Assassin's Creed Mirage's Basim as a protagonist makes perfect sense

Update: Assassin's Creed Mirage has now been unveiled with Basim as the game's protagonist.

Just earlier today on September 10, Ubisoft announced Assassin's Creed Mirage with Basim as the game's protagonist. The new game is slated to launch at some point next year in 2023, and takes place entirely in Baghdad. It looks like the Valhalla companion making a big combat was just too good an opportunity to pass on from Ubisoft.

Assassin's Creed Mirage has been confirmed, but who is that shrouded individual central in the reveal art? A report from earlier this year points to it being none other than Valhalla's Basim Ibn Ishaq, with recent developments only strengthening the claim.

Bloomberg initially reported earlier this year that Mirage – then codenamed Rift – started out as DLC for Valhalla starring Basim before becoming a standalone game. Following the report, we got other titbits of information before Mirage was officially revealed, including a Baghdad setting and some leaked artwork that points to quest-focused DLC.

Bloomberg's initial reporting has proven spot on so far, so it's only natural to assume that Mirage features the Valhalla favourite, but who is Basim? Before we continue, take this as a warning that we're about to dip into some Assassin's Creed: Valhalla spoilers. Still here? Grand.

As you learn throughout Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Basim was born in Baghdad, where he would join the Hidden Ones at a young age and train to become an assassin. In later years, he would have some adventures in Constantinople before finding himself in England and then Assassin's Creed Valhalla's story.

He proves to be a pivotal character as it's revealed that Basim is a human reincarnation of Loki, who used Yggdrasil to spare his consciousness to survive a grand catastrophe long before the game's story. As Loki's being begins to manifest within him, Basim quests to be reunited with the Norse trickster's family and take revenge on Odin for separating them. Odin just so happens to be reincarnated as Valhalla's protagonist Eivor, so that's loosely how this all ties together.

Basim's unfortunate fate aside, it seems likely that the reported Baghdad setting and his attachment to the early versions of the Assassin's will see him feature heavily in Mirage. We'll learn more about Assassin's Creed Mirage at an Ubisoft Forward event later this month, though the artwork and reported Baghdad setting lends some credence to the idea that it could focus on Basim's younger years. As ever, we only need to wait and see.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is going down very well with fans so far, and that's grand.