Gaming Column: “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate” The Real-Life Evie and Jacob Frye

“Assassin’s Creed Syndicate” takes place in Victorian London during the Industrial Revolution. In the game you play as twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye who are in the middle of a different revolution. Jacob and Evie are fighting against the Templars, who run most of the city. The twins form a gang called the Rooks in order to combat the growing power of the Templars. The gang starts out small but quickly grow by integrating other gangs into their ranks.

Jacob is the one who unites most of the gangs that control the underground businesses of London. Jacob’s role within the game is a direct reference to the crime lord Billy Kimber. Kimber became the head of a crime conglomerate by integrating as many gangs as possible into his ranks.

Another way Jacob and Kimber are similar is referenced in the game’s gang strengthening option screen. The player is given the option to let invest money in pubs, carts, bribe policemen and even sabotage your enemies’ weapons and vehicles. This allows you to earn more money and get advantages against the “Blighter” gang, a recurring enemy. This is how Kimber ran his crime syndicate, by making money from pubs and shops and by using his resources to get an advantage over his competition. He also bribed officers into looking the other way whenever he and his gang committed crimes. Both Jacob and Billy are interested in annexing other gangs and building up their armies to take control of the city.

Evie is also inspired by a real-life gang member of “The Forty Elephants Gang,” and her name was Alice Diamond. In the game, Evie prefers stealth and quick getaways, often taking to the shadows to get the job done. She uses knives as her weapon of choice and Diamond was no different. Evie can hold a maximum of 30 knives, and she performs stealth kills by silently throwing her knives to bring down unsuspecting enemies. Diamond also did her work from the shadows, using knives and quick kills to deal with policemen who entered her territory. She was also known to dress as a man, so no one would recognize her, much like how Evie hides her face by covering it with a hood. It is in this way that Evie perfectly matches up to Diamond.

Evie and Jacob Frye appear to be the video game versions of Alice Diamond and Billy Kimber, some of the most iconic gangsters to ever come out of London.