The remake of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, Resynced, is off to a flying start. Before it even launched, the game was already on track to out-perform,Assassin’s Creed Shadows, pulling in “roughly $14m in gross revenue” for publisher Ubisoft. Not bad!
But it’s not been such smooth sailing for the game since launch on 9th July. Over the past 24 hours, we’ve seen something of a back-and-forth over on the game’s Steam page. Whilst many praise the game for its updated graphics, wide open-world, and interpretation of the 2013 classic adventure that came before, others are miffed about a long-standing issue they feel Ubisoft has become synonymous with: cosmetic microtransactions in single-player games.
Thanks to something of a mutiny against this tactic, the game’s multi-language reviews have dropped to Mixed after a short period of ‘Mostly Negative. “What’s the point of getting the Deluxe Version when, immediately in game, there’s $84.91 worth [of] ‘DLC’ that you don’t own,” says one highly-rated comment. It’s worth noting here that the Deluxe Edition is £59.99 and comes with an additional Edward costume, sword, pistol, and trinket with unique perks, as well as ‘the Master Assassin Naval Pack’ that includes cosmetics for a ship sail set, ship’s pet, crew attire, wheel, figurehead, and hull trim. These represent just a few of the many available skins for both Kenway and his ship, however.
“Releasing a €70 game and on the day of the release you slap us with €85 worth of DLC packs that are not just cosmetic but give you a gameplay advantage. This is why piracy exists and I will be refunding!” said another user.
“Bought the Deluxe Edition for £59.99 to have £76 of extra DLC advertised to me at launch. No thanks,” says another. “Refund requested. Play the original instead until this goes on sale.” Other complaints refer to the fact that some items in the game’s store prompt you to open Assassin’s Creed Shadows (itself a controversial game) in order to see exactly what it is you’re buying.
A small selection of the microtransactions drawing ire.
Further grievances are levelled at the ‘paid gameplay advantage’ items on offer: there’s a resource pack that gives you gold and upgrade/crafting materials (for £4.29) and a map pack that adds various exploration markers to your map (also £4.29). It is worth noting that these are effectively ‘short cuts’ or ‘time-savers’, giving you resources and waypoints that you can find yourself in-game. They do not represent a boost for someone that buys them compared to someone who doesn’t.
These microtransactions have become synonymous with Assassin’s Creed games over the past few years; you’ll find them in everything from 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins and onward. Whilst I understand why they get players’ backs up, I think they’re essentially harmless: if you want an obnoxious ‘sea serpent’ variation of Edward to ruin your immersion, by all means pay £9 for one – it doesn’t impact the quality of the game or anyone else’ s experience with it. I do understand and empathise with the face-slap of buying a deluxe edition of a game, logging in, and then being asked to spend more cash almost immediately, however.
In my three-star Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced review, I noted that the 2026 version of the game is a “perfectly fine way of experiencing this tale”, even if some of the new additions and changes “are not universally positive”. I think this whole microtransaction furore is a good case in point.
