They first appear as the player characters of the 2015 video game Assassin's Creed Syndicate, in which they are portrayed through performance capture by Paul Amos (Jacob) and Victoria Atkin (Evie).

Both Jacob and Evie have received a generally positive reception from critics, with praise directed at their conflicting personalities, which is reflected in their individual gameplay style.

Evie in particular has drawn unanimous approval for her status as a female protagonist in the Assassin's Creed main series games, and has generated wider discussions about gender representation within the franchise since her first appearance.

[4][5] According to Syndicate creative director Marc-Alexis Cote, the idea eventually evolved into a pair of twin protagonists, and a brother-sister relationship that is emotionally accessible for many players but which Ubisoft staff had yet to explore at the time.

Cote said the team came to a realization when developing the concept for Syndicate's protagonists that they could tell a more interesting and playful story through the relationship between a pair of twin siblings by insisting on their differences.

[6][7] Lead writer of Syndicate Jeffrey Yohalem indicated during a 2015 interview that the team deliberately avoided giving Jacob a female love interest in the main storyline and suggested that he needed to "figure himself out to some degree" following his brief partnership with rival gang leader Maxwell Roth.

[8] In a 2015 interview published by The Mary Sue, MacCoubrey suggested that Jacob's "approach to human interaction is so vastly different" that he pushes others back before he can even contemplate bringing them in.

[3] Evie's designers opted for more functional attire befitting of a female Assassin, which is defined by the use of sharp angles, long coat, the red sash, the white color and obviously the hood and the hidden blade.

The twins' mother died of complications during childbirth, deeply affecting Ethan, who subsequently took a very rigorous and distant approach to raising and training his children as Assassins.

While Evie grew up idolizing their father, Jacob's more rebellious attitude often put him at odds with Ethan, who eventually died of pleurisy in early 1868, shortly before the events of Syndicate.

The Brotherhood leadership is hesitant to send any Assassin to heed Henry's request for help, so the Frye twins, after learning that Starrick is searching for a powerful Piece of Eden that could further his goals, decide to disobey orders and travel to London to put an end to the Templars' schemes.

Once in the city, Jacob and Evie are met by Henry Green, who reveals himself to be the son of Indian Assassin Arbaaz Mir and an old acquaintance of their late father Ethan.

Prior to this, Jacob and Evie oversaw Lydia's training as her parents were frequently abroad on missions for the Brotherhood before being relocated to the countryside on the outbreak of World War I.

Evie is also featured in the 2016 comic book miniseries, Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Locus, in which she teams up with Henry and Pinkerton detective Tommy Greyling to thwart a Templar plot in London in 1872.

[16] The twins are referenced in passing in the 2018 installment Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, though Evie may be recruited as a simulated lieutenant on the ship Adrestia if players unlock this feature via Ubisoft Club.

Jacob Frye is a potential easter egg reference in the backstory for procedurally generated characters in the game world of Legion, which is also set in London, during the 21st century.

[20] The twins later make a full-fledged crossover appearance in the Watch Dogs universe as part of a major 2021 update that introduced optional story content for Legion, where it is revealed that they are the ancestors of Darcy Clarkson, a recruitable player character who is a member of the Assassin Brotherhood, and her brother Lucas.

[25] The Frye twins have received a generally positive response from critics and are often ranked in high placements in lists of "top" character in Assassin Creed franchise.

[40] Tanya DePass praised Syndicate as an uncommon example of a video game that properly handles diverse representation, primarily due to its portrayal of Evie.

[10] James Troughton from TheGamer considered the situation to be an instance of bisexual erasure and was disappointed by the fact that Ubisoft's writers were unable or unwilling to depict Jacob's sexuality in an unambiguous manner within the storyline of Syndicate.