The Assassin’s Creed series has been a consistent hit for Ubisoft, with the series evolving over time into one of the most consistent hits the publisher has ever had. However, the series has found itself in an interesting place lately, with the future of the series somewhat in flux after Ubisoft’s recent string of major changes. While some established series like Prince of Persia had their next games shuttered, Assassin’s Creed was able to keep up momentum with several games in development.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest games coming up for the franchise feels like a step back, even if it’s towards a highlight in the series. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is one of the best games in the series, and it’s getting a remake 13 years after it debuted in the form of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynched. The problem is that the series as a whole is best when it’s actually moving forward, meaning this step back might be a bad sign for the direction of the franchise.
The Assassin’s Creed games have been something of a mixed bag for some gamers — including this writer. The sandbox approach to mission objectives is an effective way to let the player make their own fun, with the period settings and tight action delivering some engaging gameplay. However, the overarching narrative, repetitive missions, and self-serious tone always complicated my outright appreciation for the series. That was, at least, until I played Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. The open-ended nature of the game, coupled with the natural sense of exploration and adventure that came with the mechanics of traveling across the open sea during the Golden Age of Piracy, lent itself easily to an engaging experience.
It was a game where it was very easy to simply go explore on your own and elevate your legend as a pirate, rather than simply embark on the various campaign missions. It was an engaging experience that still holds up visually and mechanically over a decade since it debuted. It’s so rock solid, in fact, that a modern remaster or remake feels unnecessary. There’s little to complain about for this game specifically that doesn’t impact the overall franchise — and the repetitive missions and overarching sci-fi narrative are less distracting in this title than in any other. Black Flag has the sort of depth and care put into its development that it doesn’t really feel like there was anything left on the table. Even though the game debuted on the PS3 and Xbox 360, the graphics look solid in the modern day. A remaster could update it visually and give it a more refined sheen, but I’m not sure what polish Ubisoft can really add to this game to justify a remake.
Assassin’s Creed is in an intriguing place right now. Amidst the chaos of Ubisoft’s recent internal shifts in focus, the Assassin’s Creed series received some serious attention. The future of the franchise is varied, ranging from the Black Flag Remake and the upcoming single-player Assassin’s Creed: Hexe to the PVP multiplayer Assassin’s Creed: Invictus and the mobile title Assassin’s Creed: Jade. This scattershot approach suggests that Ubisoft is unsure of the exact direction to take the series going forward, with plenty of possible routes signified by different gameplay styles and approaches.
Hexe is the most exciting of all of them, with a potentially supernatural tint and a new historical era promising a new perspective on the hyper-successful franchise. The success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows highlighted that this approach is still something that mainstream gamers want, and Hexe‘s continued development is a promising sign that the developers will continue to innovate with the series. It was that same sense of experimentation that landed Ubisoft on Black Flag in the first place, incorporating plenty of new mechanics and tweaks to push the game in a fresh direction.
That’s what Hexe is trying to do, and it’s a promising development for a series that thrives when it tries something new. I worry that the Black Flag remake will slow down that momentum. Looking to the past and hoping to repeat prior successes — especially when the original is still a worthwhile pick and widely available on online platforms — feels like a step backwards for a franchise that has always been at its best when it’s trying something new. I don’t want to repeat the adventures of Edward Kenway, even if he is one of my favorite protagonists in the series. I may have my struggles with staying engaged with the series on a game-to-game basis, but I appreciate when it takes a big format swing to embrace the new period, as with Shadows or Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. I don’t want remakes to become the primary focus of the series. Instead, I hope that the franchise continues to evolve. I may love Black Flag, but I don’t need a remake to remind me of that.
