Which Assassin's Creed game first lets players control a former Assassin who joins the Templars?

Assassin's Creed Rogue is the first game to let players control a former Assassin who joins the Templars.

Its protagonist, Shay Patrick Cormac, begins as an Assassin operating in the North Atlantic during the eighteenth century. After a catastrophic mission and a growing disagreement with the Brotherhood's methods, Shay leaves the Assassins and eventually becomes a Templar. The change of allegiance makes the game unusual within the series because the player experiences the conflict from the opposing side.

Rogue uses settings connected to the Seven Years' War, including the North Atlantic, the Appalachian River Valley, and New York. Shay's ship, the Morrigan, supports naval exploration in icy waters and differs from the Jackdaw used by Edward Kenway in Black Flag.

The game was released in 2014 alongside Unity. Its story also connects to earlier and later entries, including Black Flag and Assassin's Creed III. The key distinction is not merely that Shay fights Assassins, but that he is introduced as one before defecting to the Templars.