Bayek of Siwa

Bayek
Assassin's Creed character
First appearance	Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath (2017)
First game	Assassin's Creed Origins (2017)
Created by	Ubisoft Montreal
Portrayed by	Abubakar Salim
In-universe information
Alias	Amun
Occupation	Medjay Assassin
Affiliation	The Hidden Ones/Assassin Brotherhood
Spouse	Aya of Alexandria/Amunet
Children	Khemu (son)
Origin	Siwa, Ptolemaic Kingdom, Egypt
Nationality	Egyptian

Bayek, also known as Bayek of Siwa, is a fictional character in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed video game franchise. He first appeared in Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath, the prequel novel to the video game Assassin's Creed Origins (2017), where he serves as the main protagonist. He also makes minor appearances in Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018), Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020), and the spin-off mobile game Assassin's Creed: Rebellion (2018). In Origins, Bayek is portrayed by British actor Abubakar Salim through performance capture.

Within the series' alternate historical setting, Bayek is the last Medjay of Ancient Egypt, who lived during the final years of the Ptolemaic Kingdom before its annexation into the Roman Empire as a province. Born and raised in the remote village of Siwa, Bayek inherits the title of Medjay from his father, and dedicates his life to protecting the security and welfare of the Egyptian people. He traverses the land, fighting occupying imperialist Roman forces while a tragic past of conspiracy, loss, and death is gradually revealed. Alongside his wife Aya, he goes on to found the Hidden Ones, the precursors to the modern Assassin Brotherhood, which is inspired by the real life Order of Assassins.

Bayek's character has been received positively by critics and fans of the series, and he is regarded as one of the franchise's best and most popular protagonists. Various merchandise for the character, as with other of the series' protagonists, has been released.

Creation and development[]

Bayek's name, written in Egyptian hieroglyphs, has been featured as in-game and promotional art.

The word Bayek is a play on the Egyptian hieroglyphic word for falcon or vulture, in line with a longstanding tradition of naming protagonist characters in the series after birds of prey.^[1][2] Bayek shares a symbiotic relationship with his eagle, Senu, who aids him in reconnaissance.^[1][3] Senu is considered to be the living precursor to the series’ Eagle Vision, and can be upgraded to distract and attack enemies.^[1] For the majority of the game, Bayek is not an Assassin but a Medjay, a well-known and respected man in ancient Egyptian society, and as such there is less emphasis for him to lurk in the shadows or blend in with crowds compared to previous Assassin's Creed protagonists.^[4][5] As the player character, Bayek also serves as a lens through which players could understand the importance of religion and ritual daily life in ancient Egypt, and the larger societal issues at play in Ptolemaic Egypt such as class conflict between ethnic Greeks and native Egyptians.^[4][6] Bayek's narrative journey also reveals the origins of staple traditions in the series like the feather ritual, cut finger, and the leap of faith.^[1]

Jean Guesdon, the Creative Director for Origins, noted that a holistic approach is essential in order to create an authentic in-game world, and remarked that "small details help make it feel real".^[4] This meant that every team involved in the development of Origins, including but not limited to audio, animation, narrative, level design teams, had to learn as much as possible about the history of ancient Egypt, which informs their approach in integrating the culture into more than just the environment.^[4] One of the ways this is accomplished is through the quest system for Origins, which allows players to learn more about ancient Egyptian civilization through intimate moments with other characters.^[4] For example, the "Bayek's Promise" quest involving finding twelve different stone circles throughout the in-game world. Locating each circle triggers a flashback conversation between Bayek and his son Khemu while the two stargaze.^[4] These conversations approach topics like love, family, and loss, with each tying to a specific Egyptian deity represented in a constellation and provides insight into the family's culture and religious beliefs.^[4] According to Guesdon, the purpose of presenting these side quests and complex non-player characters with their own personal stories is about reinforcing the connection between the player and ancient Egypt, and that by emphasizing on personal storytelling, the writing team built their interpretation of ancient Egyptian culture into the foundation of nearly every quest in Origins.^[4]

While Bayek's story arc is filled with themes of revenge, political turmoil, and civil war, the developers made it a point to ensure that players do not lose sight of his core personality.^[4][7] Bayek is described as more mature and stoic in nature compared to previous protagonists, but is also characterized as an intense individual.^[5] He is also depicted as playful and possesses a loving nature, with a particular fondness for children and cats and readily shows his tender side during these interactions, even as he carries his grief of losing his son with him.^[8][9][7]

In July 2020, a report by Jason Schreier from Bloomberg claimed that Bayek was originally meant to be incapacitated or killed off early in the story, and the game's narrative would continue with Aya as the player character.^[10] Senior game writer Jana Sloan van Geest responded to fan comments about the report and explained that while she loved Bayek as a character, she admitted that Aya's personality is "underdeveloped", and confirmed Bloomberg's story about the character's role being reduced over the course of development.^[11]

Portrayal[]

Bayek was British actor Abubakar Salim's first major acting role.^[12] The role of Bayek was originally advertised as an animated TV series that involved motion capture.^[13] Salim recalled that when he reached the audition room, he was asked to read a completely different character, which lasted two rounds, before being informed that the role he auditioned for was in fact the protagonist of the next Assassin’s Creed video game.^[14] A self-confessed fan of the video game series, Salim initially reacted with shock, as well as elation at the realization that he would follow iconic series characters Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze.^[13] On developing a voice for Bayek, Salim said that it was a collaborative creative process with the developers, and they worked a lot on building the in-universe world and defined the rules as they went along.^[13] He noted that while there are no recordings which show how an ancient Egyptian accent would really sound like, it was important that they could develop, with assistance from multiple experts on ancient Egyptian culture, an accent that was recognizable but not too similar to the modern Egyptian accent.^[13] Salim recalled that the script for Origins contained many phrases and slang from the developer's idea of the historic Egyptian language to make dialogue a little more colourful, and that he was particularly fond of the Egyptian swear words.^[13]

To perform his role, Salim wears a lycra suit and a large helmet, with an attached camera directed towards his face. He noted that the motion capture process would take place in one space without transitioning to another physical set or any interference from lighting issues, and that the camera's precise position is not important as it would be taken care of by staff in the editing room; the focus is on his interactions with the other actor.^[13] For performance capture of combat situations, he is given a stick with a ball attached and a dustbin lid to simulate a sword and shield respectively.^[13] For Salim, a motion capture performance felt liberating compared to theatre performance in front of a live audience or for film performance where camera positioning is very important.^[13] In a later interview, Salim reflected that his work for Origins gave him a better insight into the development process for video games, which eventually inspired him to pursue a career in video game development and establish his own studio, Silver Rain Games.^[12]

Appearances[]

Assassin's Creed: Origins[]

In Assassin's Creed: Origins, the player experiences Bayek's life as part of a simulation played by another in-game protagonist, Layla Hassan.^[15] Bayek first appears as a vengeful individual who assassinates a man known as Rudjek "The Heron". Bayek regroups with his best friend Hepzefa, and returns to his hometown of Siwa to kill Medunamun, a local priest known as "The Ibis", who has been torturing the locals for information to open the same vault. It is later revealed in a flashback sequence that he is a prominent member of Egyptian society due to his status as a Medjay, who was abducted along with his son Khemu by a group of masked men and taken to an underground vault in the Temple of Amun. The masked men gave Bayek a dormant artifact and demanded that he use it to open a secret vault. Khemu helps Bayek escape, but while struggling with one of the masked men, Bayek accidentally kills Khemu. He then goes into self-imposed exile to plot his revenge against his abductors. Bayek travels to Alexandria, where he reunites with his wife Aya. Aya reveals that she has already killed Actaeon "The Vulture" and Ktesos "The Ram", leaving only one target left, "The Snake". Bayek identifies the Royal Scribe Eudoros as The Snake, but Bayek is disturbed by Eudoros' last words, which imply that there are more masked men. Aya directs Bayek to her friend Apollodorus the Sicilian for more information. Apollodorus introduces him to Cleopatra, who confirms that the masked men are members of the Order of Ancients. Cleopatra claims that the Order attempts to remove her from power and seeks to control all of Egypt by using her brother Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator as their puppet.

Cleopatra gives Bayek four new targets: Taharqa "The Scarab", Khaliset "The Hyena", Hetepi "The Lizard" and Berenike "The Crocodile". He tracks them down and kills them while Aya convinces Pompey the Great to ally with Cleopatra. Bayek receives a letter from Aya explaining that there are more members of the Order at large, including members of Ptolemy's royal guard who are the likely culprits responsible for Khemu's death. Bayek begins to question his mission, believing Cleopatra is using him to kill her rivals. Pompey is brutally murdered by Lucius Septimius, "The Jackal", forcing Bayek and Aya to sneak Cleopatra into the palace to meet Julius Caesar, where she impresses Caesar and secures his support in her civil war against Ptolemy XIII. During a battle between the two rival pharaohs and their forces, Bayek kills Pothinus, "The Scorpion", but is stopped from killing Septimius by Caesar, while Ptolemy gets eaten by crocodiles when he tries to flee across the Nile. Cleopatra secures the throne as undisputed ruler in the aftermath of the civil war and cuts ties with Bayek and Aya, which led them to realize that Cleopatra and Caesar are now allied with the Order. Bayek gathers his allies and supporters to form a brotherhood of covert agents to counter the Order and defend the free will of the Egyptian people through deception, espionage, and sabotage.

Bayek and Aya later discovers the Order's interest in the tomb of Alexander the Great, where they find a mortally wounded Apollodorus, who warns them that Caesar's lieutenant Flavius Metellus is "The Lion" and the true leader of the Order, and that he had taken the Orb and a Staff from the tomb and is en route to Siwa. After murdering Hepzefa in an attempt to open the secret vault in Siwa, Flavius travels to Cyrene, where he activates the artifacts to hold the population in thrall. Bayek locates and kills Flavius, and then meets with Aya, who has recruited Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus to their cause and intends to travel to Rome in order to assassinate Caesar and his advisor Septimius, the final survivor of the masked men. Bayek and Aya amicably end their relationship as husband and wife and part ways, but continue to work together as members of the Hidden Ones, an organization they originally founded in response to betrayal by Cleopatra and Caesar. Bayek devised the Assassin Brotherhood's Creed and its strict tenets on discretion and never harming an innocent life, and increased the scope of their mission agenda to protect the rest of the world from the shadows.

Bayek is the protagonist of the story-driven expansion DLC's for Origins, The Hidden Ones and The Curse of the Pharaohs. As leader of the Hidden Ones, he would sometimes sign letters of correspondence under the alias of Amun.

Other appearances[]

A teenaged Bayek is the protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath, which serves as a prequel story to Origins. In Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Bayek may be recruited as a simulated lieutenant on the ship Adrestia; players can unlock this feature via Ubisoft Club.^[16] He is available as an unlockable character for Assassin's Creed: Rebellion, a mobile free-to-play strategy RPG action game. As part of an event crossover with Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise, Bayek's layered armor was available for a limited time and unlockable by players who completed seasonal challenge rewards for Monster Hunter: World.^[17] In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, he has a brief voiceover cameo when Eivor finds the Magas Codex in the mission "A Brief History of the Hidden Ones".

Promotion and merchandise[]

Like other protagonists in the series, Bayek has been subject to various merchandise. These include t-shirts, key rings, caps, mugs, artwork, a rolltop bag, and a 32cm high PVC model of Bayek.^[18] Franchise owner Ubisoft have released numerous items of merchandise for the character, which is available for purchase on the official Ubisoft Store website.^[19] A player-assembled figurine of Bayek and Senu is included in the Dawn of the Creed Legendary Edition for Assassins Creed: Origins.^[20] Bayek's likeness, along with five other series protagonists, was used for a line of character-themed wine labels as part of a joint collaboration between Ubisoft and winemaker Lot18; the full name of his label is "2015 Bayek of Siwa Spanish Tempranillo".^[21]

In April 2018, Ubisoft published an opinion piece by Youssef Maguid, an employee who was born in Egypt and raised in the United States, about Bayek's importance as a figure of representation and inclusivity for him as an Egyptian American and a member of an ethnic minority.^[4]

Reception[]

Bayek has been positively received by critics and series fans, with high placements on "top character" lists.^[22][23] Bayek was named "Best New Character" by Giant Bomb for its 2017 Game of the Year Awards, and received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Character at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.^[24][25] For his role as Bayek, Abubakar Salim was nominated for Best Performer at the 14th British Academy Games Awards. Salim was also selected as one of 20 newcomer actors across film, games and television by a BAFTA jury for 2019's Breakthrough Brits; his casting and performance as Bayek was recognized by BAFTA as a career highlight.^[26] Jason Guisao from Game Informer praised Bayek's characterization as one of the most respectful representations of "blackness" in video games.^[27]

The complexity and contradictions of his identity and personality - a friendly character with empathetic traits as well as a seasoned and ruthless killer who ends up murdering thousands during his lifetime as part of his vendetta - has invited commentary from various sources.^[7][28][29] Xalavier Nelson Jr from Rock, Paper, Shotgun considered him to be one of the best fatherly archetypes in video games.^[7] Alice Bell from Videogamer.com considered Bayek to be an even better Assassin's Creed protagonist compared to Ezio, whom Bell considers to be another favorite.^[30]

Bayek's relationship with Aya has been praised by various sources. Kotaku staff considers the story of their marriage to be one of the narrative highlights of Origins.^[31][28] Patrick Klepek from Vice found the depiction of their relationship and their shared grief over the loss of their son to be powerful and believable, and that it does as much to make Origins memorable as the changes the game introduced to the franchise's combat system.^[32]

In response to Bayek's positive reception, then-chief creative officer of Ubisoft Serge Hascoët said that the character may appear in a future television or film adaptation alongside Aya.^[33] Matt Kim from US Gamer suggested that Hascoët played down the possibility of Ubisoft developing a direct sequel to Origins starring Bayek and/or Aya due to his company prioritizing the exploration of new time periods and historical settings over pre-established characters.^[34]

References[]