Which Assassin’s Creed game first introduced the Brotherhood-management feature?

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood first introduced the series’ Brotherhood-management feature.

Released in 2010, Brotherhood lets Ezio recruit civilians in Rome and train them as Assassin recruits. Players can assign these recruits to missions across Europe, improving their skills and eventually bringing them into the Brotherhood’s support network. Recruits can also assist Ezio during missions when summoned.

This system expands the idea of the Assassin Brotherhood from a background organization into an active game mechanic. It also fits the story’s setting, because Ezio is rebuilding the Brotherhood in Rome after the Borgia family’s domination of the city. The feature gives players a strategic layer alongside exploration, stealth, and combat.

Assassin’s Creed II includes the Villa Auditore renovation and economic management, but not this full recruit-and-deploy system. Revelations continues and modifies the idea, which can make it seem like that game introduced it. Brotherhood is the earlier title that established the mechanic.