Ubisoft unveils Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles downloadable trilogy

French game giant Ubisoft has unveiled a new trilogy in the Assassin’s Creed series. The first downloadable Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles game debuts April 21, and the full series takes players to settings in China, India, and Russia.

The 2.5D game will follow the stories of three famous Assassins. It’s a download for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Windows PC. Each chronicle is a standalone game with a unique setting, art style, story, and Assassin. But the narratives are tied together.

This is clearly part of a strategy by Ubisoft to target emerging markets. Chris Early, the head of digital games at Ubisoft, said at the Game Developers Conference 2015 that Ubisoft’s presence in emerging markets such as China and India is climbing as it releases more digital games.

The first part of the trilogy, Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles — China, debuts April 21 in North America and South America and April 22 in Europe and the Middle East. The separate releases of Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles — India and Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles — Russia follow.

Developed by Climax Studios in collaboration with Ubisoft Montreal, Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles has players journeying to three distinct civilizations and time periods throughout history: The Ming dynasty at the start of its downfall, the Sikh Empire as it prepares for war in India, and the aftermath of the Red October revolution.

Players will embody legendary Assassins, including Shao Jun from the animated short Assassin’s Creed: Embers, and Arbaaz Mir and Nikolaï Orelov from the series’ graphic novels. The China game has an art style based on the beautiful brush paintings of Chinese artists.

Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles — China is $10 and part of the package for those with Assassin’s Creed: Unity Season Passes.