For the last four years, the team at Ubisoft Montreal behind Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag has been crafting a new beginning for the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

In Assassin’s Creed Origins, the action takes place in Ancient Egypt, the most mysterious place in history, during a crucial period that will shape civilization. Playing as Bayek, a protector of Egypt whose personal story will lead to the creation of the Assassin’s Brotherhood, players will plunge into a living, systemic open world, and discover the secrets behind the Great Pyramids, forgotten myths, the last pharaohs, and – engraved in long-lost hieroglyphics – the origin story of the Assassin’s Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Origins is a brand-new vision for the franchise embracing Action-RPG elements where players level up, loot and choose their abilities to customize their very own skilled Assassin. They will experience a completely new combat system, allowing them to attack and defend multiple enemies at once and equip ultra-rare weapons against unique and powerful bosses.

A revamped narrative experience allows total freedom for players to choose and complete quests at their own pace, each telling an intense and emotional story full of colorful characters and meaningful objectives.

With an entire country to explore, from deserts to lush oases, from the Mediterranean Sea to the tombs of Giza, players will fight against dangerous factions and wild beasts as they explore this gigantic and unpredictable land.

In what started almost three years ago at an informal meeting during the Tokyo Game Show to express admiration for each other’s work, the Assassin’s Creed and Final Fantasy XV development teams have announced a collaboration that will result in the two franchises paying homage to each other’s gaming universes. The two teams marked the announcement with a piece of artwork unveiled at this year’s Gamescom that features Bayek from Assassin’s Creed Origins and Noctis from Final Fantasy XV. Attendees at the show also had opportunity to get the artwork signed by Ashraf Ismail, game director at Ubisoft Montreal, and Hajime Tabata, director of Final Fantasy XV.

However, eagle-eyed fans may want to go back and look at a Final Fantasy XV trailer from October of last year, the Assassin’s Creed Origins announcement trailer, and most recently, the Assassin’s Creed Origins Gamescom trailer to spot Easter eggs signaling the unofficial start of the references made between the two franchises.

“This collaboration is the result of being huge fans,” says Ismail. “There’s a lot of respect between the two teams and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the opportunity to pay homage to each other’s work.”

The collaboration kicks off on August 30, as Final Fantasy XV players who have obtained the Dream Egg from the Moogle Chocobo Carnival event will be gifted a very familiar Assassin outfit for Noctis. The very next day, August 31, will be the release of the free Assassin’s Festival DLC for Final Fantasy XV. The town of Lestallum will transform itself for the event with signs and banners signaling the arrival of the festival, and new activities will be available for players to participate in. It doesn’t end there. The Assassin’s Festival will have some additional themed items and features, including another outfit from Assassin’s Creed, along with abilities that enable Noctis to explore more like an Assassin and even use some of the Assassins’ more well-known abilities.

It is safe to assume that since Assassin's Creed Origins has not been released yet, details on what FF XV content will appear in ACO will be revealed at a later date.

Key Features

• THE MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT EGYPT - Discover lost tombs, the Great Pyramids, mummies, and the gods.
• AN ORIGIN STORY Start at the beginning and uncover the origin story of the Assassin's Brotherhood.
• ALL-NEW COMBAT Experience new combat mechanics and use powerful weapons to take down epic enemies.
• MEANINGFUL QUESTS Play intense stories with impactful objectives at your own pace.
• EXPLORE A FULL COUNTRY In busy cities and down the Nile, you’ll never run out of things to do.

In the Deluxe Edition ($69.99), gamers will receive the base game, a printed version of the hand-drawn world map, the game’s official soundtrack and the Digital Deluxe Pack, including the Ambush at Sea naval mission, the Desert Cobra Pack and three bonus Ability points. The Gold Edition ($99.99) will include all of the Deluxe Edition Digital content plus the Season Pass. The Season Pass will give players access to all upcoming major expansions and equipment sets. Both Deluxe and Gold Editions will be also available on digital stores. A Gold Edition with a physical Steelbook ($109.99) is also available. For further details, please visit here.

Fans who pre-order will receive the Secrets of the First Pyramids mission. In it, players will discover the secrets behind the construction of the first pyramids and what mysteries lie within.

Assassin's Creed Origins will be released worldwide on October 27, 2017 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.