way to Avery’s treasure. Nathan rescued Sam, accepted that he could let the treasure go, and returned to a happy life with Elena, while the game’s epilogue showed their daughter discovering their hidden stories.

• Nathan and Elena followed clues through Libertalia and discovered that Henry Avery had murdered the pirate founders to claim their treasure.
• Nathan and Elena fought mercenaries, rescued Sam, and pursued him after he set off alone to find Avery’s treasure.
• Nathan defeated Rafe in a sword fight aboard Avery’s Treasure Ship and escaped with Sam as the ship and Rafe sank.
• Nathan and Sam talked about the emptiness of chasing treasure, and Nathan admitted he had learned what to keep and what to let go.
• Sam gave Gold Coins to Elena, who used them to buy Nathan’s salvage company and secure a permit for their new legal treasure-hunting work.
• Years later, Nathan and Elena’s daughter uncovered their hidden keepsakes, and the family shared stories of their adventures.

Song Ren finished Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and players praised its thrilling adventure, polished pacing, and happy ending. As Uncharted earned strong reviews and grew more popular, Atari announced Elemental World's release date, while Chen Xu focused on planning the series' DLC and trilogy remasters.

• Song Ren completed Uncharted: The Lost Legacy after two days and was thrilled by its adventure and ending.
• Players praised Uncharted's story, visuals, action, and pacing, with many replaying favorite sections.
• Chen Xu dismissed Atari's upcoming Elemental World and said Nebula Games would prioritize the Uncharted trilogy DLC and later remasters.
• Media outlets gave Uncharted high scores and predicted its design would influence action-adventure games.
• Atari announced Elemental World's release date because Zeus feared Uncharted would draw more players to Huanyu VR.
• Antolini remained confident in Elemental World despite its delay and Uncharted's success.

Elemental World earned strong reviews and praise for its intricate puzzles, but its demanding gameplay kept sales below Zeus’s expectations. Meanwhile, Chen Xu approved Uncharted footage and prepared his team for an Italy trip to gather references for future games.

• Antolini celebrated Elemental World's excellent advance reviews as Atari and Zeus promoted the game and launched the Sword Seeking Event.
• Chen Xu approved Ruan Ningxue's airplane-sequence footage and discussed the Nebula Game Platform and Elemental World with his team.
• Chen Xu sent his team plans for a month-long Italy trip to gather references for future games.
• Two players cleared the Sword Seeking Event trials on launch day, and the event ended in less than two days amid strong player praise.
• Atari and Antolini found that Elemental World's clever but difficult puzzles and limited exploration were slowing sales despite positive reviews.
• Zeus regretted its investment as Elemental World's sales fell short of expectations while Uncharted remained ahead.

Zeus responded to Elemental World's commercial failure by acquiring FOW and announcing a project codenamed “Medieval.” Meanwhile, players expecting progress on Uncharted’s DLC discovered that Chen Xu and Nebula Games had gone on a trip, beginning in Florence.

• Zeus decided to stop relying on third-party partners and invest in first-party games after Elemental World failed to expand its platform.
• Zeus acquired the European developer FOW for 2.1 billion dollars and announced a new project codenamed “Medieval.”
• Players discussed FOW’s acquisition, Nebula Games’ VR attractions, and the upcoming Uncharted DLC trilogy.
• Chen Xu posted photos of himself and Nebula Games’ core team at Florence’s Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, revealing that they had begun a team trip.

Chen Xu explained that his team’s trip through Italy had been work: they were surveying historical sites for Nebula Games’ next project, Assassin’s Creed. He chose Ezio’s story, with Altair’s included, and left the team focused on recreating the Renaissance setting with the new-generation Huanyu VR.

• Chen Xu lamented that players mistook Nebula Games’ month-long Italian location scouting for a vacation.
• Meng Zuo asked whether the new game would be set in Italy, and Chen Xu confirmed it would be Assassin’s Creed.
• Chen Xu decided to develop Ezio’s trilogy and include Altair’s story, citing Ezio’s depth and the trilogy’s strong narrative.
• Chen Xu explained that the team had visited Florence’s Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and other landmarks to capture their historical atmosphere firsthand.
• Chen Xu hoped the new-generation Huanyu VR would make the game’s historical settings more immersive for players.

Chen Xu planned Assassin’s Creed’s stories and gameplay, deciding to feature Ezio first and make Altair’s story unlockable afterward. While he and his team scouted locations, Zeus and FOW announced a Third Crusade game, and Nebula Games posted a surprising clip on Huanyu VR.

• Chen Xu explained that Assassin’s Creed would convey a sense of history rather than focus only on the medieval era.
• Chen Xu chose to present Ezio’s story first and make Altair’s story hidden content unlocked after completing the game.
• Chen Xu planned to keep the series action-oriented, improve combat and mission flexibility, and replace tedious missions with meaningful stories.
• Zeus and FOW announced a game set during the Third Crusade, where an ordinary villager joined the resistance after losing his family and home.
• Longtime FOW fans praised the new game’s visuals, and Nebula Games posted a clip on Huanyu VR that astonished players.

Nebula Games released Animus, a mysterious Abstergo Entertainment application that let players experience their ancestors’ memories, hinting at the company’s new game. After Zhang Yi completed its guided demonstration, the program unexpectedly selected him and displayed a cryptic message, leaving him confused.

• Chen Xu and Nebula Games posted a cryptic video about a thousand-year struggle between freedom and order, prompting players to speculate about a new game.
• After returning from location scouting, Chen Xu’s team uploaded the Animus application to the Huanyu VR Nebula Game Platform.
• Zhang Yi downloaded Animus after seeing its prominent recommendation and entered a white virtual space where a female voice explained the program.
• Animus transported Zhang Yi to an ancient town and taught him to move and act while warning that straying from genetic memories would lower his Synchronization Rate.
• After Zhang Yi followed the verification process, Animus showed a red cross and the message “May the Father of Understanding Guide Us,” declared that he had been chosen, and left him with only an Exit option.

After players protested that the Animus teaser revealed almost nothing, Chen Xu released a cinematic introducing Desmond Miles and the war between Assassins and Templar Knights. The footage excited players with hints of a historical adventure, while Zeus watched Nebula Games capture the attention again.

• Players complained that the Animus promotion teased a mysterious game without revealing its name or gameplay.
• Chen Xu told Ruan Ningxue that he had prepared another video to satisfy players who had been waiting for more information.
• The new video showed Desmond Miles describing how the Templar Knights used Animus to search his ancestors’ memories for the Golden Apple, an Artifact of Eden.
• Desmond resolved to resist the Templars and trusted Lucy, while using Animus to awaken the Assassin instincts in his DNA.
• Players inferred that they would experience historical events as Assassins, while Zeus lamented that Nebula Games had stolen the hype again.

Chen Xu focused Nebula Games on developing Assassin's Creed while players waited for details about its setting and gameplay. Zeus promoted FOW's historically grounded RPG Medieval: Salvation, but Nebula Games released Assassin's Creed's second promotional trailer, revealing gameplay and confirming the Renaissance setting.

• Chen Xu expanded Assassin's Creed's development with immersive NPC reactions, Animus synchronization rules, improved guidance, and refined movement and combat systems.
• Players grew curious about the unnamed game's period and gameplay, while Chen Xu withheld updates because the second promotional video and development work were not ready.
• Zeus promoted FOW's Medieval: Salvation, an RPG about a farmer's son caught up in The Crusades, highlighting its realistic combat and historical detail.
• Nebula Games released Assassin's Creed's second promotional trailer, and players reacted to its gameplay footage, Renaissance setting, and apparent game title.

Nebula Games released a promotional video for "Assassin's Creed," drawing players' attention away from Animus and enraging Zeus. The video followed Ezio and other Assassins as they fought Templars and ended with the Assassin's Creed motto and the game's title.

• Nebula Games released its second promotional video, and Zeus suspected the timing was deliberate.
• The video showed Ezio approaching a Pope's procession and killing guards and Knights with help from other Assassins.
• Ezio fought the Pope's forces as four Assassins joined him and the Papal Guard charged from the Vatican.
• An Assassin killed a Templar Knight at an execution platform, escaped across rooftops, and fought more Templars.
• A white-robed Assassin battled a black-robed Assassin, while narration delivered the Creed's tenets and identified the Assassins as servants of the light.
• The video ended with the Assassin disappearing into darkness and the "Assassin's Creed" logo appearing.

The Assassin’s Creed promotional video sparked intense discussion as players speculated about its timelines, characters, setting, and gameplay. Chen Xu’s CG successfully fueled their excitement, leaving many ready to buy the game despite not understanding its story.

• Players debated how Desmond, Ezio, and the unidentified white-clad Assassin fit into the game’s different timelines.
• Players speculated about historical fiction and imagined the game’s combat, weapons, assassinations, and parkour.
• The promotional video’s cool Assassin outfits and scenes turned player excitement into strong purchase intent.
• Chen Xu used the CG to feature middle-aged Ezio and Altair but withheld Altair’s name and deeper story.
• Online discussion surged, and Chen Xu judged the CG successful because it made players eager to buy the game.

Chen Xu’s team prepared Assassin’s Creed as a story-focused sandbox hub game and promoted its historical settings and VR theme, drawing strong player interest. When the trial opened on September 1, Song Ren left the Florence VR theme and entered the game.

• Chen Xu chose a sandbox hub-world structure for Ezio and Altair’s stories, adding side activities and improvements to VR combat.
• Zeus released gameplay footage for Medieval: Salvation, while Chen Xu’s team promoted Assassin’s Creed’s historical locations and VR theme.
• Players praised Assassin’s Creed’s visuals and preordered it; the game announced a September 1 trial and a September 5 launch, while Medieval: Salvation set a September 10 release.
• Song Ren explored the Florence VR theme but found its movement area limited and messaged Zhang Yi to tease him about playing the trial.
• After the trial opened, Song Ren closed his messaging app and entered Assassin’s Creed through the Animus.

Song Ren began Assassin’s Creed’s modern-day story as Desmond before entering Ezio’s memories in Renaissance Florence. Ezio’s brash behavior surprised Song Ren, while the chapter ended with Ezio and Federico overlooking the city after a parkour race.

• Song Ren experienced Desmond’s escape from the Templars and learned that Desmond needed to use the Animus to find the Artifact of Eden.
• Desmond entered the Animus, and Song Ren arrived in Florence in 1476 as the city and its people formed around him.
• Ezio confronted Vieri and traded insults about their families before Vieri struck Ezio with a stone.
• Song Ren played through a combat tutorial featuring blocks, counters, grapples, and other fighting techniques.
• Ezio raced his older brother Federico across Florence, and the two reached the Cathedral roof to look over the city.
• Federico urged Ezio to go home, but Ezio revealed he was thinking about visiting Cristina.

Song Ren played through Ezio’s first night in Florence, from his Leap of Faith to a flirtatious visit with Cristina that ended with the camera cutting away. After escaping her father’s guards by swimming in the Arno, Ezio was still stuck looking for a way back onto land.

• Song Ren had Ezio perform a Leap of Faith from a church rooftop and land unharmed in a hay cart while Vieri searched nearby.
• Ezio reached the Vespuzzi Residence and reunited with Cristina, whose father’s one-minute limit was followed by a romantic scene that faded out before Song Ren could see more.
• Cristina’s father’s guards chased Ezio through Florence, and Song Ren escaped onto the rooftops, where the pursuers climbed after him.
• Ezio jumped into the Arno River and waited beneath a bridge until his wanted status cleared, then Song Ren struggled to find a way out of the water.

Song Ren explored Florence as Ezio and completed errands for his family, learning that the game’s Renaissance setting included real historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci. When Ezio returned home, he discovered that his father and brothers had been arrested, leaving the family in danger.

• Song Ren climbed a tower to reveal part of Florence’s map and admired the city’s detailed streets, landmarks, and inhabitants.
• Ezio’s father Giovanni scolded him over his fight with Vieri and his encounter with Cristina, then revealed that he had behaved similarly when he was young.
• Ezio collected feathers for his younger brother and punished his sister’s cheating boyfriend while completing family errands.
• Ezio collected a painting from Leonardo da Vinci and learned about Leonardo’s interests and history.
• Ezio returned home and discovered that his father and brothers had been arrested, while his mother and sister had escaped with help from the household servants.

Song Ren played through Ezio’s family’s downfall in “Assassin’s Creed,” discovering the Assassin legacy and watching Uberto betray them. After Ezio escaped to Rose of Pleasure and prepared to pursue Uberto, the trial ended before the assassination began.

• Ezio spoke with his imprisoned father, found the Hidden Chamber’s Assassin equipment, and put on the Assassin Robe.
• Ezio fought off soldiers, delivered the evidence to Uberto, and later saw Uberto deny receiving it as Ezio’s father and brothers were hanged.
• With help from his father’s thief friend, Ezio escaped the soldiers and reached Rose of Pleasure with his remaining family.
• Paula taught Ezio stealth, Leonardo da Vinci repaired his Cuff Blade, and Ezio learned Uberto would attend a ceremony at the Basilica of Santa Croce.
• As Ezio left Rose of Pleasure to pursue Uberto, the trial ended and the game returned Song Ren to the Animus space.

Song Ren and Zhang Yi played the Assassin's Creed demo and were infuriated when it ended just before Ezio's revenge began. Players vented their frustration online, but the demo also convinced many who had not preordered to buy the game.

• Song Ren discovered that the demo had ended and complained to Zhang Yi that its story and cliffhanger had left him desperate to continue.
• Zhang Yi rushed home to play the demo and emerged an hour and a half later furious at its cliffhanger.
• Players flooded online searches and forums with angry posts about the deaths of Ezio's family members and the demo's abrupt ending.
• Many players praised the game's immersive Florence, freedom of movement, and polished story, then bought Assassin's Creed despite cursing Chen Xu.

Song Ren experienced Ezio’s first assassination in Assassin’s Creed, infiltrating the Basilica of Santa Croce and killing Uberto before escaping the guards. Zhang Yi took a different approach and fought off every guard who came to reinforce them.

• Song Ren entered the launched game and guided Ezio toward the Basilica of Santa Croce, where Chen Xu’s expanded stealth systems gave guards varied awareness and patrols.
• Song Ren climbed onto the church roof, slipped into the crowded plaza, and used Eagle Vision to find Uberto.
• Ezio stabbed Uberto with Leonardo da Vinci’s repaired Cuff Blade, and the two exchanged final words in a white, code-like Animus space.
• Ezio declared that the Auditore family had not perished, then Song Ren escaped across the roof as guards rushed in.
• Zhang Yi killed Uberto but stayed to use parry counters against the arriving guards, defeating them all instead of fleeing.

Players explored Assassin's Creed's assassination mission in different ways and praised its combat, historical detail, and Renaissance-era settings. The Tourism Simulator meme spread as players wandered Florence, while many others followed Ezio's journey toward becoming a master Assassin.

• Players attempted the assassination mission through stealth or direct combat, with early-game Ezio struggling against multiple enemies.
• Players praised the recreation of Renaissance Florence, its architecture, lively NPCs, and historical atmosphere.
• Online discussions highlighted the game's scenery, Italian voice acting, Leonardo da Vinci, and references to Altair.
• The Tourism Simulator meme spread as players explored Florence and admired its landmarks instead of focusing on the main story.
• Players continued experiencing the game either as a tour of Renaissance Italy or by following Ezio's growth as an Assassin.