Many fans had already made peace with never seeing their favorite flamboyant Italian Assassin in a meaningful way again. But as nostalgia is very in right now, that might change with the next entry. According to dataminer Rogue | Tx, uncovered text strings and audio from an alleged build of Assassin’s Creed Hexe point to the return of Ezio Auditore da Firenze. The leak was later backed up by known Ubisoft insider j0nathan, adding more weight to the claims.
Based on what was shared on Reddit, Hexe‘s female protagonist is apparently named Anika, while Elsa is said to be a placeholder name. This is pretty similar to Eivor’s case, who was once internally referred to as ‘Jora’ during Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s development. What’s more, Anika is also said to be a descendant of Claudia Auditore, Ezio’s sister, further explaining the legendary assassin’s connection to the plot.
“It makes sense to bring back Ezio. He’s the most beloved character in the franchise,” wrote lordLucas4_ on Reddit. Weekly-District259 followed with, “How could I be mad about more ezio?” Leaked dialogue also suggests Ezio may have played a mentor role for Anika and guided her into becoming an Assassin:
- “Come. Leap with me. One last time for an old man.”
- “She wanted you to have a life,” with ‘she’ possibly referring to Claudia and her objections to Anika embracing the Brotherhood’s way of life.
- “They always fear what they cannot control. They called us demons once, too. But remember, Elsa: ‘Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito.’ (Nothing is true, everything is permitted)“
However, despite all of this, Ezio might not have a major role in Assassin’s Creed Hexe. One text reportedly indicates that Anika/Elsa could only meet him through a Memory Glitch. “A Memory Glitch in the Animus Hub Allows Elsa to commune with Ezio Auditore,” Rogue posted.
Then, there are Challenge sidequest-related dialogue that mentions Ezio “still teaches her,” hinting that he might be around only as memory fragments or in training sequences. Even Ezio seems to drop a cryptic line to her niece, saying, “Nothing is real, not even this memory.”
Assassin’s Creed Hexe is believed to be set in Würzburg, Holy Roman Empire, during the 16th century at the height of Europe’s witch trials. Franchise veteran Darby McDevitt, writer for Revelations and Black Flag, is reportedly serving as the game’s narrative director.
Nevertheless, this is very much in still ‘rumor’ territory. While the proof might come straight from an alleged build, even Rogue warned that many of the assets are labeled with ‘TEMP,’ indicating they could be placeholders. This means Assassin’s Creed Hexe could still end up looking very different — potentially with no Ezio in sight.
