‘Assassin’s Creed 4′ Lead Writer on Edward Kenway’s Character Arc

Ubisoft has some excellent looking games lined up for the next generation, including brand new hacker vigilante sandbox Watch Dogs, but the company’scurrent annual staple is the ever-popular Assassin’s Creed series, which places the player in various periods of history and allows them to run around irresponsibly over famous pieces of architecture. There’s also some kind of subplot to do with Templars and conspiracies and the end of the world, but if you’d rather not get into that then you can just swan-dive off the Colosseum in Rome and then stab a passing guard in the back of the head for fun.

The next game in the series is Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the protagonist of which is a swaggering young pirate named Edward Kenway who roams the waters of the West Indies in the eighteenth century searching for booty to be plundered. This will be the first game in the series without a modern protagonist, since Desmond Miles’ story was brought to a close at the end of Assassin’s Creed III, and the player will instead take on the role of an unnamed Abstergo Industries researcher digging through genetic material, presumably to unlock the location of another Piece of Eden.

According to an interview with lead writer Darby McDevitt on the official Ubiblog, the driving force behind Edward’s story arc for the game is his desire to lay his hands on a mysterious object that can make him both powerful and wealthy (possibly made from that rare mineral known as MacGuffinite), that the Templars are also relentlessly pursuing. Playing Capture the Flag with the Pieces of Eden is by no means a new plot device for the Assassin’s Creed series, but it’s worked well as a motivator so far, and this game franchise is really all about the journey rather than the destination.

Speaking of the journey, McDevitt opened up a little about the differences between Edward’s story arc and that of previous Assassin’s Creed protagonists, particularly his grandson, Connor, who was the star of the last game. One of the chief complaints about Assassin’s Creed III was that Connor was too dour and serious in comparison to the Italian Renaissance playboy, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who had appeared in the three previous games. Perhaps this is why Edward’s story arc will be a flipped version of Connor’s:

“Edward is almost a counterpoint to Connor in some ways. Connor begins very idealistic and the experience he has through ‘Assassin’s Creed III’ starts to make him really jaded. He’s doing all these things he believes are right and they don’t pay off in all the right ways.

“So [with Edward] I started with a guy who was already jaded. He was cynical. He’s out for himself. He has this marriage that’s really rocky. He’s estranged from his wife. He wants to try to prove he’s a man worthy of her affection, so he goes to the West Indies to become a privateer, and that falls apart really fast and he falls into piracy.

“He kind of bounces between the Assassins and Templars for a time, trying to find something that makes his life more meaningful. At first he has all these selfish goals but his experiences focus him on what is and isn’t important in life.”

One thing that the Assassin’s Creed writers have successfully managed to do so far is to give each of the main protagonists their own unique characteristics, from the stoic seriousness of Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad in the first game to Connor Kenway’s dogged determinedness in his quest for revenge against Charles Lee, but one thing that each of the protagonists have had in common is an urge to do the right thing. The characters have had their flaws, like Altaïr’s arrogance and Ezio’s hot-headedness, but they all eventually work to overcome those flaws for the sake of the greater good.

Edward however, just might end up being the exception to this rule, as McDevitt suggests that the pirate’s major flaw is his self-centeredness and his willingness to bend the Creed in order to serve his own purposes. Since he is in the pirate game for the gold and the glory, Edward takes the central tenet of “Nothing is true, everything is permitted” to mean that he can do whatever he wants – even killing or robbing innocent civilians – without fear of reprisal.

This is an interesting new direction in which to take the series. Morally ambiguous characters obviously aren’t new to video games, and if anything seem to be undergoing a surge of popularity at the moment (see also: Far Cry 3, The Last of Us, Spec Ops: The Line etc.), but despite their dedication to exploring certain philosophical and ethical boundaries, the plots of the Assassin’s Creed games do have a tendency to boil down to good Assassins going up against evil Templars. Having an Assassin protagonist who is “good at heart” but otherwise completely out for himself is fairly novel, in that respect.

The downside of this is that the series as a whole seems to be shifting further and further away from the actual assassination element, to the point that the trailers for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag so far have given the impression that it’s a new pirate game IP that happens to have the Assassin’s Creed label slapped on to it. As much fun as it will probably be to go diving for gold and getting into elaborate naval battles, the assassinations seem to be falling by the wayside a little, and the fact that Edward Kenway apparently isn’t all that interested in being an Assassin doesn’t bode all that well for the chances of plentiful good old-fashioned stalk-and-stab missions.

Tell us which of the Assassin’s Creed protagonists has been your favorite – and what you think of Edward Kenway so far – in the comments.

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‘Assassin’s Creed 4′ E3 Gameplay Demo; Missing Naval Multiplayer Explained

At Sony’s E3 2013 Press Conference, an Assassin’s Creed 4 developer took the stage to show off his team’s latest game. Unfortunately, as is sometimes the case with a live demo, the footage fell victim to a few technical problems. The AC4footage wasn’t unwatchable, it just “hiccuped” numerous times.

Thankfully, Ubisoft has been kind enough to put the full demo online (sans technical glitches) for all to see. Now fans can see how protagonist Edward Kenway stacks up against the likes of Ezio, Altair, and his grandson Connor.

There’s nothing new about the demo (aside from the smooth frame rate) so those gamers who felt adequately sated by the live presentation won’t get much out of this footage. At the same time, those gamers that missed Sony’s presser and wanted to see some of the new naval combat options Ubisoft is adding forAssassin’s Creed 4 have come to the right place.

In this iteration, players not only have new options available for naval combat, they can also board enemy ships in a variety of ways. The demo features a very direct (and the most visually exciting) approach, but the Ubisoft dev narrating the footage explains that players can also swim up the side of a ship for a sneak attack.

Speaking of naval combat, the topic of a naval multiplayer component was brought up to Game Director Ashraf Islamil, who confirmed the development team had attempted such a mode. Unfortunately, they couldn’t “get it to a good enough level for this iteration.”

With an annual release like Assassin’s Creed, it’s likely a major undertaking to introduce a new feature, especially a completely new multiplayer component. Not to mention the amount of time it would take to make the naval battles fair and balanced. There is a multiplayer component to the single player naval battles – with players controlling ships using the game’s companion app – but no PvP, ship vs. ship experience.

However, if Assassin’s Creed stays in a time period where naval combat is justified, we’d venture to guess such a multiplayer component might make an appearance. Assassin’s Creed 3‘s naval combat was among the game’s major highlights, so we can only imagine how exciting sea battles might be if Ubisoft replaced AI enemies with real opponents.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag will, however, once again feature the series’ now-trademark multiplayer, which sees players doing their best NPC impressions to fool and then stab opponents. We went hands-on with the multiplayer at E3 to see what Ubisoft has added so make sure to read our preview.

What do you think of the Assassin’s Creed 4 E3 demo? Did it get you as excited as in past years? Would you like to see naval multiplayer included in a futureAssassin’s Creed release?

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‘Assassin’s Creed 4′ Images Show Modern-Day Abstergo

With each passing week, it’s becoming clearer that in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the modern portion of the historic epic – what once helped introduce the characters, plot and overall sense of conflict of the Assassin’s Creed series – is taking a backseat to pirate antics. We can’t blame the developers at Ubisoft for the decision, but the newest images promise that the modern means of walking in Edward Kenway’s boots will be featured in the game’s campaign.

The good news is that players will no longer be fleeing from Templar agents; in Black Flag, they’ll be (presumably) aiding them without even realizing it. The better news: membership with Abstergo Entertainment has its privileges.

The fact that the modern setting of Black Flag has been discussed so rarely in the marketing of the game hasn’t been lost on longtime fans. Since the modern story of Desmond Miles reached its conclusion with the climax of Assassin’s Creed 3, exactly how the developers would continue the story was one of the most nagging questions. They’ve come up with a solution, but whether fans accept it remains to be seen.

As it turns out, the genetic memories contained within the Miles bloodline – previously restricting the ability to walk through history to Desmond alone – have been extracted for ‘recreational’ use. The player is no longer an Assassin on the run, but an employee of Abstergo Entertainment (a subsidiary of the Templar-owned Abstergo Industries) exploring a key chapter in Desmond’s ancestorEdward Kenway’s life.

The images prove that funds are still not an issue for the modern-day Templars, although how extensively players will be able to navigate the offices of Abstergo Entertainment isn’t clear. It’s easy to understand why the developers are expecting players to get most excited about the chance to sail their own pirate ship through a world of island chains, but if Animus technology has advanced to the point of a desktop screen and speakers (as the image implies), we’d like to think they can offer a decent explanation.

What do you think of the new modern-day digs? Are you hoping for a new take on the idea of exploring an Animus from the comfort of your own cubicle, or simply looking forward to the historic setting and chance to explore the Caribbean Sea? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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‘Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’ Delayed a ‘Few Weeks’ on PC

Almost as if on cue, Ubisoft has delayed the PC version of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag until a few weeks after the release of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Delays have become a regular occurrence for the PC versions of Assassin’s Creed, but this year the wait isn’t as bad as it usually it is.

That’s because this year will also feature the launch of two new consoles, both of which will offer Assassin’s Creed 4 as launch titles. And although the current gen version of AC 4 is no slouch, the next-gen versions, which includes the PC version, are presumably going to be superior.

The hope would be that Ubisoft needs some extra development time on these next-gen/PC versions and so they won’t be ready when the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions hit on October 29th. Obviously, the Xbox One and PS4 won’t even be out by then so that’s on a non-issue on those platforms, but for PC players this delay likely suggests Ubisoft is trying to deliver the best PC port possible.In fact, Game Director Ashraf Ismail says that the PC is “one of the main platforms we work on in the office.”

As Ubisoft continues to push the franchise to its limits, with bigger open worlds and more gameplay experiences like naval combat, they were likely to hit a wall with the current generation of consoles. The PC, and now the next generation of consoles, offers Ubisoft the power to make Assassin’s Creed even bigger. It’s funny to think that a few years ago fans lambasted the PC versions of Assassin’s Creed.

So, while Assassin’s Creed fans lament yet another PC delay, this time they will know the end-product will actually be superior to the versions released in late October. Now, if the PC version gets delayed until after the PS4 and Xbox Oneversions release – well, then there’s cause for disappointment.

How do you feel about Ubisoft delaying the PC version of Assassin’s Creed 4? Do you mind a delay if it means a better quality product?

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‘Assassin’s Creed 4′ to Feature Aveline as PS3/PS4-Exclusive Playable Character

Whether its Assassin’s Creed 3′s Benedict Arnold storyline (a PlayStation 3-exclusive), Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation‘s standalone presence on the Vita, or even their steadily-gaining-pace production of an Assassin’s Creed feature film, Ubisoft and Sony have developed a close working relationship within the Assassin’s Creed franchise in recent years.

E3 2013 united the two once again — this time confirming Aveline de Grandpré, the heroine protagonist of the aforementioned Liberation, as an exclusive playable character on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 editions of Asssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.

Joined by the announcement of four PS3/PS4-only missions for its highly anticipated IP Watch Dogs, Ubisoft revealed that the Aveline will inhabit a bonus contingent of campaign missions in Assasssin’s Creed 4. According to Joystiq, the missions begin from the conclusion of Aveline’s story in AC3 Liberations thanks — you guessed it — to an upgrade of the Animus. (Liberation last left us in 1777 — 52 years after the 1715-start of Black Flag. The same flexibility enabling Black Flag’s canonical-dive backward is, in unison, driving some part of it forward.)

Ubisoft wouldn’t speak on the the story details behind Aveline’s reemergence — whether it’s a direct epilogue of Liberation, a separate tangent, or a means of tying the female assassin to Black Flag — but a word of caution: It will be brief. An hour, in fact, according to Sony VP of Publisher and Developer Relations Adam Boyes, who was quoted in Sony’s official press release:

“Ubisoft is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of play, and that is why we are expanding our partnership with PlayStation to bring PlayStation fans one-of-a-kind content for two of the year’s most anticipated games, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag and Watch Dogs. With an hour of exclusive gameplay for each title, yet again we are blazing new trails by providing more unique experiences that can only be found on PlayStation.”

We’ve spent a (proverbial) boatload of time previewing Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag at E3 this week, and it’s clear that with new mechanics, new open-world exploration and, perhaps most importantly, a new generation of hardware, Ubisoft intends to give gamers a taste of something different beyond setting and storyline with this year’s annual installment. For Liberation fans (those who own, or will own, a PS3 or 4, anyway) Aveline’s bonus chapter, if well-handled, could offer a rewardingly familiar slice franchise lore.

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Ubisoft Expects ‘Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’ to Sell Less Than ‘AC3′

There’s no denying that Assassin’s Creed 3 was one of the best games of last year, but fans hoping to see a satisfying conclusion to the Assassin/Templar war were unhappy to find yet another cliffhanger ending. Expectations that the nextgame in the series would dig deeper into the conflict were justified, but it’s becoming more and more evident that with Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag,piracy will be taking precedence.

With Black Flag trading the iconic setting of the American Revolution for some high-seas swashbuckling, Ubisoft seems to know that the game may not attract the same anticipation as its predecessor. While the publisher remains optimistic, CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that sales are expected to drop from last year.

Guillemot outlined the publisher’s projection in an investor conference call today, doing his best to maintain that while Black Flag may not match the sales numbers of last year’s AC3, the company isn’t ruling out the possibility that the game will be more of a hit with consumers than they expect.

“To come back to Assassin’s Creed IV, in our numbers we have…we expect less than last year.

“We are actually pushing to achieve more than last year because we think the pirate segment is a great segment that can generate a lot more on a worldwide basis than what was achieved last year. But we wanted to be prudent on our expectations so that it can probably be a bonus if it comes.”

Now, a casual observer may read those comments from Guillemot as a claim that Ubisoft is “pushing to achieve more sales…but expects not to,” which wouldn’t be too far from the truth. That might seem like a CEO trying to sugarcoat the fact that this year’s installment of one of gaming’s top franchises may drop year-to-year (*GASP!*). Frankly, we’re willing to give Guillemot and Ubisoft the benefit of the doubt.

It may be hard to match the incredibly lengthy (and expensive) marketing given to AC3, but Black Flag will also be facing competition from factors beyond their control. A new setting and main character – who once again isn’t named Ezio – is always going to be a risk with fans, but factor in the jilted fans (few as they may be), the lack of a historical period so strongly tied to North America audiences, and the end of a console cycle, and it’s hard to know what to expect from any of the upcoming yearly series.

All in all, it’s nice to hear Ubisoft playing on the safe side, and pre-emptively lowering expectations for this year’s game; for starters, adding a ’4′ to the name ahead of the subtitle doesn’t hide the fact that Black Flag, like Revelations will be more of a side-entry than direct sequel. And as we’ve seen from Square Enix,overly ambitious projections don’t help anyone.

Does this mean that Ubisoft may actually keep to its word, and utilize an annual release cycle for Assassin’s Creed to surprise its fans and tell relevant stories, instead of merely cashing in on a popular brand as frequently as possible? We’d certainly like to hope so. As fans of AC3‘s naval gameplay and pirates in general,Black Flag is already on our list of most anticipated titles regardless of whether it can match the ‘spectacle’ of a numbered sequel.

For fans who continue to hope for a chance to play an Assassin’s Creed title in the French Revolution, Victorian England or elsewhere, the fact that Ubisoft’s highest executives are willing to accept lower sales in exchange for tapping into potential markets is promising. Of course, that’s assuming Guillemot’s comments aren’t false modesty, and a drop in sales leads Ubisoft to take drastic action and avoid further risk.

We’ll have to wait and see before get excited or disappointed, but what do you think? Should Ubisoft continue to branch out and settle for possessing one of the industry’s best-selling franchises, not the best-selling franchise? We know that’s blasphemy to some, but appealing to several niches makes as much sense as ‘mainstreaming’ a product to attract the biggest audience.

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‘Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’ Writer Talks Story, Women, and Riches

With Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Ubisoft is trying something a little different. While in past games, the AC protagonists have been self-righteous, mostly good men, AC 4‘s leading man Edward Kenway is a little more unsavory. That isn’t to say he wont have redeeming qualities, but in this particular entry players will have every opportunity to partake in some pretty debaucherous activities.

Chief among those is Kenway’s use of female companions for less-than-honorable means. Although Kenway has a wife – the mother of Haytham Kenway, and grandmother of Assassin’s Creed 3 protagonist Connor Kenway – he still enjoys the life of a pirate, and all that comes with it.

As Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag‘s lead scriptwriter Darby McDevitt explains,“There is a special women in Edward’s life, but there are also other not-so-special women as well.” One of these not-so-special women can be seen briefly in theBlack Flag announcement trailer helping Edward make a clean getaway after dispatching a target.

It might seem like a move meant to impress fans, but Edward’s deft use of female NPCs will actually factor into the gameplay. As with past games, NPC characters can be used in Black Flag to “more effectively achieve your goals.”

McDevitt clarifies that players will not be able to select which characters they choose to cavort with – that element will still be scripted – but he does say Black Flag will be “more open and free than ever before.” Sounds like Ubisoft is going for something a little more advanced than hiring a few “ladies of the night.” McDevitt doesn’t go into specifics, so unfortunately we’re still left guessing for the most part.

There’s still plenty more of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag left to be revealed, but for now Ubisoft is slowly feeding fans a healthy diet of tasty gameplay morsels. We have a pretty clear idea of the hero, the setting, and a few gameplay opportunities, but Ubisoft is trying to keep the main story points a secret.

McDevitt reveals that Kenway’s main motivation is riches – as with all great pirates – but where there’s the Assassin’s Creed logo, players know there will be more than a few surprises.

How would you like to see Ubisoft use the pirate milieu to influence Assassin’s Creed 4‘s gameplay? What about the story? Where would you like to see it go?

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