Ubisoft is reportedly developing a remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. However, it’s apparently in its early stages and won’t be complete for a few years.
According to Kotaku, a team at Ubisoft Singapore is heavily involved in the remake’s development. The Singapore studio is also helping out with evolving Assassin’s Creed’s ocean technology as it is currently working on Skull and Bones.
In an internal email viewed by Kotaku, the Singapore studio is reportedly forcing its developers to work on Skull and Bones in person at the office instead of remotely. While the studio is seemingly providing breakfast and dinner, it looks like the move is to pressure its developers to work longer hours in order to ship the closed beta that’s due in late August.
The team working on Skull and Bones also reportedly discussed if it was possible to pivot Skull and Bones into a game that’s more like Black Flag. That’d potentially mean adding elements of co-op exploration and hand-to-hand combat instead of just resource-gathering mechanics and PvP naval battles.
Is Skull and Bones evolving?
Skull and Bones was first revealed in 2017, but has been delayed many times over the past few years. It was supposed to be released in November 2022 but was pushed back to March 2023. Now, it has an unspecified release window during the 2023-2024 fiscal year. At the Ubisoft Forward 2023 showcase, Ubisoft provided a live sea shanty performance and announced the Skull and Bones closed beta period for August 25-28.
Ubisoft confirmed that it would be doubling down on its blockbuster franchises recently, so it’s unsurprising that it would focus on Assassin’s Creed.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was first released in 2013. In IGN’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag review, we said, “The amazing world of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag has kept me gladly occupied for longer than any other game in the series, even though its story isn’t the strongest. At no point in my dozens of hours was I ever at a loss for something to do.”
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey