Assassin's Creed: Lineage is a series of three Canadian short films based on the Assassin's Creed video game series, directed by Yves Simoneau. The films are made by Ubisoft Montreal in collaboration with Hybride Technology, and mark Ubisoft's first attempt to step into the film industry. The three short films were released on YouTube to promote Assassin's Creed II, to which they serve as a prequel, describing the history of Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his family before the events of the game. The films primarily revolve around Ezio's father Giovanni (played by Romano Orzari), an Assassin from 15th-century Florence, and his investigation of the mysterious murder of the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, which leads him to confront a larger conspiracy.The first episode was released on 26 October 2009, followed by the other two on 12 November. The complete film was released on 14 November 2009.