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4 CommentsAssassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Watch Dogs confirmed for Xbox One this year
By Samit Sarkar on May 21, 2013 05.21.13
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Watch Dogs will be available on Xbox One "later this year," Ubisoft announced today. According to Ubisoft, those games are two of at least six that the publisher plans to release on Xbox One within the console's first year of existence. The six games will include new entries in existing franchises as well as new IP, along with downloadable titles. "The next generation of consoles will reinvigorate our industry and make it possible for us to deliver incredible new entertainment to gamers," said Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, in a press release today. "Our teams are using the innovations in connectivity, immersion and social gaming included in Xbox One to create original and memorable next-gen gaming experiences." Ubisoft will provide more details...
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1 CommentAssassin's Creed 4: Black Flag retailer-exclusive pre-orders include ships, skins and more
By Alexa Ray Corriea on May 15, 2013 05.15.13
Ubisoft is offering a spread of retailer-specific pre-order bonuses for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, including a limited-edition artwork poster and bonus in-game missions, pirate ships and items. Players who purchase through Amazon will receive the Hidden Mystery Pack, which includes an additional mission, ship and outfit. Players will be granted access to a treasure hunting adventure on Mystery Island, as well as the ship of "The Gentlemen Pirate," landowner-turned-pirate Stede Bonnet. Codes for these items will be emailed to buyers two days after the game ships, and Amazon lists the pack for purchase with the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions only. Best Buy is offering The Lost Treasures Pack, featuring a cache of weapons players can use to customize their pirate ship or wield in the...
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37 CommentsAssassin's Creed 4: Black Flag story of sex and repentance outlined by lead scriptwriter
By Emily Gera on May 03, 2013 05.03.13
Ubisoft's long-running Assassin's Creed series is driven as much by its story as it is assassinations, but during the first public look at Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag not a whole lot was said about its narrative. The game's first trailer only nudged fans gently in the direction of a plot; something that quickly became overshadowed by a montage of pirate debauchery and wench-based threesomes. But Black Flag's lead scriptwriter Darby McDevitt tells us this sexually explicit motif is actually at the heart of the game's narrative. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will be the story of immorality and repentance. According to McDevitt, the game's protagonist Edward Kenway is a married man whose strained relationship with his wife is punctuated by relationships with other women. "there is a...
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5 CommentsAssassin's Creed 4: Black Flag writer describes challenges of writing for a game versus a movie
By Samit Sarkar on Apr 19, 2013 04.19.13
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is the latest entry in a franchise with an action-heavy, complex story, and lead writer Darby McDevitt described the unique challenges of writing for the game in an interview with GameSpot. While the Assassin's Creed titles include many cinematic sequences, it's gameplay that drives everything forward, which forces Black Flag's writing staff to collaborate closely with its game designers, said McDevitt. "I have to end a lot of these scenes with a clear gameplay objective," he explained. "It has to be like, 'Let's steal that ship,' or, 'Let's do this physical thing that the player can now say I know how to accomplish that through the gameplay mechanics.'" McDevitt also pointed out that game writers have to remain mindful of the constraints of the medium:...
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55 CommentsAssassin's Creed fans 'will tell us' when they're tired of annual franchise, says Ubisoft
By Emily Gera on Apr 02, 2013 04.02.13
Ubisoft isn't worried about players losing interest in its yearly releases of Assassin's Creed, telling Eurogamer that fans will tell the studio when they want the story to come to its end. The yearly installments will continue until this happens, according to Ubisoft Montreal head Yannis Mallat. "The players will tell us," he said. "Right now, there are more and more coming into the franchise, so I don't see that day." Ubisoft's primary focus for gaining player interest is for each future title to share a quality level offered in previous games from the series, he adds. "It's our breakthrough," he says. "When you have quality content, the frequency of coming out with the game is not an issue at all. On the contrary, people expect more and more of that content. So, it's natural to be...
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13 CommentsUbisoft Toronto starts collaboration on future Assassin's Creed title
By Brian Crecente on Mar 27, 2013 03.27.13
With their work on the multiplayer maps for Rainbow Six: Patriots complete and work nearing an end for Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Raymond discussed some of what the team is doing in terms of future work. In all, the studio has charted out five titles that they will be working on once they ship Blacklist. "We have two big collaborations coming that we're not talking about, on two of the biggest franchises at Ubisoft," Raymond said. "We also have two new IP." The fifth will be within the Splinter Cell brand, she said. The news highlights the studio's shift from a single-game studio, to one that plans on vastly expanding their outlook. While Raymond declined to talk specifics about the new game, she did say she was excited to get back to work on a franchise that she helped launch. "...
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5 CommentsUbisoft bringing Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Watch Dogs and Splinter Cell: Blacklist to PAX East
By Tracey Lien on Mar 08, 2013 03.08.13
Ubisoft announced today that it will give theater presentations at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Boston for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Watch Dogs, and show off a new demo of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. The Ubisoft booth at PAX East will showcase some of the studio's digital, PC and iOS titles, and new content for its upcoming console releases will be shown in a fully-enclosed theater. The studio announced that during the exclusive look at Black Flag, attendees will be introduced to the game's hero and also receive a special edition Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag inflatable sword (while supplies last). PAX East will take place in Boston from March 22 to 24.
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176 CommentsPETA says whaling in Assassin's Creed 4 glorifies hurting and killing, Ubisoft responds
By Dave Tach on Mar 06, 2013 03.06.13
When Ubisoft's pirate-themed Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag was unveiled this week, we learned that whaling would be part of the game. The animal-rights group PETA was quick to condemn Ubisoft, saying its inclusion glorifies hurting and killing animals. Polygon spoke to Matt Bruce of PETA's International Grassroots Campaigns to clarify the animal-rights group's stance. "There are so many creative minds at Ubisoft that are involved with the Assassin's Creed series that we find it really disappointing that they feel the need to glorify whaling," Bruce said. "PETA encourages video game companies to create games that celebrate animals, not games that promote hurting and killing them." PETA's objection to whaling in the game centers on the depiction of what it sees as real-world...
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14 CommentsAssassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will feature new connected features on next-gen
By Emily Gera on Mar 05, 2013 03.05.13
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, the upcoming, pirate-centric installment in the series, will feature "new connected features" in its release on next-gen platforms, creative director Jean Guesdon told CVG. This will be in addition to improved graphics and physics; however, Guesdon remains vague about how the "enhanced connected features" will work within the game. "Next-gen versions will bring to the players new connected features allowing them to feel that even if they remain 'single player' it will be better to be a 'single connected player,'" he said. "I mean, that next-gen consoles will allow players to have a solo experience that benefit the presence of a huge community." Black Flag's upcoming appearance on next-gen consoles was first teased at the beginning of the month through...
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18 CommentsFemale protagonist in a main Assassin's Creed game 'wouldn't be surprising,' says Ubisoft
By Samit Sarkar on Mar 04, 2013 03.04.13
A main Assassin's Creed game could feature a female protagonist in the future — in fact, it "wouldn't be surprising," said Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag director Ashraf Ismail in an interview with IGN. Asked why Black Flag features another male lead, Ismail said that Ubisoft planned long ago that Assassin's Creed 3 and Black Flag would "tell the story of the Kenways." For that reason, he said, "We actually never thought, 'Could this be a woman?'" But Ismail said Ubisoft isn't against having a female lead in a future Assassin's Creed title. "I would say it wouldn't be surprising to see a female assassin coming up in a mainline Assassin's Creed," he told IGN. To date, the only Assassin's Creed game that has starred a female character is the PlayStation Vita title Assassin's Creed 3:...
