Olive, the beloved pet cat of an Assassin's Creed fan, can now be found and unlocked as a digital companion in Ubisoft's feudal Japan-set Shadows.
Yesterday's big Assassin's Creed Shadows update predominantly added support for the game's first expansion, Claws of Awaji. But for one fan, something even more important was added too.
Olive is the pet cat of Ropotopolous, an Assassin's Creed YouTuber whose channel icon shows his faithful feline dressed in Renaissance Assassin robes. Now, Olive can be found within Shadows itself, dressed in a similar costume — and good grief, it's one of the best things I've ever seen.
In a video announcing Olive's inclusion, Ropotopolous said that Ubisoft developers had worked with him to hide Olive (and her uncostumed brother Benjamin, a tabby) in a specific place with Shadows' world. There's even a riddle to follow in order to find them.
"Where nature's brushstrokes twist and rise / In form, it mirrors native guise / Neither shrine, nor gate, nor scroll, but guided faith from distant soul. / Above, her golden arms meet sky, beneath, the peaceful shadow lies. / Where westward teachings softly crept, inside, a Quiet Queen is kept."
Once located, petting Olive will add her to your hideout as a digital companion, ensuring her place in Assassin's Creed canon forever more.
"I think this is the single coolest achievement of my little YouTube career so far, immortalising my cat inside my favorite video game series forever," Ropotopolous said. "For now Olive is still young and healthy but it always breaks my heart to think about what a short time with our pets.
"When Olive's time finally comes it will be special for me to visit her likeness in my favorite video game series, and I'm honored for her digital spirit to be spread across the world in this secret scavenger hunt."
Currently, Olive is only visible to owners of the new Claws of Awaji expansion, though Ubisoft is working to add her for all players in an upcoming patch. A "generic" version of Olive, with white fur, is also available as part of the game's latest free Animus rewards — though this will take a bit of grinding to obtain.
This isn't the first tie Ubisoft has added a fan's pet into an Assassin's Creed game. A cat with fur markings that looked similar to the Assassin's Creed logo was added to Assassin's Creed Mirage as a tribute to a sadly-missed real-life moggie.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
