Summary
Ubisoftis one of the biggest and most beloved game companies in the world. Having created a huge library of games, it is no wonder that they have been one of the companies at the forefront of adding more female characters and leads into the video gaming industry.
Between the many protagonists and heroes of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise in particular, and other one-off heroes from otherUbisoftproperties, there have been many fantastic female heroes in the company’s history. The bright future of Ubisoft helps promise that many more are likely on the way as well, with no end in sight for the hugely successful franchises of Ubisoft.
was a game that had a lot to do, since the previous entry,Unity, had left a bad taste in players' mouths on release due to technical issues.Syndicatetook the ever-moving franchise to London and gave the series a female protagonist in the form of Evie Frye.
This expert assassin,alongside her brother Jacob, fought across the city during the industrial age to try and stop the Templars from gaining the Shroud, a Precursor Relic. Evie was a fantastic leap forward for the franchise, which helped signify real change, and she was excellent in her role as the more serious older twin to Jacob’s carefree assassin character.
Ubisoft created something totally new withWatch Dogs, a world that felt unusual for the gaming sphere andwhich was packed full of content. However, they managed to pull it off due to characters like Clara Lille, also known under the alias BadBoy 17. She is first encountered early in the game, helping Aidan, but is later revealed to have been hired to track him and Damien down.
Despite her tracking them down and putting them on the hit list for Chicago South Club, she attempted repentance, showcasing complex and fascinating morality as she tried to set things right. Her heart-breaking last voicemail that Aiden listens to after she is killed for trying to help them is stuck in the minds of many players, helping her become a stand-out in the game.
One of the most creative forays Ubisoft has ever made,Child of Light, was half a platformer, and half an RPG. The protagonist of this delightful adventure is Aurora, who enters the kingdom of Lumeria after dying from a mysterious cause and must capture the sun, moon, and stars from an evil Queen to return home.
Child of Lightwas a beautiful creation by Ubisoft, and Aurora was an exemplary female hero, who managed to take so much in her stride, even after learning that her real home was being threatened, and her father was falling ill, she continued boldly in her quest, simply gaining strength from the fear and pressure this put on her. There has been no word about a sequel to this phenomenal game, but many fans continue to hope that Ubisoft will create similarly styled adventures in the future.
Assassin’s Creed Originsis one of the most fascinating games in the long-running franchise, giving players the chance to explore Egypt, a place long avoided by the series, and explore the origins of the centuries-long conflict between Assassins and Templars. It alsointroduced some incredible characters, like Ayaof Alexandria.
Whereas Bayek goes on a typically male hunting spree in response to their son’s death, Aya backs away from him and educates herself in the Library of Alexandria. She plotted from the shadows, far more the assassin than Bayek in many ways, and became an agent of Cleopatra, eventually avenging her son and beginning the Hidden Ones, an incredible set of achievements for a character that is a personal favorite of the series for many fans.
ThoughDani Rojas is one of the recent Ubisoft characters with a gender determined by the player, she is canonically thought of as a female. A native of the fictional island of Yara, Dani fights in guerrilla warfare against Anton Castillo, the charismatic President of the island.
WhereasAssassin’s Creedprotagonists are often kept a little more light-hearted in nature,Far Cryisn’t afraid to be brutal as a franchise. Thus, fans were slightly stunned by the vicious nature of Rojas, but it was a welcome shift from the sort of female characters that players were used to seeing in major games.
A fascinating stand-alone action game that Ubisoft developed using the team behindAssassin’s Creed: Odyssey,Immortals: Fenyx Risingtackled the mythological aspects of Ancient Greece in a brand-new way. Telling the story of an escaped titan, Typhon, and the mortal that attempts to defeat him, this game helped a female hero truly shine.
Fenyx starts as a washed-up Greek shield-bearer but quickly accepts her task of defeating Typhon to save humankind, who has been turned to stone all around her. Through many betrayals, including manipulation by Prometheus, her brother Ligyron siding with Typhon, and even the Gods themselves not turning out to be what they appeared, Fenyx stays on the course of just attempting to do the right thing, and it helps make her come off as one of the most determined heroes in Ubisoft history, and hergame has inspired many othersto take on a lighter tone.
The early days of Ubisoft didn’t contain as many memorable hits as their later years, once franchises likeFar CryandAssassin’s Creedreally took off, the earlier years weremore focused on stand-alone games. Still, some of their games from the early part of the 21st Century were defining, and a character like Jade fromBeyond Good & Evilis remembered today for being a huge part of helping female protagonists gain traction within the industry.
A photojournalist in the 25th Century with a peculiar and impressive set of skills, Jade joins the IRIS Network to fight against the DomZ, discovering some fascinating powers held within her along the way. This game, originally not a massive hit, has gained huge cult status and been named by many as one of the greatest games of all time, with a follow-up still in high demand, and seemingly nowhere in sight.
