A remake of AC Mirage is on the way, the changing structure of the Assassin's Creed formula doesn't bode well for the future of the franchise. If Ubisoft were to take the "lessons" it's learned in the intervening years and apply them to a Black Flag remake, the end result could be unrecognizable from the beloved original.
An AC: Black Flag Remake Could Have Ubisoft Bloat
Anonymous sources in with Kotaku say a remake of AC: Black Flag is on the way; it could suffer from the same kind of bloat as the more action-oriented recent Assassin's Creed titles. Black Flag had an enormous map, covering almost the entire breadth of the vast Caribbean Sea and beyond. Many of the waters and smaller islands in between its larger destinations had little surprises waiting to be found - treasure, Mayan Ruins, harpoon hunting, and many more. There was so much to do, and yet none of it ever felt like a chore. Exploration was a truly enjoyable facet of AC: Black Flag, but that kind of feeling is lost in more recent AC games due to bloat.
Expectations for the size of single-player open-world games have increased since AC: Black Flag, for better or worse. Modern consoles are able to deliver consistent performance even when running far larger open-world games, but that puts more pressure on developers to fill these larger open worlds with more things for the player to do. More often than not, these objectives become repetitive, creating large maps covered with hundreds of tiny little icons for activities that players don't really have any desire to complete. Instead of captivating the player with rich, fascinating worlds, this bloat creates a feeling of dread that can be hazardous to player retention.
This is the case with the three most recent AC installments: Origin, Odyssey, and Valhalla. They all have impressively large, incredibly detailed worlds, full of dull little chores that just waste the player's time. An Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake that attempts to make the original resemble newer AC games would sacrifice so much of what made it interesting: the healthy balance between story and exploration.
In addition, the generally changing structure of Assassin's Creed games could reflect poorly on an AC: Black Flag remake. Recent AC installments are more like action RPGs than stealth games, focusing more on crafting and looting better equipment than on sneaking and assassination. More crafting and looting means more side quests; after all, crafting materials and new equipment have to come as rewards to something. Black Flag already required some crafting, but its upgrades were actually effective; players could feel themselves and their ships getting more powerful with each new addition. In newer AC titles, these upgrades are less impactful, requiring far more effort for far fewer rewards. Endlessly grinding side content in order to marginally boost some stat is boring, and slows the game's pace to an unpleasant slog.
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Doesn't Even Need A Remake
A graphical remaster might be nice. After all, AC: Black Flag was originally released for the PS3, so by now it's two console generations behind. However, shortly after its release, Black Flag was ported over to the PS4 and Xbox One. As a result, it's not only one of the first games to come out for the eighth console generation, but also completely backward compatible on Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Between that and its 2019 Switch port, Black Flag is actually available on all modern consoles, as well as Windows PC via the Steam store.
Even if it weren't so readily available, though, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag still wouldn't need a remake. It may be a decade old now, but it's held up remarkably well. Its performance was always solid, and it's even better on modern consoles. Its vibrant tropical locales still look great, even blown up to fit on today's ultra HD screens. Its gameplay, which balances classic AC-style stealth and Parkour with wide open sea exploration, is every bit as fun as it was when it first released. In part, that's because it's been so influential on the franchise and the wider genre.
Other Assassin's Creed Games Deserve A Remake First
Remakes work well when they're applied to much older games that don't hold up to modern standards, or to revitalize games that didn't live up to their full potential. To that end, an older Assassin's Creed game would make more sense for a remake than AC: Black Flag.
Why not go back to the beginning and start with the original Assassin's Creed? Released in 2007, it's six years older than AC: Black Flag. Its age is readily apparent in its now-outdated graphics and more linear structure. A full remake of the original Assassin's Creed could bring it up to modern standards, with gorgeous HD visuals and an open-world map. Plus, it would tie in with the release of Assassin's Creed Mirage, which returns to the roots of the series. With all the additions to the franchise's lore over the years, there'd be plenty of space for some new story beats, too.
Ubisoft also has another AC: Black Flag related pirate game in the works. Skull & Bones is based on a canceled DLC for Black Flag, although it looks more like a Sea of Thieves co-op multiplayer title than a stealth RPG. Skull & Bones has been languishing in development hell for the better part of six years, although it is slated for release sometime in a vague 2023-2024 window. A brand-new pirate game might be more popular than a remake of Black Flag; exploring new waters has endless potential compared to dredging up old successes.
For its part, Ubisoft has declined to confirm or deny the rumors of a Black Flag remake. While it could certainly be a real project, it may also be just that: a rumor. While there probably aren't many players on the edge of their seats over the possibility of an Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake, those who are will have to wait for an official announcement from Ubisoft on the subject.
Source: Kotaku/Twitter
