first details, launch on PS5 on July 9 – PlayStation.Blog & more related news here

Has it really been 13 years since we took privateer turned pirate and assassin Edward Kenway across the seven seas? Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remains one of the most treasured titles in the series, so whether you’re familiar with its swashbuckling exploits or a new fish in its depths, Ubisoft’s announcement of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on PS5 offers the perfect opportunity to see why it’s held in such high regard.

A faithful remake that focuses on the original’s main single-player adventure, the development team hasn’t just applied a fresh coat of presentation paint to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. They also discussed improvements to the game’s quality of life and held workshops to get feedback from players to ensure the changes don’t stray too far from what makes the game work.

So what can we expect?

What’s new about the original?

Edward Kenway returns: Of course, Captain Edward Kenway is central to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, and his story remains the driving force of the game. Played by Matt Ryan, the character’s original voice actor, Kenway is joined by his iconic cast of famous real-life pirates, including Blackbeard, Anne Bonny and Charles Vane.

Caribbean environment: As with its history, all the delightful places are present and accounted for, with its bustling cities, dense jungles and sun-drenched beaches spread across places like Nassau, Kingston and Havana.

Your boat: Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw, was a big part of the original game, and rest assured you can still set sail, participate in boarding parties and raids, and listen to the crew’s cheerful sea songs.

What’s new or improved?

PS5 Pro improvements: Ubisoft leverages PS5 Pro to deliver an immersive hacking adventure.

“We were very impressed with the improved PSSR. It truly redefines the graphical experience in console gaming. It allowed us to render our dynamic tropical world full of palm trees, violent storms and rogue waves without visible upscaling artifacts, delivering sharp pixel quality and great image stability.”

– Jussi Markkanen, Technical Director, Ubisoft Singapore

“Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced pushes ray tracing even further across all modes on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro. PlayStation 5 offers more consistent lighting, while PlayStation 5 Pro delivers an uncompromising experience with advanced ray tracing performance and improved PSSR.”

– Nicolás López, technical architect, Ubisoft Montreal

New game engine: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced uses the latest version of the Anvil engine, which means more detailed character faces, richer animations, and denser crowds. And it shows: the varied environments—on land, across the sea, and beneath the waves—seem more vivid, vibrant, and expansive.

Expanded soundtrack: Some new audio tracks join the visuals, with contributions from French musician and Assassin’s Creed fan Woodkid. And those sailor huts I mentioned before? Well, expect even more to be added to your favorites.

Parkour improvements: Kenway was always agile, but now he’s even more agile with an improved parkour system that includes the ability to perform three jumps along with backward and sideways ejections. The result is smoother traverse motion that flows more naturally, feels tighter, and makes kills look even better. And speaking of murders…

Redesigned combat system: Fighting is faster and more fluid, with an emphasis on making the most of your combos, perfect parries, and up to four chained takedowns. There are also additional destructible elements in the environments to make your attacks appear even more devastating.

Best stealth: Kenway’s undercover options have also been polished. You can now crouch freely (and quickly) to get closer to targets. Additionally, failing any tracking or eavesdropping target no longer results in instant desynchronization. Instead of having to restart the mission when you’re discovered, the target reacts to your careless stealth and you have to save the mission however you can.

New chapters and stories: New content has been added to both the modern sections and the main story, including a new scene with Edward’s wife Caroline, written specifically by the original’s head writer, Darby McDevitt. Kenway isn’t the only character to benefit from new writing, either, with expanded arcs for some members of the other team, like Blackbeard.

New characters:There are some new faces too, via new officers Lucy Baldwin, The Padre and Deadman Smith. Each has a unique backstory and special abilities (for example, Deadman can unlock a devastating double-shot with barrage weapons on the Jackdaw), but you’ll have to earn their trust to recruit them.

Expanded naval arsenal:While we’re talking about the Jackdaw, naval battles are even more spectacular thanks to new alternative fire upgrades for each weapon. Sailing also has a little more flavor due to the dynamic weather system that affects the boat’s handling. And most importantly for animal lovers: you can now recruit a cat or a monkey for your crew.

And all this is just the beginning. There will be more information in the coming months as Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced navigates towards its July 9 release on PS5.