Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Cutting 1 Iconic Feature is a Logical Progression After AC Shadows

Rumors about a Black Flag remake have been swirling around the internet for a long time now, but last year was the moment it felt more real than ever. A series of leaks — and even hints from Edward Kenway’s voice actor — drew a lot of attention. Back in September, fans even got one of the biggest leaks yet in a video from Jeuxvideo. The outlet claimed that all the modern day scenes from Black Flag would be scrapped in Black Flag Resynced. This has been a really divisive bit of information. Honestly, I was pretty bummed when I heard about it myself. After thinking it over, I’ve realized that it’s not that surprising of a choice.

Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced Saying Goodbye to Modern Day Scenes Only Makes Sense After Shadows

When Assassin’s Creed Shadows was released last year, it marked a big change for the franchise. Instead of intertwining the history-focused plot with a modern-day story, Ubisoft made the decision for all future modern narratives to be found in the Animus Hub. The modern-day plot threads have been a huge piece of the Assassin’s Creed brand, and I personally really love the modern-day moments. However, it’s hard to deny that the franchise has struggled to maintain a consistent narrative ever since killing off Desmond in Assassin’s Creed 3.

Killing Off Desmond Was a Huge Mistake

Don’t get me wrong. Introducing Layla Hassan in Assassin’s Creed: Origins was a solid replacement, but the hole left after Desmond’s death was large. He was the original heart of the modern story. His narrative didn’t lead to the satisfying modern-day climax that I assumed was going to happen, and even worse, Ubisoft didn’t really have a solid plan on where to go with this part of the story after his death. Back in 2024, ex-Ubisoft dev Marc-Alexis Coté even admitted, “Ending Desmond’s arc was a difficult decision, and afterward, the modern storyline struggled to find its footing.” The Animus Hub presents the opportunity to rework the modern-day narrative so it’s more cohesive. Keeping the two separate may not be a great idea forever, but the Animus Hub is hopefully going to allow more focus to be put on these specific plot points until everything feels stronger.

Image via Ubisoft

Cutting the Modern Scenes in Black Flag Presents Some Challenges

The Black Flag Resynced leaks don’t really make it clear if the modern parts will be found in the Animus Hub or not. They hopefully are. If they aren’t, it would require some rewrites. The Black Flag‘s modern scenes involving the Observatory are directly connected to its discovery in Edward Kenway’s story, so leaving them out would definitely be controversial. Rewriting pieces of the story has some big pros and cons. There’s also the possibility that only certain sections of the modern narrative are cut instead of all of it entirely. For argument’s sake, though, let’s assume that 100% of those scenes are being cut. The remake would need something to take the place of such a large piece of cut content, and the leaks from Jeuxvideo have revealed a silver lining that could make Black Flag Resynced even more interesting.

According to Leaks, Black Flag Resynced Scrapping the Modern Storyline Will Make Room for Cut Content

The potential exclusion of modern storylines is worrisome, but there’s a bright side to this, too. If true, then it’s expected that there will be more Mary Read in Black Flag Resynced. Mary Read was supposed to play a larger role in Black Flag in general, but her storyline was cut down because of pacing issues. If Ubisoft has rewritten some parts of the story to make up for no modern moments, then it could ultimately help the pacing problems that kept Mary Read’s larger narrative out of the original game. Read was an interesting character that many wanted to see more of, while walking around in a fake game studio via the present day segments wasn’t something everyone enjoyed. As such, trading out the modern segments for Read’s story could be a major boon, and it does have the added upside of new players being able to jump right in without being thrown into a modern story they have no understanding of.

Other Changes That Are Rumored to Be Coming to Black Flag Resynced

• The game reportedly has the same map, but more activities.
• Changes to loot and gear.
• Reworking gameplay and RPG systems to be more in line with recent Assassin’s Creed games.

An Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced Announcement Feels Imminent

Image via Ubisoft

Ubisoft has continued to keep tight-lipped about the remake, but there is a lot of evidence hinting at a March release date. There is an unnamed game set to release before the end of Ubisoft’s fiscal year, which is March 31. Also, a domain name registered for Black Flag Resynced has been discovered. Even though the company hasn’t said anything official, all signs seem to be pointing to a Black Flag Resynced announcement very soon.

Even though the signs look promising, it’s important to remember to keep expectations in check. I really want Black Flag Resynced to come out this year, and I’m far from the only one. There’s no way to know for sure until Ubisoft confirms it for good, though. Once an announcement is finally made, it will be fascinating to see if the leaks about cut modern content are true or not. If true, it’s bound to ignite controversy. Assassin’s Creed‘s modern story is a compelling narrative, but it may ultimately be best for devs to focus on it separately outside the mainline games in order to craft a more consistent storyline. Either way, getting to jump back into Edward Kenway’s life will be a welcome return to one of the series’ best entries.

Released

October 29, 2013

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence