Queer Your Own Adventure with Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.

Jul 16

Much like its predecessor, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, the latest instalment of the popular gaming franchise allows players to choose a male or female version of the protagonist, Eivor, and pursue queer romances and encounters along the epic journey. In an interview with IGN News Live, Ubisoft game writer Youssef Maguid confirmed, “there are multiple people you can romance in the game, and you can romance all of them as either gender.” Where Valhalla differs from Odyssey is in the fact that gamers won’t be locked in with the version of the character they choose at the beginning; they will be able to swap genders at any point in the Vikings-inspired game.

Screenshot of Eivor in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.

Hopefully, the game developers have learned from their mistakes: a DLC add-on for 2018’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey essentially forced the protagonist into a heterosexual relationship without giving gamers a choice in the matter. After significant and justified backlash, the game’s creative director issued an apology.

Whether or not the creators embrace more gender identities for future instalments of the series remains to be seen, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction for representation and queer visibility. And if Ubisoft’s disclaimer is anything to go by, there is hope.