Rumors about an Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake have been flying around for a while now—ever since 2024, to be precise, when InsiderGaming broke the news that publisher Ubisoft was bringing arguably the most successful game on the franchise to a modern iteration of its Anvil Engine (the project is codenamed “Obsidian”, by the way). Some time later, a line of action figures from Black Flag (and only Black Flag) got pulled from most shelves without any reason offered.
Now, the rumor mill has started spinning again, courtesy of actor Matt Ryan, who lent his voice talents to Black Flag’s lead character, Edward Kenway. During a fan interaction where he was asked if he had ever finished the game he worked on, he stated, uncertainly: “well you may have to beat it again. There’s a reason I say that but I can’t say.”
You can see the interaction in the video below (thanks, @TheRealZephryss!):
But the thing is: do we really need a Black Flag remake at all? Well, we can’t really decide for you, so we’ll give you six reasons—three pros and three cons—so you can think about it:
Yay
Attracting new players with a modern take on a classic
Yes, Black Flag is a classic. And yes, we’re that old. You might be thinking “but it came on the PlayStation 3”…yeah, in October 2013, which is 12 years ago, if you’re keeping count. And being a classic game—an incredibly successful one at that—a lot of current-gen gamers might’ve missed out on the fun.
But here’s the thing: Ubisoft is not attracting new players with a PS3 game. In fact, if you fire up Black Flag on the old console right now, most of its gameplay, core mechanics and visuals will certainly feel…outdated, to say the least. And there is this concept called “money” that Ubisoft seems to be so-very-fond of, so there’s that…
A remake would definitely remedy that situation: think Final Fantasy VII. Granted, the remake is a whole different thing than its original counterpart, but it did help Square Enix bring new players through a brand that only older users knew and loved.
Reengaging a captivating story and even improving it
Edward Kenway is arguably one of the best Assassin’s Creed protagonists, and for some, he stands equal to Assassin’s Creed 2’s Ezio Auditore and towers of a personal favorite of mine: Odyssey’s Kassandra of Agiad. He’s charming, incredibly charismatic and has a backstory that sets him apart from most of the lead characters’ franchise.
Kenway’s story is one of necessity that becomes duty, instead of a journey of vengeance or a straight up higher calling. Instead of simply accepting an imposed grand mission by some higher being, Edward is constantly conflicted, divided between accepting the larger-than-life task or just using it to escape whatever Earthly problems ails him at the time, so he can go back to being a simple pirate.
Granted, us older people know how things end, but that’s the beauty of it: much of Kenway’s later life—events for after the game, even—is largely unknown except for those who were really interested in deep-diving the Assassin’s Creed lore. A remake might expand on that, showing us, for instance, the game’s ties to Assassin’s Creed 3 and his grandson, the Mohawk native Ratonhnhaké:ton/Connor Kenway.
Ubisoft owes us a good pirate game
Whatever the hell Skull and Bones was, it under delivered. Badly. And that’s me being polite: the game did not live up to its expectations after more than five delays and a launch that undermined the hype Ubisoft itself created.
Black Flag, on the other hand, had it all: naval battles that took your breath for a ride, an already established great plot and characters, and gameplay mechanics that were not only solid on its execution, but had an amazing fluidity. Basically, everything in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag fits.
By bringing all of that to the modern technology from newer consoles and current PC components—while changing little here and there—Ubisoft can, maybe, recover some of its lost credibility with its fanbase. As long as they keep true to source, updating and implementing the most cosmetic stuff first (if not “only”), a Black Flag remake is bound to be a major release, regardless of when it comes out.
Nay
ANOTHER remake? Seriously?
One major gripe I have with the current state of the gaming industry: it became too reliant on remakes and remasters. Now, truth be told, I don’t mind the Final Fantasy VII Remake or Konami’s upcoming Metal Gear Delta: Snake Eater, but these are ages older than a game that, for some people, still holds water.
Instead, Ubisoft should focus on delivering new IP—one that is actually engaging and cater to its core audience. And let go a little from the live service stuff: most people don’t mind the occasional online component, as long as it is not forced nor mandatory. We get it, Ubi: you like money. So do we, and that’s why we’re increasingly careful where we spend it.
There will be changes and you probably won’t like them
The thing about excellent games from the past? They have little to improve even within a modern take aspect. And in trying to do so, Ubisoft might just make it worse: the aforementioned Metal Gear Delta is a good example of this. Given the stressful departure of series creator Hideo Kojima and the non-involvement of Snake’s longtime voice actor David Hayter, the game’s announcement had equal parts hype and skepticism. Luckily, Konami has mostly dissuaded those fears by stating that they’ll only upgrade gameplay and visuals, while keeping the original story and audio files intact.
Ubisoft is rather secretive of its own projects, as they should, but Assassin’s Creed is arguably one of the most leaked franchises in the industry. Personally, I can’t think of any of the brand’s games that didn’t have its beans spilled before they were supposed to. If Ubisoft gets too excited about this project and go overboard with it, you can be sure the changes will come out—and the publisher may not be ready to face any potential backlash.
This is a game that users are very passionate about, after all, which brings me to the next point…
Black Flag is still a very sturdy ship and doesn’t really need renovations
No, we’ll not apologize for any sailing puns we throw your way. Especially when you take time to consider that, albeit coming out 12 years ago, is Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag really that outdated? For some of us, the franchise’s older titles still have some fight left in them…
Sure, a new generation of gamers has been born since the game’s inception, but Black Flag still makes the rounds on most gaming conversations. Granted, it is not the most up-to-date product, but a lot of its core mechanics are used as arguments compared to the franchise’s later games (especially for people who were not particularly fond of the Origins/Odyssey/Valhalla expanded RPG shift).
While the original Black Flag experience might feel somewhat off for younger audiences, the original premise is still very engaging—expansive without feeling overwhelmingly big—and there were small remaster-like releases of it for later platforms as well.
Final thoughts
You would be forgiven if, after reading through all of this, you feel divided. Trust me, so do we: on one hand, the timing might favor Ubisoft, as the publisher finally realized that the RPG approach from Valhalla and other, more recent titles was not everyone’s cup of tea, which in turn made it return to the franchise’s stealth action/parkour roots (a premise that Black Flag thrives upon) so this remake, real or not, could stand to gain a lot for the brand and the company.
On the other hand, Ubisoft might change for the worse something that was not only solid, but borderline perfect.
Personally, I’d welcome it, as long as Ubisoft respected its own canon and core mechanics.
What about you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!