Assassin’s Creed is no doubt Ubisoft’s top video game series, and the French company has been putting out Assassin’s Creed games since 2007. These games involve assassination and parkour in huge cities and feature historical settings like the Renaissance or the French Revolution. However, one game in the series stood out for featuring a unique twist on the formula, one that could be described as “Assassin’s Creed meets Pirate of the Caribbean”.
Released back in 2013, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag let players live out their pirate fantasies in the Caribbean, playing as ship captain Edward Kenway. The game was more about living the life of a pirate than the series’ famous Templars vs Assassins conflict, although the series’ interludes taking place in the modern day were still featured.
Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was the series’ fourth entry and sold a hefty 15 million units over its lifetime, meaning many truly fell in love with this pirate adventure. It was later surpassed in sales by Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but given its unique pirate setting and the fact it was a smash hit back in the day, it has been chosen by Ubisoft to be the first Assassin’s Creed game to get a remake.
That’s right, Black Flag will be getting a remake this summer. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will be arriving on July 9, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
The thing is, will this be a great remake of the 2013 classic game? Ubisoft released a “world premiere” trailer to whet players’ appetites before this summer’s launch and it does look spectacular.
The French company is seemingly putting its Anvil engine (the one it used for last years’ Assassin’s Creed Shadows) to great use here, with the game’s Caribbean setting looking more convincing than ever. The original game was also a looker mind you, but the upgraded graphics should certainly make playing through Captain Edward Kenway’s story an even better experience this summer. Ubisoft also seems to be paying special attention to water simulation which should lead to some impressive in-game waves for sure, and weather (via its Anvil Atmos system) meaning life at sea aboard the Jackdaw, Edward’s ship, should be even more convincing.
Of course, while the original game put more emphasis on sailing and ship combat than parkour, you also got to do plenty of the latter, climbing magnificent buildings like Havana’s Cathedral. The game’s parkour mechanics have been upgraded with new moves like back ejects as the company explains on its website.
And it’s clear that Ubisoft is putting a lot of care into this remake, with the game’s director saying that the game “matters deeply to us, and to you”. This is why Ubisoft “took the time to rebuild it with the care it deserves”.
It’s what’s missing, though, that might annoy those who enjoyed this pirate adventure back in the day. For starters, the original Black Flag’s multiplayer mode is gone, while the Freedom Cry DLC starring Edward’s shipmate Adewale won’t be getting the remake treatment.
Captain Edward Kenway is returning this summer in Ubisoft’s Black Flag remake.
The biggest omission, though, is the modern day segments taking place in the offices of Abstergo, a company that bore an uncanny resemblance to Assassin’s Creed makers Ubisoft in the original game… It’s a controversial choice, as those segments added to the series’ lore, were entertaining, and continued the modern day story taking place in the earlier Assassin’s Creed 3 involving present day protagonist Desmond.
But the parallel story (also featuring Roman goddess Juno) might feel slightly out of place to newcomers of the series though, so it does make sense for Ubisoft to have removed these bits from the remake… Fans might miss those gameplay sections though, even if Ubisoft is including “modern day rifts” in which Edward could visit locations in the future. This could be similar to the rifts in Assassin’s Creed Unity, which took game protagonist Arno to Belle Epoque and World War II Paris for example.
Besides this, other aspects of the game will be improved and new content will be added according to Ubisoft. Three new characters – officers – can join your crew, each with their own new story quest, and more special abilities to use during naval combat. There’s more of Blackbeard too, while you can also have a pet monkey (or a cat). Plus, those annoying stealth missions in the original game have been reworked so its not instant game over if you get caught…
So maybe this remake turns out to be better than the original game, then. But if that’s not the case, at least we’ll always have the original game to play. Yes, Ubisoft won’t be removing the original from sale, which shows confidence in their upcoming game. So here’s hoping Assasin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced turns out to be a great remake that fans of the series and newcomers can enjoy come this summer, then.