Why Arabic is the core of the new game, Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Why Arabic is the core of the new game, Assassin's Creed Mirage
UBISOFT

This week sees the release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which has been hailed as a return to the series’ origins. One significant change, nevertheless, has also occurred.

For this version, which takes place in Baghdad in the ninth century, the creator Ubisoft has recorded the game’s performances in Arabic.

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Although earlier games in the venerable stealth franchise were set in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, the protagonists were by default always voiced by actors who spoke English.

Although English conversation is still an option in the game, the developers prefer that players stick with the more “authentic” Arabic.

Fans like Ameer, who grew up in Baghdad, were pleased to hear it when the game’s first international trailer debuted in late August.

Although it’s not unusual, according to him, to hear Arabic in video games, “it’s usually with a terrorist speaking something that people recognize as Arabic.”

Ameer, a 20-year-old engineering student, was captivated by the trailer when he heard the Arabic dialect spoken by the game’s main character, Basim, and saw a glimpse of the game’s setting.

Ameer recalls, “I thought, ‘This is fantastic.

He claims that Arabic is a lovely language and that the dialect spoken in Mirage is also lovely.

According to Mohammed Al Imam, who is part of Ubisoft’s Middle Eastern and North African division, the language used in the game is classical Arabic, a dialect that is “more than 1,000 years old” and “still used today in news, academia, and the entertainment industry.”

It is different from contemporary spoken dialects, according to him, yet it is nevertheless commonly understood.

According to Mohammed, it’s typical to observe Arabic speakers in Western media making “broken Arabic” sounds or “mimicking the sounds without understanding the words.”

“Their speech and intonation are incorrect.

It’s something that has bothered Arabic consumers for years, comparable to a non-French person attempting to pass for one.

Insisting that “any Arabic line must be done by someone who is proficient in the language” was one of the project’s founding principles, he says Newsbeat.

According to Mohammed, the same principle applied in reverse; the translation team in charge of creating subtitles for English speakers who were listening to an Arabic audio track required a thorough knowledge of both languages.

He cites an instance of an impatient character in an English play complaining that “camels will sprout wings over their humps” if they have no patience any longer.

Mohammed claims that the literal translation of the phrase is “If I waited longer, the Phoenix would’ve risen from its ashes.”

He claims that these “small things” are dispersed throughout the game and may go unnoticed by players who are not native English speakers.

Mohammed adds, “But for Arabs, they’ll know right away.”

“And they will draw attention to that and say, ‘Ah, that’s incorrect. They are lacking in research.

Mirage’s and earlier Assassin’s Creed games’ attention to detail in reproducing their historical locales is another important aspect.

According to Mohammed, Ubisoft also used a variety of historical specialists to make sure the environment was historically accurate where it needed to be.

Ameer, who resides in Istanbul at the moment, hopes that the game will change how the rest of the world views Iraq.

According to him, it will make gamers realize how significant the history of Iraq and the Arab world is for all of human history.

“In the past, war was the only topic of conversation.

However the ninth century is a crucial period in the history of Baghdad and all of Iraq.

“This was the golden age,” he claims. “All knowledge, all books, the greatest writers, the greatest mathematicians, they all come from Iraq and Baghdad,” according to Ameer.

Mohammed cites this as another factor fueling his own enthusiasm for the undertaking.

Consequently, he says, “Seeing a positive portrayal, seeing an accurate portrayal, different characters with distinct personalities, not stereotypes, not cliches, something that pushed me to really put everything I have into it.”

Longtime fans of popular series can be resistant to changes made to them, but Mohammed believes that English-speaking, contemporary audiences will be open to the game’s new direction.

“People are exposed to and knowledgeable about a wider range of cultures because of social media and the internet.

“I mean, I saw and consumed media and entertainment from other cultures as a child and saw others do the same. It’s refreshing to do it the other way around.

According to review aggregator Metacritic, early reviews of the game, which is playable on Playstation, Xbox, and PC, have been largely positive.

Additionally, Mirage has received appreciation from various blogs, including Polygon, IGN, & Eurogamer, for its more concentrated approach when compared to the series’ more recent vast games.

However, according to some websites like The Gamer, the return to the franchise’s older games’ design “dredges up problems you may have forgotten.”

Regardless, Ameer is eager to get started and expresses the hope that the game’s philosophy will have an impact locally and open the door for the creation of more Middle Eastern video games.

“I hope that people are inspired by games like this, recognize themselves in the characters, and think that they might be able to create something similar.

Why can’t we create something that is specifically for us? If we could attract more developers from all around the world, the future would be stunning.

The game’s release is timed to the alleged arrests of five former Ubisoft employees on charges of sexual harassment against senior company executives.

The allegations are the result of an inquiry of the corporation in 2020, according to the French daily Liberation.

Ubisoft has no knowledge of what has been published and is unable to react, a spokesperson told the BBC.

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