Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is often regarded as one of the best entries in the entire Assassin’s Creed series. The game featured a memorable protagonist in Edward Kenway, an intriguing Caribbean setting, and gameplay that expanded upon that of previous games while still maintaining the classic Assassin’s Creed feel. Black Flag was also an accessible entry in a lore-dense franchise, which contributed to it becoming one of 2013’s best-selling games. With Black Flag considered both a critical and commercial success, it’s no surprise that Ubisoft would want to go back to this pirate-themed well.
Many of Ubisoft’s biggest games in recent years have failed to meet expectations. Since Assassin’s Creed has proven to be one of the company’s most reliable franchises, Ubisoft is supposedly ramping up Assassin’s Creed‘s release schedule with the goal of putting out a new entry every six months. Such releases include Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Invictus, and a rumored Black Flag remake. While remaking a successful entry may not net an entirely new game for the franchise, Ubisoft has the opportunity to go big with this trend.
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Revisiting Assassin’s Creed’s Past
Remaking Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is one of the safest moves that Ubisoft could make right now. The original game was highly profitable and garnered a large playerbase. With the series’ controversial swap to the RPG genre and its failure to bring back older fans with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, a Black Flag remake could also be Ubisoft’s best bet to capitalize on desires for the original Assassin’s Creed formula without having to design a game from the ground up. Ubisoft needs a win right now, and Black Flag could once again provide it. If remaking Black Flag proves to be a success for Ubisoft, it should only be the beginning for Assassin’s Creed remakes.
The Benefit of Remaking Other Assassin’s Creed Games
There are plenty of Assassin’s Creed games that could use the remake treatment. Assassin’s Creed 3 and the Ezio trilogy have received remasters since their original releases, but these mainly made slight tweaks to the games’ graphics and performance. The dated level design and inconsistent parkour systems remained intact, for example. While anyone can get their hands on older Assassin’s Creed games, people lacking in nostalgia might have a harder time finding a foothold.
Which Assassin’s Creed Remakes Should Come Next
Looking back at older games in the series, Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed 2 would both benefit from remakes. Assassin’s Creed 2 is considered by many fans to be the best game in the series. If it received the same remake treatment that popular games like Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space have, it could prove to be a massive success for Ubisoft. Giving Assassin’s Creed II the polish of a modern AAA game would be a great way to commemorate the beloved game. New and returning players alike would have the opportunity to experience Ezio’s story without some of the barriers of entry that come with age.
The original Assassin’s Creed has fallen behind the pack when it comes to popularity. There are many fans of the series that have never finished or even played this first entry. Its combat and parkour systems are simplistic compared to the games that followed. The open world is fairly bland, and Altair’s storyline can feel repetitive. Revamping the gameplay, graphics, and mission structures to feel more in line with subsequent Assassin’s Creed games would get plenty of players to give this game a second chance. The recent Assassin’s Creed Mirage pays homage to the first Assassin’s Creed with similar gameplay mechanics and a similar aesthetic for its open world. This opens the door for Ubisoft to easily repurpose many preexisting elements if it ever wanted to pursue an Assassin’s Creed remake.
RPGs like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla have proven to be successful but alienated fans of pre-Origins games. Ubisoft’s attempts with Mirage and the rumored Black Flag remake means that the company is trying to bring those fans back into the fray. If that’s the case, then the annals of Assassin’s Creed history have many entries worth revisiting. For a series all about finding salvation in the past, a remake-focused strategy could do just that for Ubisoft.
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