Abstergo is the corporation that publicly opposes the Assassins in Assassin's Creed.
Abstergo Industries presents itself as a powerful modern company with interests including pharmaceuticals, technology, and entertainment. Behind that public image, it is controlled by Templars and works to advance their long-term goal of shaping human society.
The corporation develops the Animus and uses it to access genetic memories. In the first game, Desmond Miles is held by Abstergo scientist Warren Vidic, who wants information about the locations of powerful Pieces of Eden. The company therefore connects the modern-day plot to historical Assassin missions.
Abstergo is not simply a normal business rival. It is the contemporary institutional face of the Templar Order, although its subsidiaries and projects vary across the games. The name is Latin for “I cleanse” or “I purify,” reflecting the organization's claimed mission and ideological language.