E3 2016: Why A Huge Part of Assassin's Creed Movie is Set in The Present

Last month, it was revealed that the Assassin's Creed film is set 65% in the present, 35% in the past, and today, Ubisoft explained why.

During Ubisoft's E3 2016 corporate press event, Ubisoft Motion Pictures VP of Global Marketing Stephan Simard talked about the creative decision to set a big part of the film in the present instead of following the games' trend of primarily having the film set in the past.

"We're not interested in telling the same stories from the games that have already been told so well. Rather, we're looking to bring a new dimension to the universe," Simard told IGN. "Working in the present day really gave a lot of freedom to develop new storylines and characters who are very three-dimensional and emotional, and bring in a wider audience as well as excite our existing fans with new stories to engage with."

Having the film set largely in the present would give fans a fresher story to follow rather than rehash the games' plots. Producer Frank Marshall reiterated that it was necessary to bring a new twist to the Assassin's Creed formula: "I thought that the Assassin's Creed universe really had all the elements that would make a great movie. It was our goal as filmmakers to stay respectful to the DNA of the brand, and bring something new to the franchise that can be experienced in movie theaters," he said. "We have a new story, we have a new hero, dynamic supporting players and characters, we mixed a little bit of the old and the familiar up with a new element."

He continued, "It's the multilayered mythology that we have that comes from the game and putting you into the story. We have a real story and it has an arc that goes all the way util the end. [It's] being able to have the same wish fulfillment as you have in the game."

With the film set 35% in the past, it's safe to assume that we will still see a lot of similar story elements we've seen in the games despire the film mainly being set in the present.

Assassin's Creed is scheduled to hit theaters o December 21.

See: Assassin's Creed: Here's A Detailed Look At Michael Fassbender's Costume