The release week of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has arrived, and early data suggests Ubisoft may be heading toward a much stronger launch than Assassin’s Creed Shadows managed. According to Alinea Analytics, the remake’s Steam pre-orders are significantly ahead of the figures recorded before the adventure starring Naoe and Yasuke.

For months, it was one of the most frequently repeated Ubisoft rumours, and now the release week is finally here: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is ready to hit the market. The remake of the 13-year-old Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is an ambitious project for the French publisher, and it arrives at an especially important moment, because the company badly needs a strong commercial success. According to 3DJuegos, its review of the remake will be published today at 12:00 PM Spanish peninsular time, while data from Alinea Analytics already gives Ubisoft encouraging signs before launch.

According to Rhys Elliott’s analysis, Steam pre-orders for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are 5.39 times higher than those of Assassin’s Creed Shadows before release. That puts the remake well ahead of the initial pace set by Naoe and Yasuke’s adventure, and the analyst believes these figures point to a very strong launch. The timing also matters, because Ubisoft has spent recent years dealing with development delays, layoffs, and the closure of several studios.

The analysis also highlights the contrast with Skull & Bones. The pirate multiplayer game originally grew out of the naval technology of the first Black Flag, but ultimately arrived eleven years after Edward Kenway’s adventure. According to Elliott’s estimates, pre-orders for Black Flag Resynced have already surpassed the cumulative sales of Skull & Bones, a particularly striking comparison given that the latter became one of Ubisoft’s biggest recent flops after a long and expensive development process.

This Could Preview Ubisoft’s New Era

For Elliott, this early success shows that Ubisoft may find a safer path by focusing on remakes of the series’ most popular games. Developing an entirely new intellectual property over six to eight years with a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars carries enormous financial risk, while re-releasing a beloved classic allows the company to build on a proven foundation. The analyst believes this approach can attract an established audience with far lower creative risk.

The strong start of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced also contrasts sharply with the trajectory of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Ubisoft announced that the game had reached five million players, but Elliott estimates its sales at around 5.7 million copies. According to his breakdown, PS5 accounts for 53.6%, PC for 23.8%, and Xbox for the remaining 23.6%.

Even with those numbers, Assassin’s Creed Shadows remains far behind the results achieved by entries such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. That reinforces the idea that the Black Flag remake could become one of Ubisoft’s most important recent commercial successes. For the publisher, this is not only a nostalgia-driven return, but also a test of how strongly high-profile remakes could work for its future.

Source: 3DJuegos