Earlier this year, Black Flag actor Matt Ryan suggested Ubisoft was set to release a remake of its piratical Assassin’s Creed entry, and it now sounds like the developer wasn’t exactly thrilled about that.
Ryan portrayed Edward Kenway in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, which came out in 2013. It soon became a series favourite for many, and in recent times rumours of a remake have been making the rounds.
These rumours were amplified again in June, when Ryan hinted not very subtly to one fan they should perhaps get ready to replay the game, implying with a bit of a ‘wink, wink, nudge, nudge’ that the remake was indeed real.
“Have you beaten [Black Flag]?” Ryan asked a fan in a clip that was shared around social media (see below). The fan confirmed they had but some time ago, to which Ryan followed up with: “Well, you might have to beat it again…”
When the fan suggested maybe playing through all Assassin’s Creed games, Ryan replied: “Well, especially this one… There’s a reason I say that, but I can’t say anything.”
Anyway, fast forward to today, and it turns out not only was Ubisoft unhappy that Ryan had been a little loose-lipped, but the company actually also threatened him with legal action.
At another more recent convention, the Edward Kenway actor was asked about a Black Flag remake or remaster, to which he replied with a casual shrug and a “I don’t know, mate”. The questioner then pressed Ryan further, calling back to the previous video from June, when the actor then explained:
“Well, the thing is, that when that happened, someone was doing this [gestures towards the person filming the exchange], and I was being very free and open, but I didn’t know that they actually were recording me on their phone.
“And then the company threatened to sue me. So 1754036009 I say nothing.” A video of the exchange was uploaded to TikTok but has since been removed. A copy is embedded below:
Eurogamer has asked Ubisoft for further comment on Ryan’s Black Flag-flavoured exchanges, and will update you if we hear anything more.
Word of a Black Flag remake first began circulating in 2023, when it was said that Skull and Bones studio Ubisoft Singapore was “heavily involved”. Of course, Skull and Bones – which sadly failed to really get any decent wind in its sails following its launch last year – began life as a spin-off from Black Flag.
At the time of this initial rumour, the project was not expected to be completed for “at least a few years”, though given we are now marching firmly into the latter half of 2025, a ‘few years’ is actually coming up relatively soon now. Stay tuned!