Hm, what have we here?
While watching today’s Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate reveal, reader Adam Curtis spotted something odd: a brief shot of a muscular man tank who definitely appears to be Brock Lesnar. Let’s do a quick comparison.
Here’s the Assassin’s Creed shot, which appears to be art, not in-game (you can find it at 21:05 of this recording of the reveal stream):
And here’s Brock Lesnar’s rippling back, which could destroy you and all you love with a single, volcanic shrug:
That is his exact tattoo, and the haircut seems to match as well. So then, what’s the deal? Is Brock Lesnar gonna be in Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate? No idea, though I wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet—or jump at all, because that is how you get F5-ed so hard that you wake up being resuscitated by mole people.
This could very well be a piece of art that used Lesnar’s likeness for reference alone, which would mean it likely made it into the reveal because someone didn’t notice. Or it could be a little easter egg, albeit a slightly illegal one if Ubisoft didn’t get big ol’ Brock’s permission. If that’s the case, I bet Brock Lesnar and Felice Herrig will make fast friends. Or it could be a hint of things to come, in which case I already feel bad for new assassin Jacob (and/or his enemies).
The most likely explanation, though, is definitely reference art thing, given that a close examination of the dude Lesnar is walloping reveals him to be none other than former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (note the general build and the arm and stomach tattoos). Odds are, an artist took a shot of one of their fights and then Assassin’s Creed-ified it.
As of writing, Ubisoft had yet to respond to my request for comment, so at this point we can only speculate. Still though, Brock Lesnar bringing his brand of MMA-infused wrestling to Assassin’s Creed? In the very unlikely event that it happens, I’m down. Now let’s just get Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins and The Rock and The Undertaker and Triple-H (I guess) and make Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate into a Victorian wrestling game. Set on a pirate ship.
To contact the author of this post, write to nathan.grayson@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @vahn16.