Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced developers have confirmed a raft of returning features for Ubisoft’s popular pirate game remake, such as whaling, bell diving, legendary ships and bar games — and revealed several new additions, such as the ability to put your pirate ship on autopilot.
The features were discussed in a just-concluded reddit AMA with Black Flag Resynced’s creative director Paul Fu and game director Richard Knight.
Asked if all of the side activities from the original Black Flag will be brought back, including whale and shark hunting, as well as bell diving, Fu confirmed they will be “all available”. Bar games, too, will be presented as in the original game — good news for Checkers fans.
Black Flag’s elite Legendary Ships will of course also be included, and “are as brutal as ever to fight,” said Knight. “We’ll be sharing more information on Legendary Ships in a naval deep dive later in May.”
Speaking of extra naval content, Knight confirmed that the original Black Flag’s mobile management minigame, Kenway’s Fleet, will be fully operable. “Kenway’s Fleet is now built into Black Flag Resynced,” Knight revealed, “and can be accessed through either the Hideout or your Captain’s Cabin – no phone needed!”
Asked whether online events will be part of the game, for example the appearance of white whales, Knight noted that these kinds of events “are built into the game this time, but there is online content in the form of Anomalies (as seen previously in Assassins Creed Shadows).”
A notable addition is an auto-travel Pathfinder ability for the Jackdaw — so yes, “the ship now supports autopilot,” noted Knight. It’s an ability the series has included previously for when players are on horseback, allowing you to travel toward an objective or waypoint without manual control. “Edward’s hands must stay at the wheel though,” Knight continued, so don’t expect to wander off around the ship while sailing. “You never know when an attack is coming.”
“Dual swords are the main weapons Edward will use in battle,” Fu continued, discussing Black Flag Resynced’s redesigned combat. “The Hidden Blade is not a selectable weapon, but a fatal, contextual (and BLOODY!) takedown that is available when you break the defense of your opponent! This makes the Hidden Blade Takedown a critical part of moment-to-moment combat, which was not the case in the original.”
Other features confirmed for Black Flag Resynced include the return of social stealth mechanics, remappable controls, and the original’s classic Wanted System, which sees Pirate Hunters stalking you if your wanted level gets too high. All of the original costumes return, too.
After years of leaks, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is now just a few months from launch. The long-awaited remake is currently set to arrive on July 9 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with a $200 Collector’s Edition also available — including the same Edward Kenway statue that popped up on Vinted earlier this year.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
