Editor's note: Rob Dwiar is a garden designer, landscape architect, horticulturist and writer who regular Eurogamer readers may remember for his analysis of The Witcher 3, Mass Effect and Dishonored, his essay on the genius of Rapture and his thoughts on the close quarters of Dead Space, Metro, The Last of Us and Oblivion. Now, to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Assassin's Creed, Dwiar takes a closer look at Ubisoft's remarkable recreation of Renaissance Italy, and finds there's more than meets the eye.

Since it began 10 years ago, Assassin's Creed has captured imaginations with secret organisations, myths and mysteries, but also made great swathes of history accessible. Being able to explore and interact with places and people of the past has promoted an appreciation of history, down to the features, elements and facets of life of that time, such as historical politics and power struggles, mythologies, social structures and people, and architecture and design. These elements of historical presentation give Assassin's Creed games and their environments great depth and sense of place and act as environmental guides and markers. Arguably, none were better than Ezio Auditore's Renaissance Italy, which had places that went beyond 'great recreations'. While spaces such as town squares, gardens and designed landscapes were fun elements of the landscape fabric to explore and parkour across, they often demonstrated distinct design trends and techniques of the time, while maintaining their in-game ability to act as narrative exaggerators, theme reflectors and design-centred, geographic markers and navigators, all of which served to enhance our experience.

Florence is oft cited as the birthplace of the Renaissance, and one particular family embraced this through design. The infamous Medici family was one of the most powerful and important in the region (clearly highlighted in the games), and were not shy about ostentatiously displaying their wealth, power or influence and made sure to show it through their homes, grounds and gardens. At first glance, the Palazzo Medici in Florence is not overtly enormous or magnificent - at least from beyond its walls - but it is, and it is one of the few urban residences with a garden. What looks like a simple design actually has powerful themes running through it and is built for more than aesthetic pleasure.

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Sony Pictures is close to signing a deal to bring Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise to the big screen, according to insider sources.

According to Variety, negotiations between the two companies are in the final stages, with Sony apparently beating out a number of other studios for the hotly-contested film rights.

Neither party would confirm the news, though an Ubisoft spokesperson commented, "As we've stated before, Ubisoft is actively looking for film opportunities for our top brands. There is high interest from top Hollywood studios to collaborate on these brands."

Variety's report also mentions that Sony is working on a film based on its InFamous PlayStation 3 franchise.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations on PlayStation 3 includes a copy of the original Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft has announced.

The stealth 'em-up series' opening chapter is included on Revelations' Blu-ray disc - there's no need to download.

Ubisoft has stated the offer applies to "day one copies" of the game, suggesting gamers will only have a limited stab at the deal.

Released in 2007, Assassin's Creed features the initial slice of protagonist Desmond Miles' history-spanning story, and introduces original hero Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.

Revelations, out this November, returns to many of Assassin's Creed's settings to conclude Altaïr's story, and wraps up the tale of Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood character Ezio.

Video: Assassin's Creed Revelations.

Telltale's episodic adaptation of Back to the Future concludes this week with the release of Part 5, free for series owners.

Overall it's a quiet week for the PlayStation Store, with a sale on Ubisoft games the only real sniff of a bargain on offer. Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed become slightly cheaper, although PlayStation Plus members get bigger savings and bonus content.

PlayStation 3 owners get a demo of Rugby World Cup 2011 (released yesterday on Xbox 360).

There's also Toy Story DLC for LittleBigPlanet 2 and possibly-last ever Red Faction: Armageddon DLC Path to War. All that plus more dosages of extra DiRT 3 and WWE All-Stars content.

Here's the full European listing, courtesy of the European PlayStation Blog:

Ubisoft Special Offers (available until 10th August)

• Prince of Persia + Epilogue DLC (was £15.99/€19.99 – now £9.99/€12.99)
• Prince of Persia HD Trilogy (was £23.99/€29.99 – now £15.99/€19.99)
• PSN Bundle – Prince of Persia Classic & Cell Factor (£3.99/€4.99)
• PSN Bundle – Scott Pilgrim vs The World & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Reshelled & Voodoo Dice (£5.49/€6.99
• Assassin’s Creed (was £15.99/€19.99 – now £9.99/€12.99)
• Rainbow 6: Vegas 2 (was £23.99/€29.99 – now £17.49/€21.99)

Permanent Price Reductions

• Tomb Raider (PSone), Tomb Raider III (PSone), Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (PSone), Tomb Raider Chronicles (PSone), GEX: Deep Cover Gecko (PSone), Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PSone) - All reduced to £4.79/€5.99 each
• Soldner-X2: Final Prototype now £7.99/€9.99
• Soldner-X2: Final Prototype + the Last Chapter now £9.99/€12.99
• Soldner-X2: Final Prototype + Soldner-X: Himmelsturmer now £12.99/€14.99

Video: Back to the Future's finale.

PS3 Games

• Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 5
• 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures 2 - Trial & Unlock (£7.99/€9.99)
• echochrome II & Offical Soundtrack Bundle (£9.99/€12.99)
• Fat Princess Super-sized Anniversary Bundle (£11.99/€14.99) (contains Fat Princess Full Game, Fat Princess: Fat Roles Expansion Pack, all Fat Princess Avatars and Fat Princess Dynamic Theme)
• ModNation Racers (£24.99/€29.99)
• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (£23.99/€29.99)
• Dragon Age: Origins (£23.99/€29.99)
• 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures + Fairy Tale Adventures Pack Bundle (£8.79/€10.99)
• Section 8: Prejudice (£9.99/€12.99)
• NEOGEO Station: King of Fighters ‘95 (£7.19/€8.99)

PS3 Demos

• Rugby World Cup 2011 (Free)

PSP Games

• Gen San: The Adventures of a Young Carpenter (£23.99/€29.99)
• Metal Slug XX (£23.99/€29.99)
• Mawaskes Puzzle (£15.99/€19.99)

minis (PS3 & PSP)

• Rasmus Klump in Pingonesien (£3.49/€3.99)
• Ducati Challenge (£3.99/€4.99)
• Monochrome Racing (£3.99/€4.99)
• Arcade Sports Bundle (£1.99/€2.49)

PS3 Add-Ons

• 3D Ultra MiniGolf 2 – Fairy Tale Adventures (£2.39/€2.99)
• Section 8: Prejudice - Blitz Pack (£2.99/€3.59), Overdrive Map Pack (£3.99/€4.99)
• MX vs. ATV Alive! - Flu Unbound Pack (£1.19/€1.49), One Industries Rock Star 3 Pack (£1.19/€1.49)
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 - ‘Time of War’ Extra Mission (£0.79/€0.99), ‘Acguy vs. Acguy’ Extra Mission (£0.79/€0.99), ‘The Legend of the Fastest, Strongest Mobile Suit’ Extra Mission (£0.79/€0.99)
• Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 - Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Apex Predators” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Dragon’s Roar” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Guardians Of The Wood” (0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Machinations” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Realm Of Illusion” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Strength Of Stone” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Unquenchable Fire” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Wielding Steel” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Foil Conversion “Blood Hunger" (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Full Deck “Dragon’s Roar” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Full Deck “Guardians Of The Wood” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Full Deck “Machinations” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Full Deck “Realm Of Illusion” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Full Deck “Strength Of Stone” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Full Deck “Unquenchable Fire” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Full Deck “Wielding Steel” (£0.79/€0.99), Magic 2012 Full Deck “Blood Hunger” (£0.79/€0.99)
• DIRT 3 – Ken Block Special Pack (£1.25/€1.59)
• Dynasty Warriors 7 - New Weapon: Great Axe (£0.79/€0.99), Original Costume Pack 2 (£3.99/€4.99), Original Costume Pack 3 (£3.99/€4.99)
• Red Faction: Armageddon – Path to War (£4.39/€5.49)
• WWE AllStars – Southern Charisma Pack (£1.99/€2.49)
• ModNation Racers – Haunted Props Pack (£3.99/€4.99)
• LittleBigPlanet 2 - Toy Story Level Kit & Alien Costume (£4.79/€5.99), Toy Story Costume Pack (£4.79/€5.99), (contains the following costumes also available separately) Buzz Lightyear Costume (£1.59/€1.99), Slinky Dog Costume (£1.59/€1.99), Rexx Costume (£1.59/€1.99), Hamm Costume (£1.59/€1.99)
• Rock Band Network - ‘Better Off This Way’ by A Day to Remember (£0.99/€1.49), ‘Buried Cold’ by Rose of Jericho (£0.59/€0.75)
• Rock Band 3 - ‘Barracuda’ by Heart (£0.99/€1.49), ‘Make Some Noise’ by The Beastie Boys (£0.99/€1.49), ‘No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn’ by The Beastie Boys (£0.99/€1.49), ‘Superbad Parts 1 & 2’ by James Brown (£0.99/€1.49), ‘Tell Me Something Good’ by Rufus featuring Ckaka Khan (£0.99/€1.49)

PSP Add-Ons

• Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz - Space Quiz (£3.19/€3.99)

Sony has outlined the bare-bones August content for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

There's a strong Assassin's Creed theme, including 50 per cent off the first game and 20 per cent off AC2. Buy the latter and all DLC will be slung in for free. Finally, if you buy and download AC: Brotherhood, you'll get two free avatars.

This month's free games are Comix Zone and Crash Commando, as well as PSone game Rayman and minis OMG-Z! and Bashi Blocks.

"There will be plenty more special little extras for you during the month so keep an eye out for the next update," wrote PSN product manager James Thorpe on the EU PlayStation blog

The below batch is available from today, 3rd August, to 7th September.

• PSN game: Comix Zone
• PSN game: Crash Commando
• PSone game: Rayman
• Mini: OMG-Z!
• Mini: Bashi Blocks
• Discount: Assassin's Creed - 50% off
• Discount: Assassin's Creed 2 - 20% off - purchase the full game and get all of the DLC for free (Sequence 12, 13 and Secret locations)
• Discount: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - Purchase the full game and get 2 free avatars (Harlequin & Ezio)
• Discount: Modnation Racers - 20% off
• Discount: Worms 2: Armageddon - 50% off
• Discount: Alien Zombie MegaDeath - 50% off
• Discount: Arcade Sports Bundle - 30% off
• Theme: Exclusive Giant Robot Battle!
• Theme: Exclusive Penalty Shoot-out
• Avatar: Renegade Ops - Bryant Avatar
• Avatar: Renegade Ops - Natasha Avatar

Ex-Assassin's Creed main man Patrice Désilets begins work for new employer THQ today – and will reveal his new game to core games boss Danny Bilson over the phone.

Désilets joined THQ last summer to form a new Montreal Studio focused on creating brand new games.

Désilets was the creative director on the hugely successful Assassin's Creed franchise before his surprise split from Ubisoft just before E3 2010 in June.

At the time Ubisoft said Désilets had "decided to take a creative break from the industry". He has essentially been on gardening leave since then – prevented by Ubisoft from working for another publisher.

"Yeah. I'm really excited," Bilson told Eurogamer last week. "I have no idea what he's making. That's the absolute truth. That's not just for depositions. I have no idea. I could swear it on my children's head. I do not know.

"But the great thing is on Monday, I'm going to call him up and go Patrice, what do you want to make? And he's going to tell me. I'm hoping I love it. I think I will.

"He's fantastic. He's a great talent, and we're really excited to put him to work on Monday."

Désilets had been intimately involved with the Assassin's Creed franchise since its inception and was a pivotal figure in the second game's path to success in 2009.

He had been expected to promote Brotherhood at the US trade show, but pulled out at the last minute.

"I loved it [Assassin's Creed]," Bilson continued. "The only way you can make great games is to bring in great talent. We've been very focused on that. Patrice, he's been sitting on a bench for a year waiting to get to work. I can't wait."

Video:

Ubisoft has put a recruiting call for an Assassin's Creed buff to help pen a forthcoming franchise encyclopedia.

"As the more faithful among you know by now, we are working on an Assassin's Creed encyclopedia (well my human colleagues are, I mostly make sure they do it right). A huge task by all means," read a post on the UbiWorkshop site, spotted by CVG.

"So, we need somebody to help them advance the project. Make no mistake, this is a job offer, not some petty human crowdsourcing trick."

Applicants will need "excellent English writing skills", "an accurate knowledge of the Assassin's Creed universe" and "sharp organizational skills (the amount of information to collect and sort out is enormous)".

"Beginners can apply," insisted the listing, "we wouldn't want to miss out on someone passionate and talented just because he or she doesn't have a five-year experience."

To be in with a shot you'll need to send your particulars to volt@ubisoft.com, along with sample encyclopedia entries detailing two of the following: a main character of your choice, a secondary character of your choice, The Animus or an overview of a major historical event featured in the franchise.

There's plenty of material to draw from. As well as the three main titles and their DLC, there's also a number of handheld spin-offs, Facebook tie-ins, graphic novels, smartphone games and an animated short to consider. Best get thee to Wikipedia.

However, before you rush over to your bureau and dust off your letter writing kit, know this: the listing states that applicants who live in or near Montreal, Canada will have a headstart, although it hasn't ruled out the possibility of remote work.

Ubisoft is considering film versions of its Ghost Recon and Assassin's Creed franchises, so suggests a new customer survey from the French publisher.

The questionnaire, which was flagged up by Evil Avatar, asks those surveyed what factors would convince them to see movies based on the aforementioned series.

Possible answers include scenarios that bridge the gap between games, look at existing characters' backstories or introduce new personalities to the games' fiction.

This wouldn't be the first time Ubisoft had let Hollywood producers have their way with its IPs. Last year Jake Gyllenhaal starred in Walt Disney Picture's take on the Prince of Persia universe.

Assassin's Creed's Animus, the virtual reality machine that reads a subject's genetic memory and allows them to relive it as an ancestor, helped the phenomenally successful stab-em-up series to expand beyond the limits of the first game's setting.

That's according to Jade Raymond, the producer of the first Assassin's Creed and now managing director of Ubisoft Toronto, the developer currently making the next Splinter Cell.

"I think that whole layer in the present is really the hub for the franchise, and that's what allows us to continue to expand," she told Gamasutra.

"So that explains why we're in a different period, and it explains why some things aren't consistent, like why are they speaking American English... maybe gamers don't mind so much and they're used to those things, or when you die and you get to retry."

The Assassin's Creed series consists of six games set across various time periods, including the Third Crusade and Renaissance Italy, and stars different protagonists.

But underpinning them all is bartender Desmond Miles, who is captured by megacorporation Abstergo Industries and forced to use the Animus to relive his ancestors' memories.

For Raymond, the inclusion of the Animus played a key role in the success of the franchise.

"But I think the most important part of having the animus and the part in the present is really just because it gave that kind of breadth, and it expanded the universe of the franchise so that it wasn't just a franchise about the Third Crusade when we came out," she said. "You know, there was already the idea that it could expand from the Third Crusade to wherever the present is taking place."

The last Assassin's Creed game, Brotherhood, continued Ezio Auditore's story and returned to the Renaissance Italy setting seen in Assassin's Creed 2. Various time periods and locations are rumoured for the next Assassin's Creed game, including a modern day setting.

Video: