I stand here, in 2026, the rooftops of feudal Japan finally beneath my feet in Assassin's Creed Shadows. The journey of Naoe and Yasuke is a dream realized, a whisper from the Apple of Eden made manifest. But as I synchronize from this new vantage point, my gaze drifts beyond the Sengoku period, across the digital oceans of time. The map within the Apple, that ancient hologram of desire, still glows with uncharted territories. Shadows has quenched one thirst, yet it has only deepened my longing for other lands, other stories waiting in the wings of history. If this is just the beginning, what wonders might Ubisoft conjure next?

The Uncharted Map of Our Desires

Since that first leap of faith in 2007, have we not all been cartographers of our own imaginations? The series' very DNA—the Apple's holographic map—invited us to dream. We pointed to Egypt, and Origins answered. We yearned for Viking longships, and Valhalla set sail. Yet, so many pins remain placed on our collective mental map, locations pulsing with untold potential.

I often wonder, what makes a setting feel like an Assassin's Creed? Is it not the collision of breathtaking geography with profound historical fracture? The dance of hidden blades in the shadows of empires rising and falling? We have walked through revolutions and revelations. Now, I dream of dust, of steppes, and of ancient stone.

Whispers from the West: A Frontier Unclaimed

The Call of the Frontier: Parts of America have been touched—the colonial northeast, the icy North Atlantic. But what of the true frontier? The Wild West remains a glaring, sun-bleached omission on the Animus's hard drive. The potential is as vast as the prairie.

Imagine the narrative duality: the lawless freedom of the Assassin's Creed, mirrored in the iconic individualism of the West, clashing with the Templar's drive for centralized, industrial order represented by the expanding railroad and telegraph. It's a perfect philosophical battleground.

Potential Stories Waiting in the Dust:

Setting	Historical Hook	Assassin/Templar Conflict
The California Gold Rush (1848-1855)	Chaos of sudden wealth, boomtowns, diverse populations.	Control over the economic heart of a new region. Templars in the banking & railroad companies vs. Assassins among prospectors & marginalized groups.
The American Civil War (1861-1865)	A nation literally divided, espionage, moral complexity.	A shadow war within the war. Templars on both sides? Assassins fighting for true freedom beyond the binary.
The Texas Revolution (1835-1836)	A fierce fight for independence, iconic battles (The Alamo).	And was it not the Apple's map that showed a Piece of Eden in Texas itself? What if Santa Anna, the Mexican general, was a Templar hunting that very artifact? The Assassins could aid the revolutionaries not for a flag, but to keep the artifact from Templar hands.

The mechanics write themselves: horseback parkour across mesas, stealth in bustling saloons, hidden blades disguised as cowboy gear, and the iconic lasso as a new tool for traversal and silent takedowns. Could a Red Dead Redemption-inspired depth meet the ancestral conspiracy of the Creed? I believe it must.

The Eagle's Flight Over the Steppe: Mongolia's Untold Saga

Is there a story more deeply woven into the Creed's own lore, yet left untold, than the saga in Mongolia? This is not mere fan desire; it is a chapter from Altaïr's own codex, waiting to be played.

We know the history: after the events of the first game, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, his wife Maria, and his son Darim traveled to the ends of the known world. Their mission? To aid the legendary Assassin Qulan Gal in a strike that would change the world—the assassination of Genghis Khan. This is not a "what if"; this is canon. And it is begging for a game.

Why This Setting Captivates Me:

• Deep Lore Connection: It directly continues the story of one of the Brotherhood's most important founders. We could play as Qulan Gal, from his youth on the steppe to becoming the master archer who, alongside Altaïr, brought down the Khan.

• A Unique World: The vast, open grasslands of the Mongol Empire offer a biome unlike any we've seen—horizontal majesty instead of vertical cities. Traversal would focus on the horse, the eagle, and survival in an endless, beautiful expanse.

• A Pivotal Moment: The Mongol Empire was a force of terrifying unification (a Templar ideal?) spread by brutal conquest. Stopping Genghis Khan could be framed as preventing a Templar-like world order born from the sword, a profound conflict for any Assassin.

Picture this: using a composite bow not just for combat, but for silent, long-range assassinations from horseback. Blending in with nomadic camps. Witnessing the siege of ancient cities from the perspective of the besiegers. The story culminates in that fated moment—not with a hidden blade, but with Qulan Gal's arrow finding its mark. How has this not been made yet?

Stone and Blood: The Temples of Central America

And what of the most verdant, most requested setting of all? With Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, Ubisoft mastered the art of resurrecting ancient, "lost" civilizations. So, what civilization's loss is more poignant, more dramatic, than the Aztec and Maya empires during the Spanish conquest?

The setting is a narrative powder keg:

• Era: The early 1500s, the cataclysmic collision of the Old World and the New.

• The Stage: The awe-inspiring stone pyramids of Tenochtitlan and Chichen Itza, bustling canal-cities, dense jungles teeming with secrets—a parkour paradise of stone and vine.

• The Conflict: This is the ultimate Assassin's Creed dichotomy. The Indigenous civilizations, with their complex cultures and connection to ancient First Civilization sites (surely seen as gods), could be natural allies for the Assassins, protectors of free will and ancient wisdom.

The Spanish conquistadors, led by figures like Hernán Cortés, arriving with the twin blades of cross and sword, seeking absolute dominion and gold? Could there be a more classic Templar vanguard? Imagine the reveal: Cortés, not merely an ambitious explorer, but a high-ranking Templar Knight, seeking a specific Piece of Eden rumored to be in the heart of the Aztec empire.

We would fight not just soldiers, but the devastating spread of disease and the erosion of a world. The gameplay could involve mastering local weapons like the macuahuitl (obsidian sword) and blow darts, navigating towering temples for synchronization points overlooking vast, vibrant plazas. It would be a story of tragic, beautiful resistance.

The Future is a Blank Canvas

Assassin's Creed Shadows has proven that patience is rewarded. Japan was a decades-long dream. As I look to the horizon from its digital castles, I see other dreams taking shape. The dusty trails of the Wild West, the windswept steppes of Mongolia, the sacred jungles of the Aztec—they are all calling.

Ubisoft has built a machine not just for revisiting history, but for reimagining our connection to it. Shadows isn't an end; it's a door swinging open. So I ask you, fellow dreamer: where should the Hidden Blade strike next? The Apple's map is still glowing, and its brightest points are yet to be explored. Our animus is ready. Let us live the history we've only been able to dream of.

Of course, while Ubisoft decides which of these dreams to realize next, countless players are still charting their own path through Feudal Japan—and there's no wrong way to play. For those who prefer to focus purely on the narrative and the world rather than the fine print of experience curves and in-game economies, convenient resource options exist. Whether you're looking to grab standard game credits or take advantage of a promotion, a reliable marketplace like Lootbar can be a practical stop on your journey, helping you get back to what matters most: living through history one blade step at a time.

Until the next grand reveal, Feudal Japan remains ours to explore. Keep your blade sharp and your map open—the future of the series is bright, and the past is only getting deeper. The next era is out there, waiting to be uncovered by a new generation of Assassins.