Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag was announced earlier this month after weeks of teasing by its developers at Ubisoft. The game was rumored to be in development since even before the release of Assassin's Creed 3 and word had gotten out that it would feature pirates. Well, it does, and the rumors are true.
In any case, we've decided to compile what we know of the game thus far as we wait for the game's release. Thus far, the game has been confirmed for release on the PC, Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4. We predict that the game will also be out on the next generation Xbox, whenever that's announced.
In Assassin's Creed 4, players take on the role of Edward Kenway, a British privateer and member of the Order of Assassins. He is the father of Haytham Kenway and the grandfather of Connor, the protagonist of Assassin's Creed 3.
From what we know, Edward was married at a young age and escapes his marriage by setting off on the high seas to become a privateer in the West Indies until 1713, when he turns to piracy. At some point between then and when the game begins in 1715, Edward learns the ways of the Assassins and becomes one of their order.
Edward Kenway is armed with four (!) flintlock pistols strapped to his chest, two swords, and a hidden blade. The hidden blade bears the insignia of the Assassins.
From the screenshots we've seen of Edward, his cowl does not have an iconic beak sported by previous characters in the series, and he's also the only protagonist without a scar on his face. Whether he will earn a scar at some point in the game remains to be seen.
Edward is the captain of the Jackdaw, his ship, which serves as a substitute to the villa and homesteads of previous titles in the series. The Jackdaw flies a Jolly Roger with the Assassin insignia in white on a field of black. The Jackdaw is fully upgradeable and will allow Edward to move freely between the islands in the West Indies. In addition to serving as transport, players will be able to engage in ship-vs-ship warfare aboard the Jackdaw in missions not unlike those in Assassin's Creed 3.
As for who you'll be playing in the present day: Desmond is gone, so you'll be playing as yourself—a researcher at Abstergo Industries with access to the Miles family's DNA. Details on that remain unclear.
