What It’s Like to Be an Architectural Consultant for Assassin’s Creed II _ ArchDaily

8/20/2019 What It’s Like to Be an Architectural Consultant for Assassin’s Creed II _ ArchDaily

1/8

10.10.2015 What It’s Like to Be an Architectural Consultant for Assassin’s Creed II | ArchDaily

http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii 1/8

t he world's m ost visited architecture website

About Contact Submit Advertise

What It’s Like to Be an Architectural Consultantfor Assassin’s Creed II

In the following article, originally publi shed in Spanish on MetaSpace as " Assass in's Creed

2 - Arquitectos que hacen videojuegos"(Architects Who Make Video Games), Spanish

architect Manuel Saga interviews María Elisa Navarro, a Professor of Architectural History

and Theory, who worked with Ubisoft Montreal as a historical consultant on the design

team for the video game Assassin's Creed II, from the first rough drafts up to its launch in

November of 2009.

While getting her PhD at McGill, María Elisa Navarro was a consultant for the entire

development process of the game as part of a research project between the university

and Ubisoft Montreal. She worked on the project in complete secrecy with "a small team of

20 people and then later more than 400 in a huge basement in Montreal." Navarro

worked on everything from late 15th century wardrobes to the correction of architectural

errors in the recreated cities, going over the look and ornamental details of the buildings.

"Sometimes, for gameplay purposes, they needed to have walls with a lot of texture so that

Ezio could climb them, but when the time came to lay those parts out, there were some

inaccuracies. For example, I remember a balcony with a wrought iron railing that couldn't

have existed in that time period. I was responsible for detecting those issues," Navarro

noted in her conversation with MetaSpace.

Read the full interview with Navarro after the break.

María Elisa Navarro is an architect, a graduate of the Facultad de Arquitectura y Diseño de

la Universidad de Los Andes class of 1999, where she later returned to work as a

professor in January of 2014. During those 15 years, she continued her education with a

Masters and a PhD from McGill University in Montreal, where she was able to personally

work with the architect Alberto Pérez-Gomez, as well as with other important people in thefield.

But that's a story for another time, today, María Elisa is going to talk to us about her

experience at Ubisoft Montreal, one of the most important developing studios in the world

of video games. We'll talk more about them later when we discuss their game Child of

Concept art from Assassin’s Creed II. Image © Ubisoft Montreal

MORE ARTICLES »

MORE ARTICLES

MOST VISITED

22 Websites You Didn't

Know Were Useful to Architects

Architect ure News

What It’s Like to Be an Architectural Consultantfor Assassin’s Creed II

Articles

Is There a EuropeanIdentity in Architecture?

Articles

MOST VISITEDPRODUCTS

Panels - QuadroClad MetalFacade Panels

Hunter Douglas Contract

Metallics»

Handicraft Tradition - Artematica Vitrum Arte

Valcucine

Kitchen Furniture / Countertops»

World

http://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/1016/panels-quadroclad-metal-facade-panels-hunter-douglas-contract?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/774782/is-there-a-european-identity-in-architecture?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=most-visited-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/774782/is-there-a-european-identity-in-architecture?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=most-visited-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/271055/world-architecture-festival-in-singapore?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/115629/shortlist-for-the-multi-comfort-house-competition?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/200170/zagreb-badel-site-redevelopment-competition?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/185381/tonight-jeanne-gang-and-henry-henderson-in-conversation-with-steve-edwards?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/275414/lighthouse-for-the-dutchman-urban-playground?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/175514/%25e2%2580%259ctransforming-landscapes%25e2%2580%259d-exhibition?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/search/category/equipment-kitchen-kitchen-furniture-countertops?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/77?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/1316/handicraft-tradition-artematica-vitrum-arte-valcucine?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/search/category/finishes-coatings-cladding-metallics?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/47?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/1016/panels-quadroclad-metal-facade-panels-hunter-douglas-contract?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/1016/panels-quadroclad-metal-facade-panels-hunter-douglas-contract?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/articleshttp://www.archdaily.com/774782/is-there-a-european-identity-in-architecture?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=most-visited-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/articleshttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=most-visited-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/architecture-newshttp://www.archdaily.com/598489/22-websites-you-didn-t-know-were-useful-to-architects?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=most-visited-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/774782/is-there-a-european-identity-in-architecture?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=most-visited-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=most-visited-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/598489/22-websites-you-didn-t-know-were-useful-to-architects?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=most-visited-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/articleshttp://www.archdaily.com/43329/co2-cube-bonanno-cornubert?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/162839/sleep-suit-inspired-by-dymaxion-sleeping?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/107018/a-peripheral-moment?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/175514/%25e2%2580%259ctransforming-landscapes%25e2%2580%259d-exhibition?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/275414/lighthouse-for-the-dutchman-urban-playground?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/185381/tonight-jeanne-gang-and-henry-henderson-in-conversation-with-steve-edwards?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/200170/zagreb-badel-site-redevelopment-competition?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/115629/shortlist-for-the-multi-comfort-house-competition?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/271055/world-architecture-festival-in-singapore?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-showhttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://montreal.ubisoft.com/enhttp://arquitectura.uniandes.edu.co/arq_equipo/maria-elisa-navarro-morales/http://metaspaceblog.com/2015/04/29/architecturevideogamesmaria-elisa-navarroassassins-creed-2-arquitectos-que-hacen-videojuegos/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/554246d9e58ece706c00039d-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423367e58ece50290003bf-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423343e58ece50290003be-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423351e58ece706c000391-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/advertisehttp://www.archdaily.com/contacthttp://www.archdaily.com/contacthttp://www.archdaily.com/content/abouthttp://www.archdaily.com/


2/8



Light and the development of the Ubiart Framework Engine, but today we're going to focus

on one of their most successful titles: Assassin's Creed II.

In Assassin's Creed II we assume the role of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a Florentine

assassin during the Italian Renaissance, whose story takes place under the reign of Pope

Alexander V I, and t akes numerous elements that are ty pical of the Renaissance i n order to

create a storyline where we interact with characters like Machiavelli or Leonardo da Vinci. It

is a sandbox style game, with an open world environment, where we're able to move around

as we please through cities like Florence, Venice or San Gimignano.

Manuel Saga (MS): What was your experience with video games before

working at Ubisoft?

María Elisa Navarro (MEN): I had barely played Atari games, I've never been a video

game fan. As a matter of fact, I personally have never even played Assassin's Creed, it's

too difficult for me to get used to the controls. I have seen it being played a lot, since I was

alongside the designers while they played so that they could explain to me the parts they

were working on.

MS: How did you first come into contact with Ubisoft Montreal?

MEN: When I was living in Montreal I met, completely by chance, some French friends

who worked at Ubisoft. They became part of my group of friends, the people who made

up my social life outside of university. One of them, Vincent Gaigneux, was the Art

Designer who was in charge of designing the main character ( Editor's note: Gaigneux is

currently the Senior Art Designer at Ubisoft and has worked on all the important Assassin's

Creed titles). He asked me how he could familiarize himself with things like weapons,

costumes, etc so that he could design them. I told him how to access the archives to

study documents and original paintings from the time period, but the task was so foreign to

him that they decided to arrange a meeting for me with the project manager. That was in

February of 2008.

They offered to collaborate with McGill and begin a research project related to Assassin's

Creed II, on the condition that I be in charge of it. And that is how I ended up working at the

company for two years -- first advising a small team of 20 people and then later more

than 400 in a huge basement in Montreal, collaborating with offices in Shanghai. It was a

secret project, I couldn't tell anyone what I was working on, and during the final stages the

meeting was in a big basement with a controlled entrance, security cards, etc.

Welcome (sic) to Venecia. Image © Ubisoft Montreal

Paper Composite Siding -Richlite Rainshadow

Intectural

Wood / Bamboo»

Receive the best architecture, everyday, via email.

Daily Newsletter

Fortnightly Materials Newsletter

YOUR EMAIL SUBSCRIBE

About Contact Submit Advertise Subscribe to our newsletter

07 OCT2015by Manuel Saga

Translated by Matthew Valletta

News Articles Video Games

María Elisa Navarro 3D Modeling

New York Skyscrapers

Bookmark

12k

Like

207

Tweet

16

‹ Video: Walking with

CVDB

Videos

›

http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542336fe58ece706c000393-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774809/video-walking-with-cvdb?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=navigation-nexthttp://www.archdaily.com/774558/campus-of-the-national-sports-center-of-la-defense-barthelemy-and-grino?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=navigation-prevhttps://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archdaily.com%2F774210%2Fmaria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&text=What%20It%E2%80%99s%20Like%20to%20Be%20an%20Architectural%20Consultant%20for%20Assassin%E2%80%99s%20Creed%20II&tw_p=tweetbutton&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archdaily.com%2F774210%2Fmaria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii&via=archdailyhttps://twitter.com/search?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archdaily.com%2F774210%2Fmaria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-iihttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/http://www.archdaily.com/tag/new-york-skyscrapershttp://www.archdaily.com/tag/3d-modelinghttp://www.archdaily.com/tag/maria-elisa-navarrohttp://www.archdaily.com/tag/video-gameshttp://www.archdaily.com/articleshttp://www.archdaily.com/newshttp://www.archdaily.com/author/matthew-vallettahttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542336fe58ece706c000393-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/554246d9e58ece706c00039d-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/advertisehttp://www.archdaily.com/contacthttp://www.archdaily.com/contacthttp://www.archdaily.com/content/abouthttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/search/category/finishes-coatings-cladding-wood-bamboo?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/243?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/3306/paper-composite-siding-richlite-rainshadow-intectural?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/3306/paper-composite-siding-richlite-rainshadow-intectural?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/1316/handicraft-tradition-artematica-vitrum-arte-valcucine?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=most_visited_productshttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/554246d9e58ece706c00039d-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photo


3/8



MS: What exactly did your job consist of?

MEN: Ubisoft needed to become familiar with the time period between 1476 and 1503,

both for character design, and for the 3D modeling and gameplay design. I prepared a kind

of master class for them where I presented, for example, the history of the House of Medici

and of Girolamo Savonarola. I also prepared documents from the archives and databases

at McGill, responding to the different design needs.

MS: What are some specific aspects we can see represented in the

game? What do you think the players feel about it?

MEN: For example, one of the first of these kinds of documents was a list of buildings we

can find in modern day Venice that also existed back then, like churches. This is a piece of

interesting information, because they didn't begin constructing the Renaissance

facades until much later, so I showed them the example of San Lorenzo (that never had

this type of facade) so they could imagine how the churches would have been at that

time and create their designs accordingly.

One special moment was when they needed a city apart from the main ones, to put a

section of the game that had a large amount of towers and high spaces. I started

researching and together we came to the conclusion that this part of the story would take

place in San Gimignano.

Another as pect we dealt with was t he look of the buildings -- they were modeling, and I

would meet with them periodically to verify the accuracy of the historical reconstruction.

Sometimes, for gameplay purposes, they needed to have walls with a lot of texture so that

Ezio could climb them, but when the time came to lay those parts out, there were some

inaccuracies. For example, I remember a balcony with a wrought iron railing that couldn't

have existed in that time period. I was responsible for detecting those issues.

On the other hand, late 15th century buildings most likely had only one level, two

maximum, but they decided to ignore that fact for the sake of gameplay.

MS: That is an interesting point. The urban and architectural space is

Concept art for the character of Cesare Borgia, made by Vincent Gaigneux. Image ©

Ubisoft Montreal

Ezio Auditore da Firenze jumping from four story buildings. Image © Ubisoft Montreal

http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423351e58ece706c000391-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423351e58ece706c000391-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542336fe58ece706c000393-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photo


4/8



based on reality, but it is a fantasy designed to tell a story and provide an

experience in the same way a script respects some historical facts and

modifies others. It works in a similar manner to literature or cinema.

MEN: Yes. They tried to make it so that each decision to deviate from historical accuracy

was always done with some part of the game in mind.

MS: What other aspects did your work influence, beyond the

architecture?

MEN: One example would be the wardrobe. I would have never imagined that the clothing

could be so different between Florence and Venice. To document that I had to base a lot

off of the paintings of that time period, studying them in great detail to detect the particular

differences. For example, the cities had different laws about the kind of neckline women

were allowed to wear. In Venice the laws were more lax, and that's where the courtesan

character shows up. None the less, the noblewomen weren't allowed to go into the streets

uncovered in Venice or in Florence. In Florence the men wore a unique hat, while in Venice

they didn't, etc.

Another t hing was the hairstyles, that we studied through artists like Botticelli. For

example, the ideal beauty in Venice was the blonde woman, so many women dyed their

hair. Apart from those more general types of jobs, there was a questionnaire that the artists

could fill out to ask me more specific things. All of that appeared in the game.

MS: What was a typical meeting like?

MEN: My direct contact was producer Genevieve Dufour -- the woman I met with the

most.

MS: Were there a lot of women in Ubisoft?

MEN: Not at all, we worked completely surrounded by men. We were very very few women

at Ubisoft, to the point of it being uncomfortable. Imagine a proportion of a hundred to one.

MS: Wow!

MEN: Yes, apart from meetings with the producer, I had a lot of work sessions

with Vincent Gaigneux and his teammates. They were in charge of the concept art, both of

the characters and their surroundings, that is to say, they made drawings that were

transformed and served as a base for the 3D modeling. They showed me their work in

Photoshop and we modified it together. Later, I also met with the 3D artists. They would

play so that I could verify the design, say if there were any changes that needed to be

made, etc.

MS: Your job was always like that for the whole two years?

MEN: After the first meetings, I went on to assist the artists and modelers. From there, my

time increased little by little, from only one weekly meeting to three or four. Later, when the

project was already very established, we went to the high security basement that I

Carnival in Venice: wardrobes and masks. Image © Ubisoft Montreal

http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423367e58ece50290003bf-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423367e58ece50290003bf-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photo


5/8



mentioned earlier, and there I worked on the cinematic cutscenes.

Yves Simoneau, the director, arranged a two hour meeting for me where I responded to a

barrage of questions. I remember that there were a lot of doubts about the interiors and the

furniture, about how they imagined the Papal Apartments to be. It was all pre-filming work,

for drawings and models of the environment.

MS: One question people are sure to ask, were there other architects on

the team?

MEN: Not that I know of. There were conceptual artists and 3D modelers that were

specialized in architecture. They were professionals with a very specific technical

education, a special type of degree.

MS: What would you say is your takeaway from this experience? How has

your way of seeing video games changed?

MEN: For me the most interesting thing about the experience was the historical interest in

the development of a video game. The genuine concern on their part was a pleasantsurprise. What's more, it seems like an excellent way to spread information that is normally

quite hidden. In fact, compiling the information was half of my job for two years, so it

seems to me an excellent way to make sure that knowledge doesn't stay hidden. It

represents another form of learning.

Personally, I learned a lot, not only about history but also about how the video game

industry works. In the specific case of Assassin's Creed II the development was more

artistically oriented rather than technologically. I remember that each main character could

easily take up a year's worth of work.

Truthfully the primary part of my job wasn't anything sexy; looking for documents,

compiling them, scanning them... They were all sent in really plain Word documents.

However, for them the documents were a vital resource that allowed them to make a

very realistic experience, truly beautiful.

For me it was a pleasure to work on a creation that mixes such a young industry, with the

oldest in the world, history.

MS: Have you gone back to work on any of the other Assassin's Creeds?

MEN: No. It was a one-time job, the company didn't want to be tied to me nor me to them.

Later on I worked with Alberto Pérez Gómez on other projects related to video games, with

a completely different focus, but we'll save that story for another time.

Scene from Assassin’s Creed II. Image © Ubisoft Montreal

http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423343e58ece50290003be-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423343e58ece50290003be-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photo


6/8



Tiles - NouveauLand Porcelanico

Wall Mounted - TRACELuminaires

Lamp

Glass Tiles - ReSalvageCollection Timber Tile

Pattern Artaic LLC

Façade Panels - RevealPanelsMetalTech-USA

TerraClad™ Ceramic RainScreen SystemBoston Valley Terra Cotta

Decorative Metals - PixArtMetalTech-USA

Cite:

Saga, Manuel. "What It’s Like to Be an Architectural Consultant for Assassin’s Creed II" [María Elisa

Navarro, la arquitecta que asesoró el desarrollo de Assassin's Creed II ] 07 Oct 2015. ArchDaily. (Trans.

Matthew Valletta) Accessed 9 Oct 2015.

BROWSE THECATALOG

Concept art from Assassin’s

Creed II. Image © Ubisoft

Montreal

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

jumping f rom four story

buildings. Image © Ubisoft

Montreal

Scene from Assassin’s Creed

II. Image © Ubisoft Montreal

Carnival in Venice: wardrobes

and masks. Image © Ubisoft

Montreal

Welcome (sic) to Venecia.

Image © Ubisoft Montreal

Concept art for the character

of Cesare Borgia, made by

Vincent Gaigneux. Image ©

Ubisoft Montreal

http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542336fe58ece706c000393-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/554246d9e58ece706c00039d-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423367e58ece50290003bf-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423343e58ece50290003be-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/55423351e58ece706c000391-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii/5542345ce58ece706c000394-maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii-photohttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/459?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/6165/decorative-metals-pixart-metaltech-usa?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/6165/decorative-metals-pixart-metaltech-usa?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/136?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/1822/terraclad-ceramic-rain-screen-system-boston-valley-terra-cotta?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/1822/terraclad-ceramic-rain-screen-system-boston-valley-terra-cotta?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/459?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/6148/facade-panels-reveal-panels-metaltech-usa?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/6148/facade-panels-reveal-panels-metaltech-usa?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/398?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/5445/glass-tiles-resalvage-collection-timber-tile-pattern-artaic-llc?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/5445/glass-tiles-resalvage-collection-timber-tile-pattern-artaic-llc?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/69?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/5206/wall-mounted-trace-luminaires-lamp?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/5206/wall-mounted-trace-luminaires-lamp?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/companies/80?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/4633/tiles-nouveau-land-porcelanico?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtailhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/us/products/4633/tiles-nouveau-land-porcelanico?ad_source=nimrod&ad_medium=widget&ad_content=single_longtail


7/8



6 Comments 1

• •

Alfred Haus •

It's interesting that it is being talked about at all. There is an open secret

that a lot of games are based on architecture, but admitting it can be

tricky. I would love to see a level made by Zaha Hadid, and a buildingdesigned by a great level Editor .

• •

andcore •

Interesting that they didn't even bother involving an italian historian /

architect when the whole game based in Italy.

• •

Manuel Saga •

Maria Elisa was living at Montreal at that moment, and her Phd

Thesis is about italian renaissance architecture, so...

• •

andcor e •

She's obviosuly preparered, but in my humble opinion a

historian Italian that lives there, with access to Italian

museums whenever he want, with a real direct

understanding of Leonardo Da Vinci books (if that matters

for the game) would have been a complete different thing.

Of course I'd have said the same thing if the game was

based in Montreal with an Italian architect involved, but for

the game fidelity it's a great thing anyways, for sure!

• •

Manuel Saga •

Agree. I think that, in the end, logistic and

networking is what matters. M.E. knew the art

director, they became friends, the art director

asked how to consult and research in academic

archives about italian renaissance, and ubisoft

hired M.E. because it is not an easy work.

Ubisoft didn't have this kind of consulting in

Assassin's Creed I, at least not from the very

beginning of the project, so having one in AC2

was an experiment.

• •

AR •

she is a history professor though, and an architect

CATALOG MARKETS INFORMATION FOLLOW US IN

OUR PARTNERS

http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295096657http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295362863https://disqus.com/by/andcore/https://disqus.com/by/manuel_saga/https://disqus.com/by/manuel_saga/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295096657http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295619851https://disqus.com/home/forums/archdailycom/https://disqus.com/home/inbox/https://disqus.com/by/manuel_saga/https://disqus.com/by/andcore/https://disqus.com/by/manuel_saga/https://disqus.com/by/andcore/https://disqus.com/by/alfredhaus/https://help.disqus.com/customer/portal/articles/1657951?utm_source=disqus&utm_medium=embed-footer&utm_content=privacy-btnhttps://publishers.disqus.com/engage?utm_source=archdailycom&utm_medium=Disqus-Footerhttps://disqus.com/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295096657http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295362863http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2296103378http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2296909609https://disqus.com/by/manuel_saga/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295619851http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2296103378https://disqus.com/by/andcore/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295096657http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295619851https://disqus.com/by/manuel_saga/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295096657https://disqus.com/by/andcore/http://www.archdaily.com/774210/maria-elisa-navarro-the-architectural-consultant-for-assassins-creed-ii#comment-2295286208https://disqus.com/by/alfredhaus/https://disqus.com/home/inbox/https://disqus.com/home/forums/archdailycom/


8/8



Brasil

Chile

Colombia

México

Perú

US

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

RSS

THANKS FOR VISITING

© All rights reserved. ArchDaily 2008-2015 | All images are © each office/photographer mentioned.
https://www.youtube.com/user/archdailyhttps://vimeo.com/archdailyhttps://instagram.com/archdaily/https://www.pinterest.com/archdaily/https://www.flickr.com/groups/archdailyhttps://twitter.com/archdailyhttp://www.facebook.com/ArchDailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/feed/http://www.archdaily.com/legal/http://www.archdaily.com/terms-of-use/http://www.archdaily.com/catalog/ushttp://www.archdaily.pe/catalog/pehttp://www.archdaily.mx/catalog/mxhttp://www.archdaily.com/catalog/cohttp://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/catalog/clhttp://www.archdaily.com.br/catalog/br

What It’s Like to Be an Architectural Consultant for Assassin’s Creed II _ ArchDaily

Documents

Transcript of What It’s Like to Be an Architectural Consultant for Assassin’s Creed II _ ArchDaily