Historical Research Division

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The Historical Research Division of Abstergo Industries is responsible for researching and documenting historical events. Working alongside Lineage Discovery and Acquisition, the Historical Research Division sourced the majority of its findings from Abstergo's archive of genetic memory data. The current head of the division is Simon Hathaway, who replaced Isabelle Ardant following her death in 2015.

History

Simon Hathaway's research

As of October 2016, Simon Hathaway was appointed as the new head of the Historical Research Division following the death of Isabelle Ardant. Convinced that the Animus was not being used to its full potential, he held a presentation for the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order, arguing that it could be more effectively utilized in the search for Pieces of Eden and Assassin history to understand their enemy better. He criticized Abstergo Entertainment's methods of relying on individuals unaware of the historical significance of what they witnessed, seeing it as mere data collection rather than meaningful analysis. Instead, he proposed that a Templar like himself was able to understand the broader context and thus should explore the past to uncover hidden clues others would overlook.

To support his argument, Hathaway theorized that the Sword of Eden, which had passed through the hands of Jacques de Molay, François-Thomas Germain, Arno Dorian, and eventually Alan Rikkin, was the same weapon wielded by Jeanne d'Arc during the Hundred Years' War. By reliving the memories of his ancestor Gabriel Laxart, who fought alongside Jeanne, he hoped to witness the sword’s abilities firsthand and potentially reactivate them. Intrigued, Rikkin approved the research but imposed a strict one-week deadline, which frustrated Hathaway but forced him to adapt quickly.

To assist with the assignment, Rikkin brought in Dr. Victoria Bibeau from Abstergo’s North American facility. Over time, while reliving his ancestor’s memories through the Animus, he sensed he was being watched. His suspicions were confirmed when he discovered that Rikkin had become disellusioned with his research as it could reveal de Molay’s lasting influence over the Order. To prevent any interference with his own ambitions, Rikkin accused Hathaway of betrayal and sent a Templar strike force to eliminate him.

Using his newfound abilities and the restored Sword of Eden, Hathaway escaped through London’s underground tunnels. He later returned to present his findings to the Inner Sanctum, proving his loyalty to the Order. To Rikkin’s disappointment, the council sided with Hathaway. Frustrated with this new development, Rikkin planned to deploy Omega Team—a secretive task force loyal only to him—against the Inner Sanctum, implying he intended to remove those who opposed him once his assignments in Madrid were complete. However, this never came to pass, as Rikkin was assassinated by Callum Lynch later that year.

Other operations

In early November 2016, Simon met with Layla Hassan, a promising young Abstergo employee, praising her and giving her advice. A week later, she sent an email thanking him for his kind words and asked to be assigned to more Person of Interest assignments, believing it better motivated her. The following month, while on an assignment, Layla became behind on logging operation reports. Simon threatened her tardiness with a formal complaint to Operations and more mediation training.

In March 2017, the Inner Sanctum held a summit in Quebec to invite the new Black Cross for a meeting, during which Simon was present. Displeased that he auto-proclaimed himself their inquisitor, they threatened him and demanded to know his identity. The masked man responded that he came only as a courtesy, to inform them that he was investigating an hostile fifth column within the Order. After affirming his independence, the Black Cross dropped a smoke bomb and disappeared.

In October of that same year, Simon sent a team consisting of Deanna Geary and Layla Hassan to locate a Piece of Eden in the Qattara Depression, Egypt. However, Layla deviated from the mission after discovering the mummies of Bayek and Amunet, the founders of the Hidden Ones. Believing the team had gone rogue, the Templars ordered their elimination and deployed Sigma Team to carry it out. Deanna was killed in her hotel room but managed to warn her colleague before her death. Using her newfound abilities from the Animus, Layla defeated the Sigma Team and accepted William Miles’ offer to join the Assassin Brotherhood, officially resigning from Abstergo.

Facilities

• Philadelphia Facility

Employees

Current

• Simon Hathaway – Head

Former

• Isabelle Ardant † – Head
• Layla Hassan † – Technician
• Deanna Geary † – Medical Officer

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Abstergo Files (first mentioned)
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Heresy
• Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide
• Assassin's Creed: Origins