Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
Don't miss these
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows features "will make their way to other games," franchise lead says
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe.
Assassin's Creed Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
A player looking at a Sphinx while holding a hawk during Assassin's Creed Origins.
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed is "so great" because it's "based on historical knowledge," Shadows art lead says
Nioh 3 samurai deflects an arrow
Action Games Nioh 3 devs "never considered adding difficulty settings" to the notoriously brutal Soulslike games
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed As Assassin's Creed Shadows nears its first anniversary, Ubisoft brings back a series favorite feature – a manual jump
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows lead is simply "proud" the game launched because "shipping a game nowadays is a small miracle"
Fallout New Vegas screenshot showing a sniper looking over the wasteland from the jaws of a dinosaur statue
Fallout Fallout New Vegas director says he would let players set “difficulty options however they like”
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Hexe: Everything you need to know about the new flagship AC game
Dark Souls: Remastered
Action RPGs FromSoftware head Hidetaka Miyazaki says games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls aren't "simply cranking up the difficulty"
A player flying down a zipline to kill some enemy guards during Assassin's Creed Revelations.
Assassin's Creed Former Assassin's Creed director believes constraints are the "secret behind any good art" in game dev
Grace Ashcroft looks at a computer in Resident Evil Requiem screenshot
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem's "classic" difficulty forces Grace to scrounge for ink ribbons to save the game
Assassin's Creed games in order: All of the current Assassin's Creed protagonists on a misty white background.
Assassin's Creed How to play the Assassin's Creed games in order: chronological and release date
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. Assassin's Creed
  4. Assassin's Creed Origins

Game director Ashraf Ismail reveals why Assassin's Creed Origins has the series' first difficulty setting

News
By Sam Prell published 11 October 2017

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Assassin's Creed Origins has a difficulty setting. That might not sound like much by itself, but it represents a shift in the way Ubisoft is approaching the series, and combined with all the other changes Origins makes to the AC formula, it adds up to something that feels fresh.

But don't take our word for it - watch this interview with game director Ashraf Ismail about how difficulty impacts all sorts of decisions both from a player and developer perspective from Assassin's Central.

"We wanted more gameplay depth, and that means more challenging aspects of the game - bosses, and so on," Ismail said. "What we felt was, by going deeper into the gameplay challenge of the game, we're feeding one part of the audience but not others. So it was a natural step for us to think well, let's give difficulty settings so that if you're really more into the narrative or the historical element, you can set the game to an easier setting. ... If you're the opposite, if you really want that very difficult challenge, you can set the game to a harder setting."

You may like
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe Assassin's Creed Shadows features "will make their way to other games," franchise lead says
  • A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe. Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
  • A player looking at a Sphinx while holding a hawk during Assassin's Creed Origins. Assassin's Creed is "so great" because it's "based on historical knowledge," Shadows art lead says

Ismail also said you'll be able to switch dynamically, so you're not locked into whatever difficulty you choose at the start. Enjoying the game on normal difficulty but having trouble with a particular boss? Kick the challenge down a notch and then back up once you've beaten it.

You can watch new Assassin's Central's videos every Wednesday and Saturday - or one day early exclusively here on GamesRadar. Subscribe on YouTube and stay in the know about this soft reboot of one of gaming's biggest franchises.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Xbox One PS4 Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Sam Prell
Sam Prell
Social Links Navigation
Former News Editor

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar+. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.

Read more
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows features "will make their way to other games," franchise lead says
 
 
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe.
Assassin's Creed Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
 
 
A player looking at a Sphinx while holding a hawk during Assassin's Creed Origins.
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed is "so great" because it's "based on historical knowledge," Shadows art lead says
 
 
Nioh 3 samurai deflects an arrow
Action Games Nioh 3 devs "never considered adding difficulty settings" to the notoriously brutal Soulslike games
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed As Assassin's Creed Shadows nears its first anniversary, Ubisoft brings back a series favorite feature – a manual jump
 
 
Latest in Assassin's Creed
A player looking at a Sphinx while holding a hawk during Assassin's Creed Origins.
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed is "so great" because it's "based on historical knowledge," Shadows art lead says
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows lead is simply "proud" the game launched because "shipping a game nowadays is a small miracle"
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows features "will make their way to other games," franchise lead says
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows players protest Nvidia's controversial DLSS 5 "AI slop" filter
 
 
Artwork showing Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, a remake of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, with protagonist Edward Kenway looking out from the side of ship
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced – Everything you need to know about the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake
 
 
Black Flag Resynced
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake finally out in the open as Ubisoft acknowledges its worst-kept secret
 
 
Latest in News
Macduff on his horse looking at the landscape of Pywel in Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert players say they feel "misled" after learning most mounts aren't permanent
 
 
A Legend of California player is stuck in a relaxed T-pose
FPS Games Overwatch creator tries showing off his new Rust-like game but finds dev stuck in a T-pose instead
 
 
Pokemon Pokopia
Pokemon Pokemon Pokopia player builds a working calculator less than 3 weeks after the life sim's release
 
 
Gideon talks to a tied up Leon in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem proves fans yearn for more Leon Kennedy as his previous games get major Steam player count boosts
 
 
A Crunchyroll logo
Anime Shows Crunchyroll responds to data breach claims and promises to investigate the alleged cyber attack
 
 
Princess Peach and Toad in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies The Super Mario Galaxy Movie might actually be making a years-long fan theory about Rosalina and Princess Peach canon
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. A Legend of California player is stuck in a relaxed T-pose
    1
    Overwatch creator tries showing off his new Rust-like game but finds dev stuck in a T-pose instead
  2. 2
    The Boys showrunner says Butcher is "committed to being a true monster" to achieve his goals in the final season
  3. 3
    Pokemon Pokopia player builds a working calculator less than 3 weeks after the life sim's release
  4. 4
    Resident Evil Requiem proves fans yearn for more Leon Kennedy as his previous games get major Steam player count boosts
  5. 5
    Crunchyroll responds to data breach claims and promises to investigate the alleged cyber attack

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...