?Assassin?s Creed? Concept Art Revealed, Sketches Show Female Assassin From Three Years Before Game?s Release

In early March Ubisoft revealed that the next Assassin's Creed game will take place in New York and Boston during the American Revolution. With a brand new Native American/British protagonist, frontier-based maps, and possible historical cameos, fans have a lot to look forward to with this Oct. 30^th release. But artwork posted by Ubisoft takes fans back in time to sneak a peek at the original concepts behind the widely-renowned series.

The images were created three years before the game was announced, allowing gamers to see what the development team had in mind. Although the first installment of the sandbox-style stealth game was released in 2007, the images date back to 2004.

Now this is a real treat, Assassins, it says under Ubisoft's Facebook album. What we have here, is some of the earliest concept art for what has become 'Assassin's Creed.'

The series of pictures reflects a style similar to that of Prince of Persia, and also illustrates a female assassin in certain scenes. The artwork was crafted before Assassin's Creed became a solidified idea, when the team thought they were simply creating a Prince of Persia spinoff. Each piece was created by Khai Nguyen, and some of the work is pretty similar to the final outcome.

Other discarded images include early depictions of co-op gameplay and the first version of the iconic hidden blade, which has become synonymous with the game's title.

I believe this was the very first concept of the weapon after the initial meeting with Patrice, the caption for the artwork read.

The development team also debated on a couple of features when it came to creating the final product, such as whether co-op gameplay would be available and the amount of realism incorporated into the setting. Last month it was revealed that Assassin's Creed 3 will include an online 3-4 player co-op mode, as the game's listing on Xbox.com indicates. Details haven't been specified, but the multiplayer mode is rumored to be similar to that of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

I'd seriously, seriously doubt that the main campaign modes could be played in co-op mode, although I guess you never know, wrote G4TV's Stephen Johnson when referring to the next game.

The third title will also provide a varied landscape in comparison to other Assassin's Creed games, with frontiers and forests playing a role in gameplay. This could take the series in a new direction, but ultimately players will still be able to enjoy the same stealthy tactics as in its predecessors.

Be sure to check out the Facebook album that includes Nguyen's early sketches.