Assassin’s Creed Dev Says This Underrated Game Deserves a Remake
Topics: Interview, Features, Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft
Featured Image Credit: Ubisoft
Topics: Interview, Features, Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft
With the remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on the horizon, we spoke with its lead level designer Julian Koch about what we have to look forward to in Resynced.
Julian has been with Ubisoft for nearly 15 years, and has worked on the likes of the original Black Flag, as well as Assassin’s Creed III, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and more. He’s even worked on the ill-fated Skull and Bones, a game heavily rooted in Black Flag DNA. So, if there’s anyone who knows this series, it’s this man.
Despite being a beloved entry in the series, Ubisoft could have chosen the original Assassin’s Creed of 2007 starring Altaïr's Ibn-La'Ahad or Assassin’s Creed II starring Ezio Auditore, a protagonist equally as charming as Edward Kenway. So, why Assassin’s Creed Black Flag?
“Assassin’s Creed Black Flag is unique, and so many people love it,” Julian recalled. “It feels like a no-brainer. However, despite how good the original game is, a lot of time has passed, so there’s now plenty of room for improvement. Given our history with the original Black Flag, it also made sense for us at Ubisoft Singapore to take on this remake. It feels like it’s come full circle.”
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Following the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced reveal, some fans online said that it doesn't need a remake and its visuals aren't a massive leap over the original. Having played the preview, the visuals are noticeably improved, as is the framerate, and as stated in my hands-on preview, there are plenty of improvements made to its gameplay and overall world.
“We knew from the start, due to the original being so beloved, we would have a fight against perception,” said Julian. “But I feel when fans rediscover places like Havana, it’s not just how the world looks, it’s how it moves and feels, and you see the dense crowd. They’ll see how the environment reacts to your actions. It’s all the small things that add more to the world, but remain very faithful to the original. Not to mention the new story quests, cinematics, characters, locations and more. We’ve also added a few new twists to missions to help keep players on their toes.”
Evolving from the multiplayer modes of Assassin’s Creed III, the Black Flag modes were very different to the typical Call of Duty and Battlefield offerings of the time. Players had to blend in with other NPCs on a map and strategise to take out human targets who also had the same mission. It was sneaky, deceptive and fun. Sadly, the remake has dropped the multiplayer mode.
“It was a tough decision for me to leave out the multiplayer in the remake, because I once worked on the multiplayer for Assassin’s Creed Revelations. But for the remake, we really wanted to look past our personal feelings and put everything in Edward’s story,” Julian explained.
I asked about the fantastic Assassin’s Creed Black Flag expansion, Freedom Cry, also being left out of the remake, and while Julian remained vague, he suggested that its protagonist, Adéwalé, still has a big role to play in the remake and may have moments that differ from the original Black Flag. I guess only time will tell.
“We looked at what frustrated the player in the original game,” Julian told me. “Rather than a mission failing when detected, we want to give players a new opportunity when failing. So now, there’s not only one way to approach a mission, especially when tailing an enemy or using stealth.
“Even adding simple features like crouching at any moment, improving the climbing or being hidden in denser foliage when stalking in a bush. Now, there are also more places to look around, to see new angles, elements and what has been added to the remake to approach a task differently.”
He continued, “We’ve made loads of improvements to the gameplay, improved combat and stealth, added new elements to the world, the visuals, but we’ve also kept the spirit of the original Black Flag. It feels weird to say in 2026 that being able to crouch changes how you perceive the Caribbean, but as a level designer, sometimes those simple changes can give so much joy and offer different ways to approach the same situation. On top of that, Edward also has some new tools to play with, too.”
“I had so much fun with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,” Julian said with a smile. “I hope that I didn't butcher York too much, but I travelled to York because I wanted to get a real feel for the place. I went hiking in the moors and visited the Northumbria region. It was a fun challenge, especially as no living person knows what it’s like to be in ninth-century England.
“We didn't want all the countryside in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to be forests, which most of it probably was back then. We wanted to find the right balance of what people might expect in 9th-century England, without trying to be too accurate. Some of the stone walls that you see in a field were actually introduced by a French monk in the 10th-century. They were then adopted by English farmers.
“It’s those kinda small things that you want to be detrimental to the game, but find a balance of what makes it feel real, while still being an Assassin’s Creed game. We were able to make the York Minster Cathedral a bit bigger, so it stands out in Valhalla’s story a bit more. It was such a great building to play around with, and it’s those challenges that made Assassin’s Creed Valhalla so much fun to work on.”
Just to make it clear, the following was no confirmation by Julian of what game is next to be remade; it’s more of what he’d like to see as a fan, as unlikely as it might be.
Aside from the other popular games in the series, such as the original Assassin’s Creed or any of the Ezio trilogy, there are plenty of other candidates for Ubisoft to give the remake treatment after Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. However, what about the more underrated games in the series?
“I think Assassin’s Creed Liberation is a really good and interesting game. The way you can play around with the NPCs, it has some Hitman vibes,” said Julian. “Obviously, it’s not up to me, but that would be an interesting one to revisit.”
“We’ve improved the small islands in the game that might have secrets such as treasure chests or Animus fragments. They have been modernised in the remake, and it’s something we wanted from the start. We’ve made these islands tell more of a story for their region, such as them being extensions of Havana or Tortuga," Julian explained.
“These islands now have more meaning and quirky stories not on the main story path, rather than just being a simple island with some treasure. Players will also get better rewards than ever before, which will mean leaving the Jackdaw to explore is more worthwhile. Players should have some fun experiences, and I can’t for them to share what they’ve discovered.”
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will be released on 9 July 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
READ MORE: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Is The Remake We Deserve