Which Assassin's Creed game first introduced the playable character Ezio Auditore?

Assassin's Creed II first introduced the playable character Ezio Auditore. Released in 2009, the game begins Ezio's life story in Renaissance Florence and follows his growth into a leading Assassin.

Ezio starts as a young Florentine nobleman with no formal connection to the Brotherhood. A family betrayal and execution force him to investigate a conspiracy, and allies including his uncle Mario and Leonardo da Vinci help him enter the Assassin world. The campaign later takes him across several Italian cities.

Ezio's story continues directly in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Those games show him leading the Brotherhood in Rome and later traveling to Constantinople while investigating Altaïr's legacy.

Because Brotherhood and Revelations are often grouped with Assassin's Creed II as the “Ezio trilogy,” players sometimes identify one of the later games as his introduction. His first playable appearance, however, is in Assassin's Creed II.