In May 2026, Ubisoft Singapore hosted a demo and showcase for ‘Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced.’ The event featured a brief introduction and hands-on demo, allowing attendees to play a limited portion of the game and interact with the developers.
After the demo, I had the opportunity to have a brief conversation with the game’s producer, Justin Ng. The following is the full transcript of the interview with him.
The Assassin’s Creed series has a long history and numerous masterpieces. Why was ‘Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’ chosen as the first remake? I am curious why you didn’t choose the Ezio trilogy or the third installment, which began the Kenway saga.
“I believe ‘Black Flag’ was a turning point where the Assassin’s Creed series expanded from an action-adventure structure into an open-world style. It was a structure that could reach modern players more naturally, and I think it fits well with current trends in the gaming market.
Furthermore, the Singapore studio is the team that handled water simulation and naval combat since the original game. Because the studio itself had a deep understanding of maritime technology and systems, we determined that ‘Black Flag’ was the most suitable title when we were tasked with a revival project for an older game.
Ubisoft has recently been running classic Assassin’s Creed-style and action RPG-style titles in parallel. What role do you think ‘Resynced’ plays within the current flow of the series.
“While it is difficult to discuss the future direction of the entire series, we intentionally chose not to go with an RPG style for ‘Resynced.’ We viewed Edward Kenway as a character whose narrative follows the growth of a pre-defined individual, rather than one where the player freely crafts their own role.
The development team decided that preserving the story of Edward’s transformation from a pirate to an assassin was paramount. We felt that while the gameplay could be modernized, the essence of the character had to be maintained.
The original ‘Black Flag’ was sometimes criticized for being ‘the best pirate game, but a relatively weak Assassin’s Creed story.’ How does the development team define the identity of this project? Is it a ‘pirate game,’ or is it still ‘Assassin’s Creed’ at its core.
“That is a very difficult but fair question. Personally, I see the Assassin’s Creed brand as a series that allows players to personally experience specific eras and history. Players get to experience the culture and history of each period, as well as the stories of the people living within them.
In that sense, I think ‘Black Flag’ was a title where pirate fantasy and the core values of Assassin’s Creed aligned perfectly. The pirate’s pursuit of freedom naturally connects with the Assassin philosophy, which prioritizes freedom over control. Therefore, this game is a ‘pirate game’ while simultaneously being a clear ‘Assassin’s Creed’ title.
Two distinct features stand out in the title itself. You removed the numbering ‘4’ from the original and used the term ‘Resynced’ instead of a simple ‘remake.’ What was the reasoning and intent behind this choice.
“Removing the numbering is connected to the recent direction of the Assassin’s Creed brand. Since ‘Origins,’ the series has shifted toward emphasizing the theme and era of each title rather than using numbers. We approached this project with that same flow in mind. The name ‘Resynced’ was something we deliberated on from the early stages of development. Even within the team, we felt that calling it just a ‘remake’ didn’t quite capture it.
Later, when I met with community members and content creators in Montreal in 2025, a fan suggested the term ‘Resynced,’ and I felt it fit perfectly. The Assassin’s Creed series is fundamentally built on the concept of synchronizing memories, and I thought the idea of re-synchronizing memories from the past fit very well.
The original ‘Black Flag’ had DLC like ‘Freedom Cry’ and multiplayer content. However, you announced that these are not included in this version. Why were they excluded, and is there any chance they will be added later.
“After discussions between the development, technical, and business teams, we decided that this project must focus above all on Edward Kenway’s story. Edward is a beloved character in the series, and we felt that properly reinterpreting him was the most important aspect of this project.
So, instead of DLC or multiplayer, we focused our resources on new content, revamping existing systems, and enhancing naval gameplay. While it is hard to talk about the possibility of DLC or multiplayer returning in the future, we are currently focused on making Edward’s story as polished as possible.
This title seems to target not only existing fans but also new players accustomed to the latest Assassin’s Creed style. Was securing a new user base an important goal.
“As a producer, I always want as many players as possible to enjoy the game, as the entire team has poured a great deal of time and effort into it. While existing fans are important, attracting new players was also a key goal. We designed the content structure and flow so that even users familiar with the latest Assassin’s Creed titles can accept it naturally. We strived to maintain the essence of the original while updating the way content is experienced.
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