Bayek Actor Wants Assassin's Creed Origins Sequel

Abubakar Salim, the actor who portrayed Bayek of Siwa, protagonist of Ubisoft's acclaimed Assassin's Creed Origins, has expressed interest in bringing Bayek back for a follow-up sequel. Assassin's Creed Origins came out in 2017 to glowing reviews as it set a new precedent for the long-running franchise with its budding RPG elements, laying the groundwork for Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Valhalla to lean further into RPG territory.

After bringing Bayek to life in Assassin's Creed Origins, Abubakar Salim went on to create a transmedia development studio of his own, Surgent Studios. At the most recent Game Awards, Salim took the stage to introduce Surgent's first game, a 2D action platformer titled Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Players take up the role of Zau, a warrior shaman, as they explore the Metroidvania land of Kenzera rich with Bantu lore and culture. Tales of Kenzera: Zau is scheduled to release on April 23.

In an exclusive interview with Den of Geek, Abubakar Salim spoke about his journey in the industry, his experience portraying Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins, founding Surgent Studios, and creating Tales of Kenzera: Zau. A large portion of the interview was spent on Assassin's Creed Origins, where Salim excitedly expressed a desire to follow up with Bayek once more in a sequel to 2017's Origins, saying «I want a sequel man. Like I'm ready! I think it's one of those things where, yeah, I just didn't feel like the story was finished yet. So I would jump at it.»

While Bayek and his wife Aya's story did gain some semblance of closure at the end of Assassin's Creed Origins, there is room for expansion on their respective journeys beyond that point. Salim mentioned Greece as an optimal location despite it being the home of 2018's Assassin's Creed Odyssey, saying «I think there could be something really cool about jumping in at that timeframe as well and seeing what that looked like.» Earlier on in the Assassin's Creed franchise, it was more common to see direct