Assassin’s Creed IV Info Blowout

Assassin’s Creed IV has been officially confirmed this morning, and with that confirmation has come a slew of details. Perhaps the most important thing is that the game will be released across both current gen consoles, the PS4 (and, presumably, the next Xbox), the Wii U and PC. Ubisoft made a point of saying that this wouldn’t be a case of “release it on everything and hope for the best,” but instead that next-gen consoles will see a genuine increase in graphical fidelity and power. More than that, Sony fans will have day one access to an hour of extra gameplay – just another reason to buy on PlayStation 4 if you’re planning on getting one.

Players will follow the story of Edward Kenway (the father of Assassin’s Creed 3’s Haytham), an Assassin pirate in the West Indies at the start of the 18th century. Fans will notice this gives Ubisoft less than a quarter of a century to play with before the birth of Haytham. Thankfully, it’s an age filled with some of the most famous pirates of legend, so there’s plenty for the developers to build upon. Ship combat, obviously, will make a welcome return, but the press release also promises that stealth and daring will be rewarded as well. It certainly seems like they’ll be trying to cover the very best of both worlds. Edward is a cocky privateer-turned-pirate, a reckless scourge of the seas. No word yet on how he’ll fit into the Assassin order, nor how he goes from pirate to somebody who can produce a son of Haytham’s supposed breeding and class, but I suppose all will be told this November.

And talking of worlds, that’s going to be one of the big changes this time around. Previous entries in the series are often quite linear, asides from an occasional side mission or distraction. This is something that they’ve tried to change for Assassin’s Creed IV. “Animus” walls are gone, replaced by harder ships that will try to blast you out of the water when you get close. For someone skilled in the game’s mechanics, the whole map will be potentially open from the get go. The ocean is going to be a big part of the game, but with over 50 islands to explore, there will be more than enough free running as well. 

Assassin’s Creed IV looks to be an exciting new entry in one of the biggest franchises of this generation. Don’t expect Pirates of the Caribbean or Monkey Island though – as always, the development team are making real history fit their myth. AC IV Black Flags will be released on currently released consoles on November 1st, with versions for next gen consoles presumably being available at launch.