Sony has revealed that Benedict Arnold will be the focal point of a free DLC pack that is coming to Assassin’s Creed III. The PS3 exclusive will see Connor foiling a plan to betray West Point to the British, exposing Arnold.
“Benedict Arnold is a name that transcended the Revolution and became a synonym for the word ‘traitor’,” said Matt Turner, Scriptwriter for Assassin’s Creed III. “Given some of the themes in the main story thread, it flowed really well with some of the later beats… but I won’t be specific as they are spoilers! It was also a great opportunity for us to tell a story that people know but don’t really know, you know ”
“We have some scenes that have the actual words spoken by key players in the events at West Point, according to the records from the court proceedings following what happened,” said Turner. “On the other side of things, we needed to inject it with some gameplay so there are some liberties in terms of the action. But who was there, what they did, and what happened to them is as precise as the history books would allow.”
“Our interpretation of Arnold actually weaves into the overall fiction and to divulge that would be to spoil a portion of the story,” he added. “That being said, we don’t like having ‘bad guys’ in Assassin’s Creed and this is no different in terms to Arnold and these missions. He has his reasons, and from a certain perspective they make complete sense.”
To put the event in historical context, Arnold’s betrayal could have cost the Colonists the war. “A simple fact is that the Hudson River was the single most strategic body of water during the American Revolution. It essentially split the colonies in two, so whoever controlled the river controlled the supply lines. And West Point was by far the most heavily fortified area during the war for this very reason. Where the fort was built, the river narrowed and made a small ‘S’, allowing enough room for only one tall ship to pass through at a time. The Patriots built a massive chain on rafts floating across the water stopping any ship from making its way up because they were so outmatched in terms of the navy. It was the only way they could hope to hold it – and it worked,” said Turner. “A large portion of Revolutionary historians contend that if West Point had been captured by the British, and the chain destroyed, the Patriots would have lost the war.”Source: Blog.Playstation.com
