Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced, Ubisoft’s long-awaited pirate game remake, will feature major changes when it launches on July 9 — with the addition of new story quests and characters, but the removal of several key features.
In a detailed presentation on the game attended by IGN, Ubisoft explained that it had decided to focus solely on the single-player story of Black Flag’s pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway, meaning that the game’s Freedom Cry DLC has not been integrated, its original multiplayer mode has been ditched, and its previous playable modern day sections have been excised.
Some small modern day story offering will still be included, it sounded like, though the exact details of this are unclear. One things for sure, though, you won’t be wandering around the offices of Abstergo Entertainment as you once did — something that leaves unanswered implications for the game’s bloodline-related story.
“With Resynced, we made a clear choice,” Resynced creative director Paul Fu said. “It is a pure, story-driven adventure, and we are fully focused on Edward’s adventures in the Caribbean. As a result of this focus, we have elected to not have the multiplayer, or the DLC. Resynced is a 2026 take on the original legend, and for those of us who are curious, the original will still be available.”
Black Flag’s previous modern day let you wander around the offices of Abstergo Entertainment, which looked suspiciously like the offices of the game’s real-world developer Ubisoft Montreal. Gameplay here was limited, but players were able to access computers and gather lore, as a parallel story unfolded that focused on franchise baddie Juno and her husband. To be fair, it would be more difficult now, more than a decade later, to put all of this into context — but it remains to be seen how Black Flag’s full story is told without its inclusion, and fans have previously expressed disappointment after word leaked regarding the change.
“Back then in 2013, the present day reflected where the franchise was at,” said Assassin’s Creed franchise veteran Jean Guesdon, creative director of the original Black Flag and now Head of Content for the overall series. “It was a transition moment especially with Desmond’s story and what it meant at the time. But now with Resynced, I think there were some changes needed.”
“Today, the modern day has evolved,” Fu agreed. “For Resynced, we have approached it in a way that focuses on Edward’s journey, while still connecting his memories to the Animus. The modern day rifts in Resynced will feature new moments that focus on Edward’s internal struggles.”
While some content has been removed, Ubisoft is keen to emphasize the new additions it has been working on, including three new crewmates for Edward to befriend and install on his beloved Jackdaw. These fresh additions are original characters (introduced as Lucy Baldwin, “The Padre”, and “Dead Man Smith”) and each come with their own individual story quests to follow.
Additional scenes have been recorded with Edward himself (once again played by returning actor Matt Ryan), with other new story moments for two of the original game’s best characters, Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet. (No mention was made of more for Mary Read, though, alas.) In particular, Ubisoft called out a fresh scene featuring Edward and his wife Caroline, and stated that this had been penned by Darby McDevitt, the prolific Assassin’s Creed scribe who wrote the original Black Flag (and also Revelations, Valhalla and the upcoming Hexe, among others).
Alongside additions to the game’s story, Ubisoft has of course been tinkering with its gameplay mechanics. Combat has been rebuilt to resemble the parry-focused system seen in more recent entries, though without the addition of fancy special attacks that would have seemed out of place. Rather than a desire to make the game’s systems play exactly like the series’ recent RPGs, the developer is keen to impress that the original Black Flag still lies underneath.
“Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced matters deeply to us, and to you,” said game director Richard Knight. “That’s why we took the time to rebuild it with the care it deserves. This remains a solo adventure and character-driven experience. It is not an RPG. The focus stays on how you play, and how you explore the world.”
Familiar parkour options are also now available, including free jumps, side ejects and back ejects. You can toggle crouch, too, all of which should feel familiar to Shadows players. The original game’s fiddly eavesdrop missions will no longer auto-fail if you get detected, and there’s fresh alternate fire upgrades for the Jackdaw’s cannons.
Speaking of the Jackdaw, Resynced’s three additional crew members will add their own all-new upgrades. You can also now add a pet (either a cat or monkey) who’ll hang out with you next to the ship’s wheel. And — perhaps most importantly — sea shanties are also back, with more added.
While the game doesn’t look quite as detailed as current-gen console entry Shadows, it’s not far off. Particularly impressive are the towering waves seen while at sea, and the addition of the franchise’s recent dynamic weather system, allowing for clear blue skies to suddenly turn into stormy waters.
Much remains to be seen of how well these new additions will be integrated into Black Flag’s original content, and how the game’s existing missions may have been tweaked, too. After years of leaks, though, we now at least have a better idea what to expect — and that July 9 release date on the horizon, which is now just three months’ away. Earlier today, details of the game’s $200 Collector’s Edition also arrived — including the same Edward Kenway statue that popped up on Vinted earlier this year.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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