What was Assassin's Creed originally developed as a spin-off of?

Assassin's Creed was originally developed as a spin-off of Prince of Persia.

The project began at Ubisoft Montreal as an idea connected to the Prince of Persia series. It grew from concepts involving a young prince and a protective Assassin character into a standalone game centered on historical cities, parkour, stealth, and the conflict between Assassins and Templars.

The original game ultimately became a new intellectual property rather than a Prince of Persia title. Its 2007 release introduced Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Desmond Miles, the Animus, and a narrative that connected medieval history with a modern-day science-fiction plot.

The connection is easy to miss because both franchises emphasize acrobatic movement and large historical environments. Assassin's Creed, however, developed its own mythology and gameplay identity, including synchronisation, genetic memories, social stealth, and an ongoing secret-history framework. Prince of Persia remained a separate Ubisoft series.