Which Assassin's Creed game was the first in the series to feature competitive multiplayer?

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood was the first Assassin's Creed game to feature competitive multiplayer.

Ubisoft released Brotherhood in 2010, following Assassin's Creed II. Its multiplayer mode placed players in assassination-focused matches, where they hunted assigned targets while trying to avoid being detected and killed themselves. The mode used characters and settings drawn from the series' historical world.

This multiplayer component was separate from the main single-player campaign, which follows Ezio Auditore in Renaissance Rome. It introduced mechanics such as stealthy pursuit, disguises, careful timing, and scoring for stylish or incognito assassinations. Later entries expanded multiplayer with new maps, modes, and playable characters.

Assassin's Creed II had no competitive multiplayer mode. Revelations and Assassin's Creed III came later and continued the multiplayer tradition. The franchise subsequently shifted away from traditional competitive multiplayer in its major single-player releases.