Sample 17 Project
The Sample 17 Project was an Abstergo Industries initiative run via Abstergo Entertainment that aimed to explore the ancestral genetic memories of the late Desmond Miles,[1] formerly Subject 17 of the Animus Project.[2][3]
History[edit | edit source]
The project's main goal was for Abstergo Entertainment's employees to examine the lives of Desmond's ancestors for suitable material for Animus Omega programs,[4] feature films,[5] and other related material.[1] However, from Abstergo Industries' perspective, the project was aimed at locating and acquiring new Pieces of Eden and other Isu technology,[6][7][8] and drew heavily from Abstergo's research made with the Surrogate Initiative in the early 1980s.[9]
The project received its genetic material directly from the technicians who collected blood and saliva samples from Desmond's body while it was still in the Grand Temple after he died[10] activating the global aurora borealis device on 21 December 2012.[11] With minimal decoding,[1] the project was able to isolate at least four different ancestors—Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad,[12] Ezio Auditore,[13] Edward Kenway,[14] and Ratonhnhaké:ton[15]—from the collected DNA. Using the Surrogate Initiative's methods, the project's analysts could explore the memories of Desmond's ancestors without needing a direct biological link to the subject in question.[9]
The project was first headed by Olivier Garneau[14] and then passed to Melanie Lemay,[8] following Garneau's sudden disappearance while en route to a shareholders meeting in Chicago,[14] where he was murdered.[16] Its first success came in November 2013, when it finalized the memories of Desmond's ancestor Edward Kenway.[14] The other three ancestors, after thorough analysis, were eventually considered risky or weak investments to develop and were dropped from the project.[12][13][15]
In 2014, Abstergo Entertainment released the film Devils of the Caribbean loosely based on Kenway's memories,[5] though it fared poorly upon release, being described as "a frightful mess of clichés, dime-store moralizing, and pandering stereotypes" according to Abstergo Entertainment's own Helix Team Virtual Entertainment eXposition Press Training document.[17]
That year also saw the release of Abstergo's Helix Navigator, which granted access to a number of virtual experiences to the general public. Some of these were based on the genetic memories of individuals researched as part of the Sample 17 Project, including Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore, Ratonhnhaké:ton, and Edward Kenway,[18] despite the former three having been dropped from the project.[12][13][15]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
The Sample 17 Project is a plot element introduced in the modern-day sections of the 2013 video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, as an in-universe explanation for Abstergo's continued research of individuals from Desmond Miles' ancestry. Beginning with the 2014 installments Assassin's Creed: Rogue and Assassin's Creed: Unity, the series shifted focus away from individuals related to Desmond's ancestry, and so the Sample 17 Project plotline was abandoned, leaving the project's ultimate fate unresolved.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Concept art of the Sample 17 studio -
An Abstergo researcher exploring Connor's memories -
Reception desk on the Sample 17 Project floor -
Melanie Lemay in her office -
Sample 17 Project lounge area -
Computers with restricted access
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Unity (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (indirect mention only)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files – Abstergo Entertainment: "CONFIDENTIAL - Subject - RE: Potential time periods?"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed – Warren Vidic's email – Subject header: "Subject No. 16"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed – Warren Vidic's email – Subject header: "Additional Subjects?"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files – Abstergo Entertainment: "Age of Cutthroats"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files – Abstergo Entertainment: "Devils of the Caribbean Teaser"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files – Abstergo Industries: "Crypto-History: Artifacts"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files – Abstergo Industries: "Crypto-History: Locations"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – The Phoenix Project: "New Orders"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files: "Subject Zero"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files – Subject 17: "Post-Mortem Report: Subject 17"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed III – Modern day
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files: "Market Analysis: A. Ibn La'Ahad"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files: "Market Analysis: E. Auditore"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Modern day
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Noob's personal files: "Market Analysis: C. Kenway"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Origins – Layla Hassan's personal files: "The Gone Files: Olivier Garneau – Chicago CCTV Footage"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: 03. "Helix" Marketing Strategy Memo
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Modern day