Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced will be a “solo adventure and character-driven experience” and very much “not an RPG”, Ubisoft have reportedly stated in a leaked presentation that also gives away a release date – July 9th, 2026.

It’s not much to chew on, but it suggests that the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag remake won’t be embracing the elaborate equipment management, regional recommended levels, and other Final Fantasy-ass paraphernalia foisted on the series by Assassin’s Creed Origins and its successors. To put it in nautical language, they are setting course away from the Shoals of Progression, straight down Ezio’s Run into One Hit Backstabber’s Bay.

The quotes are being bandied around by the dumpster-diving buccaneers over at Insider Gaming. The publishers have yet to comment or confirm anything – I’ll send them a mail now – but such a change of direction wouldn’t be unexpected. Ubisoft experimented with paring back the RPG bloat of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, earning the approval of Alice Bee (RPS in peace). This makes even more sense for Black Flag Resynced, because the original Black Flag is a pirate sailing game, and pirates shouldn’t have to respect landlubberly bureaucracy like regional levels. Imagine Blackbeard saying “Belay that order, me hearties, we’re entering an Endgame Area!”

Assuming Insider Gaming’s report is legit – and it’s worth noting that an earlier rumour pointed to the addition of RPG-style inventory and combat elements – it’s nice to see the Black Flag remake continuing the chain of voice actor whoopsies, telltale age ratings, and 100% unrelated outbursts of musical bellowing that have contributed to it being the worst kept secret in recent industry history. If I were Ubisoft, I would keep insisting that the game isn’t real even after it goes on sale. It would make for pleasant light relief while they’re talking about corporate restructuring, or trying to browbeat the uppity unions.

I guess all this is another opportunity to chat about what we really want, when we call for remakes. I consider remaking in general a sign of cultural undeath, but I like when companies engage in whimsical and/or critical dialogue with the subject matter – look at how the Final Fantasy VII remakes clown around with that game’s legacy, for better and worse.