VIDEO: Assassin's Creed creator's next game offers intriguing take on episodic formula

Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Désilets’ next game, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, will put an interesting spin on the episodic formula.

The narrative-driven game will be released in episodes, but the title will also offer an open-world sandbox. Once you complete an objective, you can then continue to spend some time in the game world between episodes.

“[Ancestors] is an episodic, narrative-driven game where we leave you there with the toy in between episodes," Désilets explained.

“If your goal as a caveman is to harness the power of fire, once you meet that objective you are left in an open world to experiment with that fire, try to survive, and pass your knowledge along to your progeny."

For example, Désilets spoke of one sequence featuring a huge bush fire. You must flee with your family, but then you work out how fire can benefit you. You go back to your tribe, build a fire, and then the story is yours to create until another adventure is released.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey will take place throughout history and will feature a variety of protagonists in a number of settings. Désilets has more than 20 scenarios in mind, ranging from the early domestication of animals to the first Moon landing.

Désilets plans to release the game on PC, but says that console versions will probably come down the line.