Maxime Durand - How Assassin’s Creed Brings the Past to Life

Ruby sits down with Maxime Durand, Historical Researcher and Production Coordinator at Ubisoft Montréal, to explore the fascinating intersection between history, gaming, and storytelling.

As one of the key figures behind the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Maxime works to ensure the games’ richly detailed historical worlds — from Renaissance Italy to Revolutionary Paris — are as accurate and immersive as possible. In this episode, Ruby and Maxime discuss the delicate balance between creative license and historical authenticity, and how these digital reconstructions shape the way millions of players imagine and engage with the past.

The conversation ranges from the practical challenges of recreating historical settings in an entertainment medium to the ethical and educational implications of letting players “experience” history through gameplay. Together, they consider how Assassin’s Creed and similar projects can act as powerful tools for public history, historical empathy, and cultural preservation.

Whether you’re a historian, a gamer, or simply curious about how the past comes to life on screen, this episode offers a compelling glimpse behind the scenes of one of the world’s most historically ambitious video game series.

Find out more about Maxime's work here:

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/maxime-durand-81380533

Learn more about Assassin's Creed:

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/assassins-creed

Read the journal here:

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cerh20/current

Follow the journal here:

Bluesky: @EuroReviewHist

Threads:@EuroReviewHistory

Instagram: @euroreviewhistory

Blog: www.euroreviewhistory.com

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