Yesterday, Ubisoft updated the Steam page forAssassin’s Creeed 4: Black Flag, adding references to several features that aren’t currently in the game.
As first discovered byTwitter user The Hidden One, they are as follows:
Rumours abound that Ubisoft is developing a remake of the beloved pirate game—whichEdward Kenway actor Matt Ryan even hinted at earlier this year—so it’s possible that the original Black Flag will be supplanted by the new version. That’s exactly what happened with the Assassin’s Creed 3 remaster in 2019, so there’s already a precedent.
Now might be the time to buy Black Flag if you don’t already own it—the game is just $11.99 on Steam right now.
Other games, likeBioShock, theGTAtrilogy, andDark Souls, likewise received remasters that replaced the originals, which has always been a point of contention among fans. These new versions of beloved classics are untested and can even release in a worse state, reintroducing old bugs or having AI upscaled textures as in the case of GTA. Another major concern is how delisting the original games oftentimes walls off new players from experiencing iconic and classic mods from the community. Understandably then, the mere idea of Ubisoft doing the same with Black Flag is proving controversial.
“If They Replace The OG Game With The Remake I’ll Lose It”
Commenters say that it would be a “terrible idea”, and that they “won’t support it if they do this”. Others are more hopeful, clinging onto the idea that Ubisoftmightbundle the Black Flag remake—or possibly remaster—with the original. Though it’s worth noting Assassin’s Creed 3 did not do this, so it’s very unlikely.
Some fans have claimed that if this happens, you won’t be able to download the original, but that isn’t true. You just won’t be able to buy it anymore.
At any rate, there is an upside to this news. With backend changes to the Steam store ramping up, it’s possible that Ubisoft is getting ready to finally announce the remake.The French publishing giant will reportedly release two more Assassin’s Creed games this year, with one speculated to be the multiplayer Fall Guys-style spin-off, Invictus, and the other Black Flag, so it lines up with the timeline that we currently have.
