Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is the first remake in the series, but the Animus — a virtual reality machine that allows the user to relive their ancestors' genetic memories — has afforded Ubisoft a unique vantage point for re-telling Edward Kenway's story: both the remake and the original game are canon.
Thankfully, the original also won't be delisted.
That might be confusing to wrap your head around, but the idea is simple. As explained by creative director Paul Fu and game director Richard Knight in an interview with Kotaku, the remake is essentially a sequel. The modern-day elements from the original, namely working as an Abstergo employee gathering information, have been removed entirely because we are now experiencing Edward Kenway's life from the perspective of someone else entirely.
There's just one lingering question: if Resynced and Black Flag occupy one continuity, how do you explain the changes to the story? Simply put, "the Animus is a machine that can be continuously updated to be more accurate." The version of events that we are seeing now in the remake is a better reflection of what actually happened, but that doesn't discount how the experience of reliving Kenway's life helped inform the modern-day story told in the original game. Indeed, producer Justin Nig said earlier this year that the remake isn't a replacement, it's "an homage."
Black Flag Resynced Will Continue The Modern Day Story With Riffs And 'What If?' Scenarios
Echoing that sentiment, design director Julien Koch told Eurogamer that Resynced is "a new narrative," and that it will feature "modern day riffs" that continue the contemporary story from Shadows, which was told through in-game files found in the Animus Hub, which positions you the player as the one looking back through these memories, rather than a named character like Desmond or Layla.
I wasn't exactly sold on Basim ibn Ishaq, i.e. Loki, as a replacement for Layla, but the modern day was finally picking up steam after Valhalla, with the revelation that Desmond's consciousness was now lingering in the Grey to analyze calculations to prevent future cataclysms, as he did in Assassin's Creed 3; without that connective tissue between games, it's hard to latch onto the modern day story. However, even when Desmond was at the forefront, it was a point of contention among fans, disrupting the flow of the historical story with a drip-fed conflict that lacked the same emotional weight as Altair, Ezio, and Connor's personal journeys.
Whether riffs and 'What if?' scenarios, as Fu revealed to GameInformer, can breathe new life into the modern day story, and keep the momentum going between games, remains to be seen. Regardless, the Animus being used as a meta tool to explain the existence of remakes like Black Flag is a novel idea, and helps shake the feeling that Ubisoft is trying to replace the originals as it did with the remasters.
- Released
- July 9, 2026
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence / In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure
