The Case For More Assassin's Creed Remakes

The very first remake in the Assassin’s Creed series is officially on the way, in the form of the recently announced and highly anticipated Black Flag - Resynced. This is a huge step for the developers at Ubisoft, who have never attempted to remake one of their games to this extent before. It is a series of firsts for them, and a lot is riding on the reception to this upcoming reiteration of one of the company’s most iconic and household games ever. The game will set sail on Thursday July 9th later this year, and Ubisoft will certainly be watching the feedback of the game closely, to decide whether or not they find it financially worthy, to give other instalments in the series a similar treatment. The game is currently dominating worldwide digital pre-order charts, with the Deluxe and Standard Edition both topping the list. The odds are in Ubisoft’s favor for this remake to be a success, and for fans, the reality of getting to see other classic games in the series receive the remake treatment, means Black Flag - Resynced really has to click with audiences, both faithful fans and gamers in general.

Many would expect the very first Assassin’s Creed game to be the next to receive a remake, as it is understandably quite dated and in need of modernisation, many fans also having spoken up about and advocated for it for years now. Another solid option would be to remake Assassin’s Creed II, and or the other two games in the beloved Ezio trilogy. Ubisoft could even go as far as sticking to the formula they have created with Black Flag - Resynced, and choose 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Rogue as the next target, as the game was identical to Black Flag in many ways, reusing the naval system at the core of the game. Ubisoft can go a lot of ways with the remakes. If Black Flag - Resynced is a success, we can certainly expect remakes to be a large part of the future of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, right alongside the mainline entries. Ubisoft having a dual project design that prioritises remaking and bringing new life to the older, classic games to fit modern standards, along with the excellent new mainline games released. can be a powerful combination for a series still with so much life, despite nearing its 20th anniversary next year.

Ubisoft, of course, won’t have to remake games forever, as once the classic games from years ago all receive the remake treatment, the newer games obviously are not in need of such attention. Ubisoft can spend several years completing a full set of remakes of their older games to complement the standard mainline entries. Years into the future, Ubisoft may even find a reason to remake some of the more modern games, like 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity and 2015’s Syndicate, depending on how advanced tech becomes when all the older games receive the remake treatment. We are clearly many years away from all the older games needing a remake being complete, so technology by the time that is done could potentially be so advanced that games that wouldn’t really require a remake today, may be in need of one further down the road. This of course is hypothetical thinking, as there is no way to tell if technology in gaming can advance that far some years down the road, but it's certainly a possibility.

Ubisoft may take an unconventional path on their remakes as well by possibly even not following the fan-expected remake timeline and choose to remake the games in an unusual order. For example, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is the 6th game in the series, and it is the first to receive a remake. Many would initially imagine Ubisoft would start where it all began, with the original 2007 classic. But they chose to start towards the middle of the series. It is highly possible that Ubisoft could continue this trend when developing remakes by going out of order in the series rather than in release date order. Many fans have made a case for 2012’s Assassin’s Creed III to get a remake next, and that also could make sense and Ubisoft could continue to remake games from that same release period before trying the first game. We should not be surprised if Ubisoft continues their remakes out of order, rather than one at a time from first release to latest. The fact that their first remake is a game deeper into the series, certainly makes their plans unpredictable.

Ubisoft may also have chosen to start their remakes with Black Flag, due to their inexperience with remaking games and wanting to start with an already popular entry, that is slightly more modernised than the 2007 debut game. It could pay off for them to do what they are doing and start with a game that's already considered by many to be the best in the entire series. Ubisoft is likely testing the water here, and seeing if remaking a game so many already love leads to success, which then gives them clarity on where to go next with their remakes. All of this could very well be a brilliant strategy for Ubisoft, to start with a game so well known and a bit more modern before committing to remakes, fully and starting from the beginning. They are likely seeing the fan feedback, and if their plans of remakes are worth it in the end. Ubisoft is starting off their first remake with an excellent game to draw from, and should this succeed, we should expect reiterations to become a pillar of the Assassin’s Creed franchise from here on out.

Time will tell if Black Flag - Resynced lives up to its high expectations, and gives Ubisoft the green light on going all in on remakes. The critical and fan reception is likely just as important as the sales, and the game simply has to click with audiences. It has a challenge of appealing to not just its loyal fanbase, but to gamers who either played the original in 2013 and want to bring back some nostalgia, or appeal to gamers who aren’t as familiar with the Assassin’s Creed franchise who find a modernised pirate adventure game with enhanced and stunning graphics and gameplay that is impossible to resist. The dominance it’s having on pre-order charts certainly bodes well, and should things go smoothly leading up to the launch this summer, we could very well see remakes of older instalments become a mainstay, and an integral part of the Assassin’s Creed series. 

What are your thoughts on the Black Flag - Resynced reveal, and are you excited for the game, maybe even having pre-ordered it already? Let us know!