One of the most snowballing stories in gaming just started rolling much faster, barreling into online discourse over whether or not the latest layers to the story are worth celebrating. New details about the long-rumoured “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” remake have surfaced, and like the sun’s gonna shine, the fans are gonna argue.
Quick context: this rumoured project dates back years, and every few months a new crumb of intel has further spurred this rumour from the realm of “a nice dream” to “actually might be real” territory. You can get the full background of the story from our previous report.
The latest leak, courtesy of Jeux Vidéo Magazine on YouTube, is the largest yet, offering some of the first actual clues about what elements of the game may have been remade in the current-gen version of the title, which originally released way back in 2013.
The video (which is in French) claims to have details from a variety of sources, so be sure to take these details with a grain of salt, as there are some inconsistencies. For one, the publication claims Ubisoft is aiming for a March 2026 release window, but mentions other sources claiming it could slip later in the year.
The changes outlined in the video indicate that the remake will follow the form of more recent titles like “Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey” and “Assassin’s Creed: Shadows,” moving into an RPG-style game with the implementation of gear stats and changes to loot systems. It’s also been developed with Ubisoft’s Anvil engine, the same used in “Assassin’s Creed: Shadows,” which makes for fantastic-looking games.
Other changes include the removal of loading screens when the player moves from ship to land, additional side content on the islands scattered throughout the map and the inclusion of content cut from the game’s original release. Most notably, though, it will supposedly do away with the long-standing present-day storyline that most “Assassin’s Creed” games include, steering away from characters like Desmond Miles and Layla Hassan to focus more runtime on protagonist Edward Kenway and its historical pirate setting.
Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag is one of The Greatest Video Games Ubisoft ever made, here are 12 of the most fascinating details and mechanics that I've found while playing it (a thread)
#1 Whales can be seen jumping out of the Sea pic.twitter.com/URTUCpq2m3
— NikTek (@NikTekOfficial) March 27, 2025
These present-day stories have always been controversial. Some players find them frustrating distractions from the historical selling points of the series, interfering with pacing and making for slower gameplay sections. However, they often make up the core of the connecting franchise narrative. Without it, some fans worry Ubisoft no longer has a long-term plot in mind for the series.
There’s still been no official confirmation by Ubisoft, so this could all be a collective fever dream, Reddit users certainly have a lot of opinions on the subject, as seen in this lengthy thread dissecting the news. Keep a grain of salt at hand, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more news as it comes.