For "Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced," Ubisoft is foregoing a fixed roadmap. Instead, the publisher will make decisions spontaneously based on fan feedback.
Game Director Richard Knight confirmed that the development team is foregoing a rigid future plan. The goal is to follow a flexible schedule and adapt new content to player feedback.
Focus on the essentials – and the matter of the blade.
There will therefore be no fixed service model with guaranteed updates for the pirate remake. Ubisoft oriented Here, they're taking inspiration from other studios like Pearl Abyss with "Crimson Desert" and prefer to react agilely to the community. That's honest. And it takes the pressure off development.
At the top of players' wish lists is the return of the classic hidden blade combat. In the 2013 original, this was a standard feature. It was removed from the remake in favor of the revamped main combat system. The director's explanation is simple: cost and effort.
Developing such a system from scratch requires immense resources. Characters, skeleton rigs, new animations, the physics of clothing – all of that costs money. Ubisoft had to prioritize during development. The hidden blade was cut. A bitter disappointment for nostalgic fans.
Nevertheless, the door isn't completely closed for the iconic weapon's return. If the fans' demand remains loud enough, the team might ultimately be willing to go to the trouble.
The right way or a cheap excuse?
The rejection of a rigid roadmap isn't the end of the world. "Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced" is a classic single-player game, not a live-service behemoth. Ubisoft's decision not to force through an artificial content plan is perfectly reasonable. However, the explanation for the missing hidden blade leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The fact that a core feature of the series had to be sacrificed for budgetary reasons is disappointing. Now it's up to us to show the developers how important the blade really is to us.
What do you think: Is the normal combat system in the remake sufficient for you, or is the hidden blade combat an essential part of an Assassin's Creed game for you?
The game simply lacks variety in terms of gameplay, especially in rural areas, hence the blades and the firearm. It also fits thematically well and can be implemented cheaply because the rifle animations are already included in Shadows. It's not too much to ask, considering the time and money were spent on DLC skins. Personally, I don't mind these skins, and they enrich the game as additional content, even if they do cost money.
As befits a proper Assassin's Creed, this one, too, is maturing over time, like a fine wine 😏 This isn't meant as criticism, merely a sober statement of facts, since we're talking about my favorite franchise, from which I've come to expect nothing less. Shadows is unrecognizable today, even though it was already more than solid at launch last March. I still find Ubisoft's usual approach of optimizing their titles throughout their lifespan based on fan feedback to be very commendable and appropriate.
As usual, interested buyers are advised to wait before purchasing if they're looking for the full/optimized experience, and the frequent sales of their games are only a matter of time. Personally, I always support my favorite franchise at full price without hesitation, as I want the developers to continue delivering and releasing new titles in the series. I don't necessarily need a blade right now, but we'll see what else finds its way into the game in the future.
Until it's finished, I'll also be focusing on my backlog, including games like Nioh 3 and Indiana Jones.
The combat system is so easy... I can do without it.