According to the information I’ve gathered from sources close to Ubisoft’s development, the studio’s teams are working on at least two different Assassin’s Creed remakes. The first is Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, a favourite for many. For this one, Ubisoft is reusing as many assets as possible from the divisive Skull and Bones to recoup some of the losses.
For those who didn’t follow, development for Skull and Bones started back in 2013. Ubisoft introduced it at E3 2017, with a release date set for the following year. Unfortunately, due to many, many speed bumps, this date was delayed several times before finally releasing on February 16, 2024.
The end result even disappointed me. It quickly became a bit of a joke on the internet for the lack of content and stripped-down gameplay. Something as basic as boarding enemy ships, which is present in the 2013 Assassin’s Creed, is missing in the supposed pirate simulator. Simply put, it fell way short of becoming a true Black Flag spiritual successor.
With this in mind, it’s no wonder Ubisoft wants to reuse as many assets as possible to claim back some of its losses. Attaching it to a beloved, established IP (intellectual property) mitigates risk. It also speeds up development, so we’ll hopefully see it sooner rather than later.
This doesn’t mean the Black Flag remake will become a visual carbon copy of Skull and Bones. It’s likely Ubisoft simply took the 2024 title’s assets as a foundation to build around. Depending on when development began, it could look like a very different game. I just hope it’s as faithful to the original as possible, with an excellent paint job, maybe a few new missions, and a well-polished online multiplayer.
The second remake is the OG Assassin’s Creed with my boy Altair. Talks about this project date at least back to 2022. It is expected to be released as a celebration of the series’ 20th anniversary in 2027. I, for one, can’t wait to see Damascus in glorious 4K, maybe with some ray tracing, but we don’t yet know what settings Ubisoft will implement.
Keep in mind that Ubisoft is going big on AI moving forward. It’s possible it might use generative artificial intelligence in both games. I’m not saying we’ll see Neo NPCs you can interact with, but nothing’s off the table.
While projects can and do change, I hope a Black Flag remake will see the light of day. Give me a ship and canons, and I will bring you gold and glory.
