Meet Assassin's Creed™ for PLAYSTATION®3, your average, everyday game of roof-jumping medieval mayhem featuring disgraced hitman Altair's quest to avenge his honor during the Third Crusade.

And hey, what better source of inspiration when it comes to storming castles and butchering unsuspecting arms dealers than petite, affable producer Jade Raymond, notable more for dazzling smiles than any latent death wish? But then, that's the beauty of the interactive entertainment industry, whose stock value's sure to get a boost when the tactically-minded action title ships this November – as insiders know, first appearances can be deceiving.

Nonetheless, "It's not a strange a fit as you might think," laughs Raymond, a bubbly brunette whose charming Canadian accent (the game's been in development for 3 years by 150+ people at UbiSoft's Montreal Studio) belies her bloodthirsty ways. "Being a fighting game fan – I once spent a whole summer beating an uncle in Tekken® 3 – and after working on several girlie/casual titles, you know… I was just ready to blow stuff up."

Amusingly, however, rock 'em sock 'em combos had little influence on her newest creation's design, she insists, claiming that it naturally boasts more in common with… a sports simulation? "We wanted to capture the tactile experience of bumping into people, almost like a football game," Raymond explains. "Although I suppose you could also make some valid comparisons to Metal Gear Solid."

Screeeeeeeech! Hold up a second, let's rewind. Not to beat a dead horse, but seriously… Come again: How does one, especially a foxy young female, go from working with family-friendly franchises like The Sims™ to one focusing on employing ever more flamboyant ways to literally get away with murder? "We don't talk about initiation rites around here," laughs Raymond, "although our team is known for wrapping people in cellophane."

Try not to think too hard about it, she smiles, suggesting her presence on such an ambitious project – work began right after the completion of 2003 epic Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time™ – had more to do with serendipity than any sadistic tendencies. "A small core team was given the mandate to create a new IP specifically designed to take advantage of next-gen hardware," she elaborates. "I joined a few months later to help add structure and focus."

And indeed, focus was desperately needed. True, by the time she came on, its creators had already been experimenting with convincing and photorealistic crowd dynamics ("we wanted to do something that had never been done before"). But while the team had tons of ideas for general group interaction (including character models that stop to talk, rest when tired or eat when hungry), narrowing down an actual compelling game design was somewhat trickier. Thankfully, a little hard work – and a lot of shameless screwing around – saw the unflappable ingénue and her cohorts rise (or lower themselves, depending on your perspective) to the occasion.

"Once we'd ensured the crowds which inhabit each stage didn't look or react like mindless zombies, we started to brainstorm ways in which people could be used in place of standard play elements," she sagely posits. "Deciding whether to case an area or go in full-force, then finding a way to quickly get in and out after making your kill (generally the more acrobatically, the better), is the player's choice – and a central play dynamic. But what we really wanted was to find ways that crowds would affect your strategy, by helping you or getting in your way."

Therefore instead of standard traps like fire pits or spinning blades, you get drunken dudes that assault you or vase-carrying passersby who, if accidentally bumped, drop their charges, instantly alerting guards to your approach. And, of course, exceptionally adaptive AI opponents, a feature the team first learned to truly appreciate when idly diddling around with an early demo version. "Guards take the shortest path to you – in one sample test, they wound up accidentally stumbling into each other, falling, then getting up and attacking their friends, like something out of a late-night comedy skit," Raymond chuckles. "We liked that surprising computer-controlled behavior so much we left a lot in."

Still, most of what's fun about the game, she says, comes from being bad – even if it feels oh-so-good while your hands are on that SIXAXIS™ wireless controller. "Altair hunts his victims like a bird of prey," she says, beginning to work up a slight lather. "It's not just about the moment of the kill – it's about the build-up to that moment, and then the adrenaline-filled escape."

Typical scenario: An evil merchant's on his wait to a clandestine meeting in ancient city Damascus. Armed with long sword, short sword, daggers and retractable forearm-mounted blade, you survey the thriving thoroughfares below.

In the distance, archers line the rooftops; jumping past yawning alleyways, you climb nearby buildings and silence these sentries – who won't be replaced – with a precisely-hurled knife. Suddenly, your target's spotted, and you leap down to jab him in the chest. As he lies whispering a dying curse and promise of being avenged, someone lets out a scream. Cue a tense chase between stalls and shrieking mobs of peasants, filled with flying leaps and gory split-second takedowns, culminating in your ultimate escape or downfall.

So, did the motivation for such a high-concept game come from an equally avant-garde source? "Hardly," Raymond snickers. "Our creative director was at a hockey game trying to get to the bathroom as fast as possible before the beginning of the second period, when he suddenly realized how tricky navigating through a bunch of people could be."

Commonplace as the game's origins are though, there's little garden-variety about it, prompting us to wonder if the challenges of developing such an ambitious outing ever weigh heavy on a certain bright-eyed young lass. Say, enough to make her want to, well… hurt someone?

"Not yet," she smiles sweetly. "But keep asking these silly questions and see where it gets you."