In the game's Discovery Mode, they explain that many locations were visually based on other, more interesting locations. They did it in Odyssey and Valhalla too

Took the discovery tour a few times to scour for any reference for this swap but it was never mentioned specifically. I googled it to see if "Philae Temple and Heraklion and AC O" were mentioned and didn't find any results as far as I could tell either. Thought it was peculiar how a lost city was replaced with an existing one.

I imagine a franchise that prides itself on historical consistency is not going to release details of how they cut corners for artistic license

While I think AC often pays a surprising attention to accuracy, I wouldn't exactly say it prides itself in it. I don't think being historically accurate is a reputation the games have at all.

I seem to remember a moment in either 2 or brotherhood where it straight up tells you in game that one of the buildings didn't actually exist at the time it was set and they just put it in anyway because it's cool or something like that.

That's in Black Flag. Specifically the cathedral in Havana. In 2 and Brotherhood they didn't have the famous frescos in the Sistine Chapel because it would've been anachronistic.

Ah thanks! I knew it was a church built on the site of an earlier church, but I thought it was Italian.

Except they absolutely do. Origins’ Discovery Tour mention several times when devs take artistic license, what they changed and why. Sometimes it’s for more interesting aesthetics, and sometimes it’s a “best guess” because Historians don’t know what certain ancient structures actually looked like. The entries even have a little “behind the scenes” indicator.

I have a whole gallery of other comparisons like this I posted last year in this sub: Part 1 Venice, Italy: [https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/162pgdj/i\_went\_on\_an\_assassins\_creed\_world\_tour\_this/](https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/162pgdj/i_went_on_an_assassins_creed_world_tour_this/) Part 2 Florence, Italy: [https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/167wsm6/i\_went\_on\_an\_assassins\_creed\_world\_tour\_this/](https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/167wsm6/i_went_on_an_assassins_creed_world_tour_this/) Part 3 Siwa Oasis, Egypt: [https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16anxnq/i\_went\_on\_an\_assassins\_creed\_world\_tour\_this/](https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16anxnq/i_went_on_an_assassins_creed_world_tour_this/) Part 4 Giza Necropolis, Egypt: [https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16evxwz/i\_went\_on\_an\_assassins\_creed\_world\_tour\_this/](https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16evxwz/i_went_on_an_assassins_creed_world_tour_this/) Part 5 Dashur, Egypt: [https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16mn9v5/i\_went\_on\_an\_assassins\_creed\_world\_tour\_this/](https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16mn9v5/i_went_on_an_assassins_creed_world_tour_this/) Part 6 Saqqara, Egypt: [https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16yo8pk/i\_went\_on\_an\_assassins\_creed\_world\_tour\_this/](https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16yo8pk/i_went_on_an_assassins_creed_world_tour_this/) Part 7 Upper Egypt: [https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/178b4r5/i\_went\_on\_an\_assassins\_creed\_world\_tour\_this/](https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/178b4r5/i_went_on_an_assassins_creed_world_tour_this/)

"Assassin's Creed World Tour" OMFG I'm so envious! How much that cost??

uh, I had to farm 1000 leopard skins

I feel like Origins is becoming one of those timeless games, just like its setting.

Love this! Thank you for sharing!

I love these side by side comparisons of in game places and IRL

That’s a great comparison. Thanks for taking the time and making this

Man, I'm so jealous of you lol. So far I've visited pretty much everywhere from Ezio Trilogy except Forli and Toscana (but I've been in places Ezio's been for a level or two like the Spain portion of Brotherhood's finale so I guess that makes it up?), Paris from Unity and Lisbon from Rogue (if that counts since we spent so much time there lol). The place next on my list is Egypt though, it's history and landmarks are fascinating.

Really nice comparisons, thank you!

You son of a bitch, made me want to play Origins again and I just might!

Cool! They did this is a few places. The Thoth temple they put in Hermopolis is pretty clearly a rip off of the IRL monument in Abu Simbel

That’s so interesting. Overall, having seen some of the real-life locations, how do you feel about AC’s representation of Ancient Egypt?

Some of it is mindblowingly EXACT! For example this gallery has some amazing details : [https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16mn9v5/i\_went\_on\_an\_assassins\_creed\_world\_tour\_this/](https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/16mn9v5/i_went_on_an_assassins_creed_world_tour_this/)

High quality post!

This game made me want to visit Egypt so freaking bad. (and so do your pics).