A wave of disappointment is sweeping through the Assassin’s Creed community following recent reports that Ubisoft’s highly anticipated remake of Black Flag will entirely omit its modern-day gameplay sequences.
According to a report from the French outlet Jeuxvideo, all modern-day segments from the original Black Flag are being cut from the upcoming pirate adventure remake.
Fans of the original Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag will recall stepping out of the Animus to explore Abstergo Entertainment’s offices. These sections provided crucial context, connecting pirate Edward Kenway’s adventures to the broader, overarching modern-day saga of the Assassin’s Creed universe.
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To compensate for the removed modern-day content, Ubisoft is rumored to be incorporating new gameplay elements from Kenway’s pirate era. This includes eagerly anticipated additional story content for Mary Read, a character whose full narrative potential was not realized in the original game.
Further updates for the remake are said to include completely revamped combat and gear systems, aligning them more closely with the mechanics found in recent Assassin’s Creed titles.
However, the most significant and controversial alteration appears to be the removal of Black Flag’s modern-day segments. This decision has been met with considerable backlash from the fanbase, particularly after the sparse modern-day elements in Assassin’s Creed Shadows left many players wanting more.
One fan, commenting in a Reddit thread, expressed their concern: “I hope it’s not true that they removed the modern day sections. Without the modern day storyline and ancient aliens sci-fi stuff, modern AC games are just Witcher 3 clones with stealth mechanics.”
Another user, ZeroZelath, echoed this sentiment, stating, “They need to stop removing modern day content. It’s honestly one of my favorite parts and that stems from the earlier games. I was actually looking forward to it in Shadows after how Valhalla ended but then… Shadows had literally nothing. It was such a big disappointment on that front. Like genuinely, the modern day stuff is part of how the franchise works so it should always be present in some form and be telling an overarching story.”
A third fan, kamuigui, passionately exclaimed, “Omg, Ubisoft! STOP REMOVING THE MODERN DAY SEGMENTS!!! The best of the series is the fact that was very clear that we were in a simulation!”
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Beyond just expanding the Assassin’s Creed lore, Black Flag’s modern-day interludes were integral to understanding Edward Kenway’s historical journey. This deep narrative connection has led many fans to ponder how Ubisoft plans to manage the story’s broader context without these crucial elements.
“Wouldn’t removing the modern day scenes remove a pretty big part of the story regarding the sage?” asked Reddit user Ari441, highlighting a key plot point.
“I don’t see how you can do the story without the modern day stuff tying it all together,” commented Pizzaplanet420, emphasizing that “The ending of the game [in the modern day] is literally the bookend to the entire story…”
Revisiting the abandoned modern-day narrative, especially the plot involving the long-standing antagonist Juno, would undoubtedly demand some careful re-explanation. However, given that this storyline was ultimately relegated to a spin-off comic, many feel this remake presented a golden opportunity to properly re-integrate and expand upon it within the game itself.
While Ubisoft has yet to officially confirm the highly-anticipated Black Flag remake, its development has been widely known for years through various leaks. These include hints from Edward Kenway’s own voice actor and even a company producing collectible figurines for the game. IGN has reached out to Ubisoft for further comment.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor.