Ezio Face: Why Did Ubisoft Change It?

Ezio Face

Ezio Auditore da Firenze was, is, and always will be one of the most iconic protagonists to ever come out of a video game and arguably the greatest protagonist in the Assassin’s creed franchise. It is safe to say that the Ezio trilogy which consists of Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed Revelations, put the Assassin’s Creed franchise on the list of the greatest game franchises of all time. 

The character is so iconic that if anyone familiar with the franchise talks about Assassin’s Creed the first character they talk about is Ezio Face. So it’s not a surprise that all the fans of the game and even those who aren’t fans are familiar with the physical features of this character and that is the reason why Ezio Face is a common topic of discussion in the game forums.

Ezio Face

If someone hears this out of context they might not understand what it is about so, let us take a look at what it is about and what the reason for that could be.

When discussing Ezio Face, the conversation happens around why there was a sudden change in the face model of this iconic character in Assassin’s Creed Revelations. When the players started playing Assassin’s Creed Revelations fans noticed that the Ezio seen in the third game differed from the first two games. While there was no official confirmation as to why this sudden change was seen, fans were quick to come out with speculations and theories as to why this happened. 

There are mainly two reasons that fans think might be the reason for this change in Ezio Face. The first one is the story reason, and the second is contract issues. In this article, we will look into these theories in detail.

Theory 1 – Story

This theory which many fans believe, suggests that the changes happened because of story progression. Even in this theory there are mainly two schools of thought. The first one is the age, and the second is the animus.

Story

Ezio Revelations Facein AC II

In the story of Assassin’s Creed II, we see Ezio as a teenager. In the sequel Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, we see him in his mid-twenties to thirties. In Revelations, the final chapter of the trilogy, we see a much older version of Ezio who is possibly even in his fifties. Aging is a part of life and as one age their facial features change. Many fans believe that it was because he got old that there was a change in his face in Revelations, to show the toll his previous battles and struggles and quests had on him. 

Ezio Brotherhood Face

It is also to be noted that in Revelations it was constantly reminded about how Ezio was beginning to question the part that he played in everything and many fans think this seemed to have had a bigger toll on him making him look even more older than his age and more pained making him have a drastic change in Ezio Face appearance.

Animus

In the first two games the Animus version was 2.0 and because of this the animus showed the face of Desmond as Ezio Face as well as the face of Altair. However, once it was updated to version 2.03 which happened in Assassin’s Creed Revelations the Animus was able to reveal the actual face of Altair and Ezio.

Theory 2 – Contract Disputes 

This theory is the more likely scenario however, it once again needs to be mentioned that these are just theories made by the fans and were not confirmed by the developers.

Many believe that the real reason why Ezio face looks different is due to the contract disputes that were going on behind the scenes during the development of the game. In this section of the article we will be looking at potential reasons that could have led to this.

The face model that was used for Ezio Face was based off of a foreign model. And after each game the contracts will be renewed so that the developers have permission to use the likeness of the model. However normally what happens is that when the models have to return for sequels they will most likely ask for more money as the fans are familiar with their faces and would expect to see them returning. This is also the case that takes place during movies and tv shows when characters have to return for movie sequels or during episodes of later seasons or reboots. 

Fans expect to see these characters return and for this the agents of these actors and models are able to ask for more money.

The game also skyrocketed the fame of the model which led to him getting more opportunities and increasing his demand which would give them more incentive to ask for more money. And considering it was the final installment of the Ezio story it was easier and cheaper for Ubisoft to go with a different face model.

Ubisoft has not admitted this and it is very unlikely that they will admit to this considering how there could be negative backlash even today but this seems like the most plausible explanation. This rumor does not have any credible sources and is based off of how the developers handled the situation.

Ezio Revelations Face

The developers said how it was a combination of all the ancestors of Desmond however as we’ve seen before the face model was the same for all the games except Revelations. 

In the sequel the developers made slight changes to avoid any legal troubles. Changes such as the lips thickening and widening as well as filling them. The changing of the entire jaw shape and most noticeable change was the straightening of the nose bridge. In the previous games Ezio had a slight bend to his nose bridge just like that of the model’s.

Conclusion

Ezio face is a topic that has garnered a lot of intrigue in the gaming world. The reason why there was a change in Ezio Face was an answer all the fans wanted to know but one that no one got. This article has attempted to try to give an answer to this question. There was no official reason provided for this and there are many rumors surrounding this including Ezio being old and the Animus being updated to it being a contract dispute between the model whose likeness they used and the developers.

Hopefully, this article has provided you with insight on the potential reason that led to the change on Ezio Face!

FAQs

Who is the face of Ezio?

Francisco Randez is the face of Ezio.

How old is Ezio?

Ezio was 65 at the time of his death.

Is Ezio Auditore alive?

No, Ezio Auditore has died in AC Embers (aged 65).

Other Assassins Creed Guides

AC Rogue Vs Black Flag – Complete Comparison Between Two Masterpieces
How Long Is A Day In AC Valhalla
Halfdan Knows AC Valhalla: Which Choice Is Better?

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