The next big Assassin’s Creed game from Ubisoft isn’t a totally new adventure. Instead, it’s Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a modern remake of the original 2013 Black Flag. This new game is a first for Ubisoft. The company has never remade a past Assassin’s Creed title. So why do it now? Why Black Flag? And what’s new and what’s missing? Don’t you worry! We have answers for all of those questions and more below.
What is Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced?
Black Flag Resynced is a full-blown remake of the classic Black Flag. It is built from the ground up using the same tech that powered 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Ubisoft confirmed with Kotaku that this new remake contains zero code, assets, or files from the original Black Flag. It is a brand new game that is trying to be a faithful remake of the original, while adding some new content and making some big and small changes.
When is Black Flag Resynced releasing?
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will be released on July 9.
What platforms will Resynced be available on?
Ubisoft has confirmed that Black Flag Resynced will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, Epic Store, and Ubisoft’s own PC storefront.
How much will it cost?
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will cost $60 for the standard edition. A special edition with some extra costumes will be available for $70. If you pre-order the game, you get a bonus outfit and other exclusive cosmetics.
Why is Ubisoft remaking Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag?
Good question! The real, actual answer is that games take a long time to make and are very expensive. So while Ubisoft’s various teams work on new entries in the series, like Hexe, the publisher had Ubisoft Singapore (Skull and Bones) develop a remake of one of the most popular games in the series. It’s a safe bet in an industry currently paralyzed by risk. But Ubisoft also says that it wanted to remake Black Flag because it made sense in 2026.
Here’s Paul Knight, the game’s director, explaining why the remake is happening via a recent interview with Kotaku:
“If you just ignore the number—Assassin’s Creed 4—if you just think about it as Black Flag, it has a lot of things [going] for it. Black Flag has this iconic character that everybody remembers…You’ve got a great setting in the Caribbean that people kind of miss a little bit these days. You’ve got two different types of gameplay. You’ve got the naval shooty-shooty gameplay, and you’ve got sort of that stealth stabby-stabby gameplay. So you’ve got all these things, and then it’s also just old enough again that it allows you to dream about what it could be.”
Is the map bigger? Or smaller?
Trick question, the map is actually the same size. Black Flag Resynced‘s open world is still 16km x 16km, like the original’s. But this time around, Ubisoft has added new islands and places to explore, making the map feel more dense.
Did Ubisoft add anything new to Black Flag Resynced?
Yup! Ubisoft has added a lot of new content to Black Flag‘s upcoming remake. There are around six hours of new content, according to Ubisoft, including new missions, ship officers to recruit, new cutscenes, and an expanded endgame.
Is this an RPG?
No. Ubisoft has been very clear about that since revealing the remake. There is no skill tree, loot, or leveling-up system like in Valhalla or Origins. Assassin’s Creed fans who hate the RPG games can enjoy this one and not grumble. But don’t assume Ubisoft is done making RPG sequels. That’s not the case.
Are the modern-day segments back?
Nope. The original modern-day segments, which involved players walking around a game studio in first-person and solving puzzles while chatting people up, have been completely removed. Ubisoft says that this change is part of its plans to evolve how it tells modern-day stories in the franchise. For those who love the modern-day parts of Assassin’s Creed, like me, this is sad news. But for the many of you who hate that stuff, congrats, it’s all gone. Well, mostly. There are still some Animus shenanigans happening in the remake that you can discover if you look around.
Is Freedom Cry a part of this remake?
Sadly, no. Ubisoft decided early on in development not to remake Freedom Cry. Instead, the team is focusing on Edward Kenway’s pirate adventure. But fear not, fans of Adewale! I bring some good news. The leads on Resynced both told Kotaku that there is some new content in the remake that expands on the former-slave-turned-pirate-assassin’s narrative. And when I asked Knight about remaking Freedom Cry in the future, he told me that “nothing is off the table.” So, there’s hope.
Is multiplayer coming back?
Also no. This was a day-one decision, Ubisoft told Kotaku. I really liked the online PvP multiplayer in Black Flag and some of the older Assassin’s Creed games, but they were odd ducks, and I get why Ubisoft decided to not to bring the mode back for this remake.
All the cool ship stuff is back, right?
Oh, you better believe it! In fact, Ubisoft Singapore has invested a lot of time into making the naval combat and ocean exploration more exciting than in the original game. The ocean in Resynced is far more dynamic, with bigger waves and weather events that can cause all sorts of chaos during battles.
Meanwhile, Black Flag Resynced still uses the quadrant aiming system from the original game, forcing players to turn their ship more to target enemies. But, ships are now more destructible and come with more ways to damage them, thanks to new alt-fire modes that have been added in the remake. After playing a few hours earlier this month, I came away impressed by how awesome ship battles are in the remake, and I can’t wait to go hunting legendary vessels (which return) when Resynced launches in July.
Is Black Flag Resynced canon? Is the original game not canon?
Wait, you want more information. Fine. Okay, Ubisoft explained how both games are canon when I spoke to the lead devs on the remake earlier this month. It’s weird, but it works.
Is Ubisoft removing the original Black Flag from stores?
No! Ubisoft has been clear that it has no plans to remove the original Black Flag or the next-gen remaster that came out years ago from storefronts. Even after the remake is out on Steam, you’ll still be able to buy, install, and play the original classic Black Flag from 2013. And that’s how it should be. Thanks, Ubisoft.
Wait, is there not a colon in the title?
It’s wild, right? Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is basically a sentence and yet…no colon. Not a one. In fact, based on my research, Ubisoft stopped including them in Assassin’s Creed titles back in 2016. Weird stuff. I asked game director Paul Knight about this, and while he thought it was a very “interesting question,” he told me it was out of his hands. Blame marketing and publishing people. Fair. But I’m still annoyed.
