Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Announced
This article is more than 2 years old
Since the 2009 release of Assassin’s Creed II, the crazy people at Ubisoft have been releasing one Assassin’s Creed game per year (although the unnumbered installments between Assassin’s Creed II and Assassin’s Creed III weren’t as large or ambitious). While they haven’t set an official date yet, Ubisoft has officially announced the next installment in the series: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Check out the box art below.
There’s not much information at this point beyond what can be gleaned from the box art, but Ubisoft has previously said that it would be set in a different time period and starring a different main character than Assassin’s Creed III. That certainly seems to be the case, since the so-far-unnamed protagonist’s longer, blonde hair definitely isn’t a match for the third numbered game’s Connor. AC III did introduce naval battles as a gameplay element, and the pirate-themed setting suggested by the art suggests they’re going to take that concept and run with it. And hey, it’s been a long time since we had a really good pirate game.
While there’s no release date yet, Ubisoft’s insane turnaround on these games suggests it could follow the recent pattern and release this fall. That said, if they’re wanting to take advantage of the next-generation consoles, it wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t see it until 2014. That said, at this point the game is only confirmed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U. The PS3 version will also feature “60 minutes of exclusive gameplay.”
With a new assassin in the lead, it will be interesting to see how/if the “near future” elements of the game will continue. With the first trilogy (and we use that term loosely) completed, how Ubisoft will shape the future of the franchise remains to be seen. The full reveal of the game is set to roll out next Monday, so we’ll provide new details about Assassin’s Creed IV as it arrives.
