Summary
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics appears to have included a wildAssassin’s Creedtribute in the form of a hooded torchbearer parkouring across Parisian rooftops. While Ubisoft hasn’t officially confirmed the connection between the latest edition of the quadrennial sports event andAssassin’s Creed, it has repeatedly hinted at it.
The company first did so just ahead of the opening ceremony on July 26, when the official French-language Twitter account of theAssassin’s Creedfranchiseposted that “in Paris, Arno is never far away.” While fans initially didn’t think much of this tweet, the English-language Twitter account immediately followed up on that message by asking them to “keep an eye on Paris' rooftops” today because “Arno might just be watching from above.” This prompted some online speculation about whether Ubisoft will indeed partake in the upcoming festivities.
2024 Summer Olympics' Final Torchbearer Looked Like an Assassin’s Creed Protagonist
Sure enough, the July 26 ceremony did include an apparent nod to the popular franchise, as its final torchbearer was a hooded figure who looked like anAssassin’s Creedprotagonist. The mysterious individual first appeared as a boat rider, helping three kids transport the Olympic torch through the Canal Saint-Martin. They then carried the torch alone while parkouring across Parisian rooftops and running through the famous Louvre Museum. The official Twitter account of the Olympic Games dedicated several tweets to this feat as it was happening circa 8:30pm CET.
While the mysterious figure’s appearance didn’t exactly match that ofAssassin’s Creed Unityprotagonist Arno, who stars in the only series entry that primarily takes place in France, it was very much in line with the overall Assassin aesthetic established by the hit franchise. Their hooded attire with a white cloak hence wouldn’t look out of place in Ubisoft’s games, save for the fencing mask that the torchbearer used to hide their identity.
Neither Ubisoft nor the 2024 Summer Olympics organizers have officially confirmed that this wild set piece was meant to be anAssassin’s Creedtribute. Nevertheless, many fans of the franchise appear to be convinced that was the case, having said as much on social media following the ceremony. But not everyone agrees with that theory, with some Olympics 2024 viewers opining that the figure could have just as well been a nod toThe Phantom of the Opera, a famous 20th-century novel by French author Gaston Leroux, which inspired numerous adaptations.
Assassin’s Creed
Assassin’s Creed is an action-adventure stealth series published and developed by Ubisoft and its various first party studios. Originally releasing in 2007, the series has seen 12 mainline releases with the recent games moving to a more open-world RPG style. Each game typically showcases major historical moments like the Italian Renaissance, Crusades, or French Revolution, focusing mostly on a long standing conflict between the free-minded Assassins against the order loving Knights Templar.
