Assassin’s Creed IV: Black flag remake is now (almost) officially a thing

Assassin’s Creed has a fine and storied tradition of not keeping secrets very well. The reports of a Black Flag remake that circulated in 2023 were only the latest in a long line of leaks and accidental reveals that feel as fundamental to the franchise as hay bales and hidden blades.

And now – get this – series director Jean Guesdon has very strongly hinted that there is indeed a remake in the works.

We’ll leave a beat for you to perform your exaggerated pantomime surprise gestures here. All done? Good. Our story begins with a 2023 Kotaku report that Skull & Bones developer Ubisoft Singapore was working on a reworking of the 2013 piratical action-RPG Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. 

This was especially exciting news, because that particular game remains one of the series’ finest jaunts. Set in the historical Caribbean, when eye patches were must-haves and the air was thick with the scent of rum and the sound of sea shanties, it translated the parkour, melee combat and stealth mechanics of the earlier games brilliantly to a fresh new setting. One that felt invigorating to inhabit, sail around, and plunder. 

With Ubisoft refraining from commenting at the time, we were left with subtle clues in the interim to reinforce the report. Like Matt Ryan, the voice actor who played protagonist Edward Kenway, heavily hinting that the remake was on the way. Then the brief appearance of the name ‘Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced’ on the website of ratings board PEGI. Then several apparent merchandise leaks including a figurine and art book. 

It’s hardly been locked away in a secure vault, then, but a recent post on the official Ubisoft blog has finally acknowledged the project’s existence in a semi-official capacity. 

“What matters most to us is giving each project the time it deserves and releasing them when they are ready,” writes franchise director Jean Guesdon.

“Speculation around Assassin's Creed is not new, but it's worth repeating: ‘Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.’ Well, except in this case, some whispers have a little more wind in their sails. Keep your spyglass on the horizon.”

If that wasn’t clear enough on its own, below that text on the blog is an image bearing the name and logo of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced.

And… that’s it. For now, anyway. If we know marketing teams and their content plans, expect a trailer in the next few months after this initial ‘hype beat’.