AlUla Inspires Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Mirage: Valley Of Memory

AlUla’s desert scenery and archaeological sites now appear at the heart of Ubisoft’s new expansion, Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory. The game presents Saudi Arabia’s cultural heritage to worldwide players, using detailed digital recreations of AlUla’s landscapes, Hegra’s monumental tombs, and the life-giving oasis that has supported communities for centuries.

In this chapter of Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory, the story follows Basim Ibn Ishaq and companion Dervis as they travel to AlUla. The journey begins after Basim discovers a painting linked to estranged father Is’haq Ibn Khalid, adding personal emotion to the exploration of the historic setting.

Players encounter many well-known AlUla landmarks during Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory. The interactive world includes the AlUla Oasis, AlUla Fort in AlUla Old Town, Elephant Rock, Dadan-inspired Lion’s Tomb, Jabal Ikmah, Jabal Ithlib in Hegra, and the Tomb of Hayyan, Son of Kuza, which reflects ancient inscriptions.

Ubisoft’s designers shaped the geography of Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory around AlUla’s real terrain. The expansion draws directly from dramatic sandstone formations, narrow passages, and the surrounding volcanic plateaus, while Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides an architectural anchor for the game world.

To recreate ninth-century AlUla within Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory, Ubisoft worked with several subject experts. Contributors included Royal Commission for AlUla Vice President of Culture Dr. Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani, Royal Commission for AlUla Director of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Research Dr. Rebecca Foote, and AFALULA Director of Archaeology, Heritage, and Research Dr. Ingrid Périssé-Valéro.

These specialists advised on many design choices for Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory, from the shapes and proportions of tombs to the thickness of stone blocks. They also guided representations of carvings, façade decorations, and early religious architecture, helping the team balance scholarly evidence with gameplay needs and visual clarity.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory cultural heritage details

Some structures in Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory include extra walls or climbable surfaces created for navigation. Developers added these features to improve level design while keeping AlUla’s identity recognisable, so the virtual environment still reflects real locations even when adjusted for movement and combat.

Educational elements within Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory make use of artefacts and images from AlUla collections and international museums. These resources support in-game information on sites such as Jabal Ikmah, often described as an open-air library, and Hegra’s tombs, placing the fictional plot inside a carefully researched historical frame.

Names of well-known monuments receive updated readings in Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory, matching recent scholarship on ancient inscriptions. One example is the Tomb of Hayyan, Son of Kuza. Such details help align the digital presentation of AlUla’s cultural heritage with current archaeological understanding and ongoing research work.

The collaboration behind Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory links creative industries with Saudi Arabia’s cultural heritage sector. By grounding gameplay in AlUla’s actual topography and archaeological record, the expansion presents the region as a global cultural destination, while also introducing its history and landscapes to new audiences in interactive form.

With inputs from SPA