New Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Remake Details Point To Substantial Changes

The existence of an Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag^[1] remake/remaster has felt like an open secret for what seems like years at this point, with the voice actor of Edward Kenway himself recently getting in some trouble for hinting at it.^[2] Well, now we seem to have a host of new details, and it looks like it’s going to be a more substantial remake than we thought.

Jeux Vidéo Magazine^[3] has the details, a source that has proven quite reliable when it comes to all things Assassin’s Creed in the past. The channel had this to say about the information and their sources, which I’ve translated to English.

“The information we’ve gathered is the result of our own research, cross-checks, and weeks of work. Some of it had even been circulating for months with us. Our goal was to compile everything into one place and share exclusive information that no insider has yet revealed about Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Remake.”

So, without further ado, I’ve broken down what was said in the video. Keep in mind, this was all translated from French to English using Google Translate and AI. I cannot confirm if the translation is completely accurate, but it should be close enough.

• Release Window: Planned for early 2026 (likely March), but possible delay to late 2026 depending on progress.
• Development: Led by Ubisoft Singapore (who worked on the naval features of the original), with support from Ubisoft Belgrade and Ubisoft Bordeaux.
• Engine: Uses Ubisoft’s new “Pipeline” engine (same as Assassin’s Creed Shadows), replacing the older engine from 2012-2013, enabling better graphical capabilities.
• Content Adjustments:
  • Removal of modern-day (“present-day”) segments to focus more on the pirate-era story. This fits in with Assassin’s Creed: Shadow’s which does not include any modern sections.
  • Adding about four hours of additional content, possibly including story elements (like Marie Read’s storyline) that were cut from the original.
• Gameplay:
  • Introduction of RPG-style mechanics: loot systems, weapon and equipment stats, similar to recent Assassin’s Creed RPG titles.
  • Combat system reworked to be closer to the RPG style seen in recent games, less choreographed.
• Map and Exploration:
  • Map size remains similar but islands will be filled with more activities and missions to enhance exploration.
  • Loading screens between ship and land will be removed for smoother travel.
• Assets Reuse: Some assets from Skull & Bones are reused to reduce costs.

As you can see, the planned changes and additions are substantial. In fact, I’m even slightly worried they are going too far, as the gameplay shifts to a more modern Assassin’s Creed, which goes directly against why many people might want to play Black Flag again. I don’t want or need looting and weapon stats in my Black Flag.

The potential removal of the modern-day segments sounds exciting, though. They killed the pacing in the original game, after all.

How do you guys feel about this remake and all of its potential changes?