Ubisoft’s recently released online multiplayer game Skull and Bones may give new impetus to the decade-old Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag…

Ubisoft’s ten-year-old Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag has seen a boost in player numbers as its spiritual successor, Skull and Bones, has finally been released after several years of delay. The game, which was unveiled back in 2017, takes and expands on the acclaimed naval combat introduced by Assassin’s Creed 4 as a continuous live service experience. It allows players to engage in online ship battles in a shared, open world.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is one of the most beloved titles of Ubisoft’s iconic historical stealth franchise and remains in the public mind as one of the best in the series.

It was one of the biggest highlights of pirate sea battles. After all, such a thing has rarely been attempted before by any other AAA game, let alone an Assassin’s Creed title. The sword-wielding protagonist Edward Kenway has become a fan-favourite assassin with his boisterous personality and connection to Assassin’s Creed 3’s Haytham Kenway. Rumours of a complete remake of Assassin’s Creed 4 started just last year. This caused a lot of excitement and speculation among fans.

Just days after the release of Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones, Xbox Achievement site TrueAchievements noticed an increasing number of players flocking to Assassin’s Creed 4: Blag Flag. Since SnB held its first beta weekend on February 8th, Black Flag has been seeing more and more players. This continued through the early access launch of Skull and Bones and finally the full release on February 16th.

According to TrueAchievements, Blag Flag saw an impressive 31% jump in Xbox players during those two weeks.

It’s hard to say exactly why Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag has seen such a boom. Skull and Bones seems to have had a lukewarm reception. Many people feel that the service title is not up to the level of Blag Flag. Instead, many players may be picking up the decade-old title again for its exceptional naval combat and on-foot action-adventure gameplay. The latter is disappointingly missing from SnB. TrueAchievements also mentioned the recent sellout that Black Flag was a part of last month. The classic Assassin’s Creed title was available for just $8.99. It’s important to note that TrueAchievements only counts Xbox players. It’s possible that Blag Flag’s takeoff could be even bigger among PC and PlayStation gamers.

What can Assassin’s Creed fans expect after Skull and Bones?

Time will tell if Skull and Bones will be able to survive as a live service for years to come. As for Assassin’s Creed fans, the Black Flag remake rumour may yet turn out to be true. Although Ubisoft certainly has its hands complete with several other big Assassin’s Creed projects in development. Perhaps Assassin’s Creed fans will learn more about the rumoured Black Flag remake or one of the next big titles sometime this year.

Source: TrueAchievements