Within the series' alternate historical setting, Ratonhnhaké:ton was born in 1756 as the illegitimate son of Haytham Kenway, a British nobleman and the leader of the North American colonial rite of the Templar Order, following his short-lived relationship with Kaniehtí:io, a Kanien’kehá:ka woman from the village of Kanatahséton.

While many reviewers found Connor to be a bland and unlikeable character due to his hotheaded nature and perceived lack of growth throughout Assassin's Creed III's narrative, more positive commentary focused on his nuanced characterization and on his distinct status as an Indigenous protagonist in the video game industry.

Watts, a fan of the Assassin's Creed series, enjoyed his time voice acting and performance capturing for the game, and appreciated the opportunity to portray a Native character in such a public platform.

He also chose to emphasize that English is the character's second language by purposefully not using contractions early on in the story and by implementing them towards the end of the game to signify how Connor's vocabulary has improved and developed over time.

As shown in Assassin's Creed III, Connor was born as Ratonhnhaké:ton in 1756 to Kaniehtí:io, a Kanien’kehá:ka woman from the village of Kanatahséton, following her brief relationship with Haytham Kenway, the Grand Master of the Colonial Rite of the Templar Order.

Juno claims that Ratonhnhaké:ton must join the Assassins to save his village from destruction, and directs him to the homestead of Achilles Davenport, the retired Mentor of the Colonial Brotherhood.

[15] Upon finding his village abandoned, Connor learns that the land has been sold by the newly-formed United States government to cover its war debts, and realizes that he failed to protect his people.

[16] Connor concludes his journey by agreeing with Haytham that the world can be selfish and cruel; however, he refuses to give up in his fight for a better future, believing that things can improve, even if not during his own lifetime.

The mission, set in 1777, sees Connor helping Aveline de Grandpré, a fellow Assassin from the Louisiana Brotherhood, eliminate a Templar and Loyalist officer who has taken refuge in a fort in the New York Frontier.

The market analysis reveals that Abstergo was looking into the possibility of using Connor as the protagonist of a future project, but ultimately decided against it due to finding him too stoic outside of the occasional moments of anger, and thinking that most audiences would not be interested in learning about Mohawk culture.

His story arc is set in 1776, during the events of Asasssin's Creed III, and follows Connor as he is contacted by Achilles Davenport to rescue an imprisoned Son of Liberty in Boston.

In a contemporary review of Assassin's Creed III for PSM3, Joel Gregory was disappointed by Connor's character arc, saying that although his skills develop over the course of the main storyline, his personality does not.

In a 2021 list by PC Gamer, he came out last, with the reviewer calling Connor a boring protagonist who "sulks, pouts, and complains his way through what is also the worst Assassin's Creed game."

In his review of Assassin's Creed III, PC Gamer's Chris Thursten said that Connor's characterisation is strong, and that he "will get some flak simply for not being Ezio, but he comes into his own in the second half of the game.

[29] Alex Hutchinson, Assassin’s Creed 3 creative director, wanted to steer clear of the stereotypical and cliché depiction of non-white characters, so they focused on giving Ratonhnhaké:ton a deeper narrative than solely being Native.

[34][35] In a 2022 retrospective on Indigenous representation in video games, Comic Book Resources highlighted Assassin's Creed III and the character of Connor as a "valiant effort," and praised Ubisoft's decision to work with Mohawk consultants in order to portray and explore Native American culture, beliefs and language respectfully.