According to creative lead Alex Hutchinson, "Things that go on too long lack resonance. We're asking people to remember seven years worth of story. Which is like saying you were in junior high and now you're finishing college. And you need to remember what you were doing in junior high." He then added, "I think Desmond needs to end."
He went on to say, "It's more like the Twilight Zone. There's always a guy introducing it and he's there every episode, but each game completes its own story. Assassin's Creed one was Altair's story. Ezio has been and gone. You can engage with these historical stories individually without having to necessarily understand Desmond's story. But yes, we eventually do have to wrap it up."
"I always pitched it to the guys on this game to think of it almost like Star Trek," Hutchinson explained, "Each game is a season... each big number is a sub-title. We're not changing the universe, but we're being given the reigns to the equivalent of (Star Trek:) The Next Generation. Yes, it's the Star Trek universe, and that has certain immutable laws and there's a base kind of tone to it, but within that you can do whatever you want."
The upcoming PlayStation Vita spinoff, Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation, will be the first in the series not to feature Desmond. It will also be the first game to feature a female Assassin as well.
Assassin's Creed 3 is due to be released on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on the 30th October 2012.
