Which Assassin’s Creed game introduced competitive multiplayer as a major game mode?

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood introduced competitive multiplayer as a major game mode in the series.

Released in 2010, Brotherhood continued Ezio Auditore’s story in Rome. Its principal single-player campaign focused on rebuilding the Assassin Brotherhood and weakening the Borgia family, while its multiplayer component let players hunt targets and evade pursuers in populated environments.

The multiplayer design emphasized stealth, disguise and timing rather than straightforward combat. Players selected characters such as the Doctor, Barber and Courtesan, each presented as a member of the game’s wider historical world. The mode became a notable part of the franchise’s identity for several releases.

Assassin’s Creed II was primarily a single-player game, and Revelations expanded the multiplayer concept after Brotherhood. Later entries changed or removed competitive multiplayer, so the series’ first major multiplayer debut is specifically associated with Brotherhood.