Which Assassin’s Creed game introduced the Animus as a device used to relive genetic memories?

The original Assassin’s Creed introduced the Animus as a device used to relive genetic memories. In the modern-day storyline, Desmond Miles is placed in an Animus by Abstergo Industries.

The machine allows Desmond to experience memories inherited through his ancestors, particularly Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. This framework lets the game move between a modern laboratory and historical settings without treating the historical sequences as ordinary time travel.

The Animus became a defining science-fiction element of the franchise. Later games expanded its functions, allowing different users to access memories and enabling modern characters to explore the lives of ancestors such as Ezio Auditore, Edward Kenway, and Bayek of Siwa.