While the Assassin's Creed series always separated single player and multiplayer sections, the next Assassin's Creed might blend multiplayer elements into its single player game. When speaking to Gamereactor.eu, lead game designer on Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Jean-Sebeastien Decant, spoke of next generation consoles and what it could mean for connected single player worlds.
When asked about the next Assassin's Creed Decant said, "I think we're going toward a gaming place where the open world will be shared with other players… Socially speaking, but also maybe multiplayer stuff. And we will have to consider the open world much more like a platform that we could sustain for years."
Similar to the connected single player worlds found in Watch Dogs, Decant acknowledged the similarities between the two ideas. "Watch Dogs is kind of showing us the path for the future. Absolutely…We have to respect our brands. So if we have to go that way with Assassin's Creed we have to think about how it could fit into Assassin's Creed."
With a large install base on older platforms, developers must now try to find a balance between the strength of new hardware and limitations of old technology. Associate producer on Assassin's Creed 4, Sylvain Trottier, explained the studio's focus on developing the same game for all platforms.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is now available on Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Wii U and PC.