Why Black Flag was the best AC game to remake(even more than AC1 and AC2)
So now that we’ve seen Black Flag Resynced quite a bit, most of the fandom agrees that it looks incredible. But some people are still asking why Ubisoft decided to remake Black Flag specifically instead of remaking AC1 or AC2. Those games are more outdated and in higher need of a remake than Black Flag, so why not remake those first? Well, here’s two reasons why Ubisoft remaking Black Flag was the best decision in the context of 2026. The second reason is one that I haven’t really seen people mention that much, and it’s very crucial.
**First Reason: It’s a financially safe option-**This is probably the biggest reason, and there’s a lot to unpack here. First, we have to recognize that Ubisoft as of 2026 is on the verge of bankruptcy. They are not doing well financially, and the game that was meant to bring in lots of money(Assassin’s Creed Shadows) didn’t accomplish that as much as it they wanted it to. Shadows wasn’t a flop, but it wasn’t their magnum opus in terms of sells So now Ubisoft is stuck in a spot where their next big game has to be something that is guaranteed to not only be received well, but sell exceptionally well. To guarantee both of those things is hard with a new IP or even a new Assassin’s Creed game, so they decided to go for a remake. Capcom’s massive financial and critical success with the RE2 remake and RE4 remake probably inspired Ubisoft to go with a remake as well.
And now comes the question; which past “last gen”(Xbox 360/PS3 era) AC game sold well and was received well? While some might say AC2, it was actually Black Flag! Black Flag was immensely popular, being critically acclaimed and selling very well. In fact, AC4(Black Flag) has sold 16.9 million units compared to AC2’s 9.8 million units! That’s a big difference. Additionally, AC4 was the best selling AC game until Valhalla surpassed it. So while an AC2 remake would no doubt be popular, an AC4 remake would actually be more likely to sell well, which is why Ubisoft went ahead with the AC4 remake. Because that is their safest option. It sold extremely well in the past and was received well; therefore, an AC4 remake is the most likely new game of theirs to fix their financial problems, compared to a new AC game where they’re not sure how players will react to it, especially with how AC Shadows went.
AC1 is the game that is in most need of a remake, and ideally the first ever AC game should be the first to be remade, but that game has sold less units than AC4, AC2, Brotherhood, etc. and its not as popular amongst the gaming community as AC4 or AC2, which is why Ubisoft did not do an AC1 remake instead, because it isn’t as likely to bring in big sells as an AC4 remake. AC3 did sell very well but its critical reception was mixed(which is not a good thing for a remake’s success) and eventually AC4 surpassed it in sells. A remake depends heavily on nostalgia positivity, not just the initial hype or sells of a past game.
****Second Reason: Wide appeal to all fanbases-**As you know, it’s no secret that since RPG mechanics were introduced to Assassin’s Creed, it has caused a massive division to grow in the AC fandom between those who want to continue the RPG elements, and those who prefer the more traditional dense Assassin style of the old AC games. And if you think about it, prior to AC Origins, which AC game was the most like a massive open world RPG while still feeling very much like a classic Assassin’s Creed game? AC Black Flag(AC4). AC4 had many elements of RPG games like the wide variety of things you could do, such as naval combat, underwater exploration, upgrading your ship, fulfilling your pirate fantasy, harpooning whales, finding treasure, customizing a fleet of ships, a vast open world, etc., all of which appealed to a fanbase outside the traditional AC player base(hence why it sold so well). But people forget that it also had plenty of elements from the old school AC games, such as swift parkour, Assassination contracts, an actual story about the Assassins, social stealth, smoke bombs, a dense city(Havana), cinematic combat finishers(compared to the damage sponges of the RPG games), and actual linear cinematic motion capture cutscenes which are very lacking in the recent RPG games where there’s so much dialogue options and the characters just stand idly in cutscenes.
Now, what is my point? Well, Ubisoft wanting to make huge financial success with their next big game, probably wants to choose a remake of a game that will attract both the RPG fandom and old school AC fandom, and there’s no better game to do that than Black Flag. You see, while AC1 and AC2 are legendary games, they do have relatively small open worlds and limited customization/side activities and exploration compared to modern day RPG games, which is why a remake of them might not attract the RPG fandom as much and as a result, it wouldn’t make as much money. But AC4 is perfect because it has that perfect balance needed to get a huge financial success. For the RPG fandom, simply sailing through the Caribbean on a ship and encountering sharks in underwater side activities looking for treasure gives them the thrill of an RPG, while for the old school AC fandom, traversing through the dense buildings and crowded streets of Havana takes them right back to that old school AC feel where you’re one with the crowd and jumping across rooftops in a stylish way.
Seriously, Havana is a breath of fresh air for the old school AC fans. Just look at how dense it looks in the second image! With the exception of Baghdad from AC Mirage, all the cities from Origins to Shadows(8 years!) have been lackluster(in terms of being traditional AC style cities) with very few dense buildings and parkour options. Even Alexandria and York had nowhere near the level of parkour traversal options as the cities from AC1-Unity. Havana in the OG is dense, crowded, has so much social stealth, and is basically Florence 2.0, and based on what we’ve seen of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, Havana has kept all of that and even improved upon those classic AC elements. And Resynced’s combat keeps the cinematic finishers, and the enhanced cutscenes are indeed cinematic and motion capture.
In short, AC4 has something for all gamers.