Assassin's Creed Mirage gains praise for its accurate depiction of the Islamic call to prayer

Assassin's Creed Mirage screenshots — (Image credit: Ubisoft)

The Assassin's Creed series has taken us far and wide in telling the story of the ongoing conflict between the Order of Assassins and the Knights Templar, and with such a geographical and historical scope Ubisoft also has a duty to accurately and respectfully depict the various cultures seen in the series.

Expectations are now high for Assassin's Creed Mirage, which is set in Baghdad during the 9th Century, as the game has gained attention for its inclusion of Athan, the Islamic call to prayer.

The feature was highlighted by Malek Teffaha, senior manager of project management of global diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at Ubisoft, on Twitter, after it was mentioned by creative director Stéphane Boudon in a development diary released on YouTube.

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Ok.One of my favorite parts of the new #AssassinsCreedMirage diary that dropped today is the confirmation that indeed you will be able to hear the Athan (أذان), the Muslim call to prayer, within the game world!A lot of care was put into this game. Less than two months left! pic.twitter.com/uUipE451TWAugust 18, 2023

Ubisoft is receiving praise from many for choosing to include Athan, as well as its accurate depiction. Notable developer Rami Ismail states this is possibly the first time the Athan has been portrayed fully and accurately in a Western entertainment franchise, which he says is "incredibly damning" on the industry as a whole.

This is very good https://t.co/carWolZ6SuAugust 18, 2023

I think this'll be one of the first times *any* Western entertainment blockbuster has portrayed the Athan fully and accurately, which remains incredibly damning as far as I'm concerned. https://t.co/vJdknXY6YBAugust 19, 2023

Ubisoft's attention to detail and research has made players even more excited to explore the game and hear the Athan for themselves once it releases on October 5.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is releasing a week earlier than originally planned, giving it a headstart amongst October's other big releases including Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

I'm a freelance writer and started my career in summer 2022. After studying Physics and Music at university and a short stint in software development, I made the jump to games journalism on Eurogamer's work experience programme. Since then, I've also written for Rock Paper Shotgun and Esports Illustrated. I'll give any game a go so long as it's not online, and you'll find me playing a range of things, from Elden Ring to Butterfly Soup. I have a soft spot for indies aiming to diversify representation in the industry.