Druidic Ireland gets digitised in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Tourism Ireland has revealed its new campaign linking in with Ubisoft’s portrayal of ancient Ireland in the latest Assassin’s Creed video game.

With international travel still restricted, Tourism Ireland is demonstrating its creativity in bringing the Irish landscape and culture to people across the globe.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the latest addition in Ubisoft’s popular gaming series. Known for their detailed historical locations and open-world narratives, the studio have teamed up with Tourism Ireland to promote Ireland’s starring role in its new expansion pack.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla follows Eivor, a Viking leader in 873 CE. While the main game takes place in Norway and Britain, the recent ‘Wrath of the Druids’ expansion pack journeys to Ireland.

There, players must unite the Gaelic kings and deal with the mysterious uprising of a powerful pagan cult, the Children of Danu.

The tourism campaign includes a video featuring recorded gameplay from Wrath of the Druids combined with footage of the real-life locations which are in the game. These iconic locations include the Giant’s Causeway, the Hill of Tara, Ben Bulben and Dublin.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series has previously spanned historical contexts from Renaissance Italy to ancient Egypt. Recent instalments have also included a discovery mode, which removes enemies from the game to allow users to fully experience the world, and even partake in ‘guided’ tours.

While this feature is not currently in Valhalla, the studio has said it is in development and will operate similarly to past iterations.

Sligo’s iconic Ben Bulben as depicted in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Image: Tourism Ireland/Ubisoft

Tourism Ireland’s current campaign will also see an international collaboration involving Great Britain, Germany, France and the Nordic countries.

This will involve popular Twitch influencers working with Tourism Ireland to show off the detailed gaming world. In a game filled with “otherworldly landscapes, rich culture and folklore”, Tourism Ireland hopes to reach hundreds of thousands of viewers, all from the comfort of their own homes.

Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland’s central marketing director, said: “Ubisoft has done an incredible job in bringing aspects of Celtic Ireland to life in amazing detail. Tourism Ireland’s campaign is a fun and innovative way to bring Ireland to the attention of a new audience of gamers. We want to spike players’ curiosity about the featured locations and inspire them to come and explore them in the real world.”