Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’s modern-day storyline is an odd one. Though it’s a story I ultimately like (I am admittedly a sucker for this element of this series), it’s hard to deny that it feels a bit strained because of the events of Assassin’s Creed III before it, which effectively wraps up the storyline the games began in the first Assassin’s Creed. As a result, it’s somewhat of a nothingburger of a subplot, but it does provide some “Here’s where they are now” looks at key characters like Shaun and Rebecca.
Nonetheless, with Ubisoft remaking this pirate adventure in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which launches on July 9, developer Ubisoft Singapore is changing how the modern-day story plays out, and it’s quite a drastic change. It eschews what’s there – no more first-person office simulator – and replaces it with rifts, last seen in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Instead of being taken out of the historical story told through Edward Kenway, in Black Flag Resynced, players will find rifts hidden throughout the Caribbean that then tell “What If?” scenarios about this Assassin’s life.
“[The] modern-day direction has changed quite a bit,” creative director Paul Fu tells me. “Desmond’s story has also come to a conclusion some time ago [at the point in the series when Black Flag originally launched], so it felt natural for us to evolve with the Animus Hub. Edward’s story is now being told in modern-day rifts, which are now almost like secret bottles that you find in the Caribbean, so they no longer strongly telegraph and push the narrative anymore; you have to actively search for these secrets, and they provide ‘What if?’ scenarios.
“So, ‘What if Edward chose greed over his wife?’ for example. We wanted it to be a little more narrative-driven than they were in Shadows. But at the same time, we know that there are people who love the previous modern-day story as well. Personally, I’m one of them. I actually really like the Abstergo stuff, but we didn’t include that because it felt like it didn’t fit. But we did rewrite parts of the story to allude to that [narrative]. There’s an entirely new scene that helps us cover Bartholomew Roberts’ [story more] with something I won’t spoil right now, but I think people who have played Black Flag know what the story was, so we created a new scene […] to pull the heartstrings of fans when they play the content.”
In another interview, game director Richard Knight tells me that Ubisoft is viewing Black Flag Resynced as the next flagship Assassin’s Creed, even if it is a remake of an older entry. He says that was taken into account when discussing how to remake the modern-day story of Black Flag.
“[The modern-day story in Black Flag Resynced] continues some of the things you saw in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. But we also knew that we wanted something that was not completely disconnected because some players like the modern-day too, but some players will feel like, ‘Oh, I’m doing something else, but I’m here for Edward.’ We’re here for Edward, too, so we’re building around that. So with our modern-day, we wanted something that can still be that experience but also tie it back to Edward, and that’s where the ‘What ifs’ are important. You’re still exploring it in that sort of modern-day format, but you’re getting these ‘What if?’ stories that make you think about the characters and the choices they made.”
I’m excited for Black Flag Resynced, and you can read my hands-on impressions here, but as a fan of the modern-day storytelling in the franchise, I’m nervous about these changes. They sound interesting, but I also hope it doesn’t completely erase the narrative that exists in the modern-day sections of the original Black Flag. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait long to find out as Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on July 9.
In the meantime, check out the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced PC specs and requirements, and then read about this real-life $500,000 treasure hunt Ubisoft has launched to celebrate this remake. After that, read Game Informer’s original Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag review.
How do you feel about these changes to the modern-day story? Let us know in the comments below!
