Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced's Success Could Set Up an AC1 Remake by 2028 or 2029

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced sold over 2 million copies in its first 24 hours after launching on July 9th, and that number has since crossed 3 million. Critics loved it, fans loved it, and I think Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced beats every single RPG era Assassin's Creed game, and it is not really even close. The next question is what Ubisoft remakes next, when it might release, and whether this is the blueprint for a new golden age of the franchise.

Black Flag Resynced's Numbers Show Just How Big This Win Was

This company desperately needed a big win, and Black Flag Resynced delivered one. It immediately became the top watch category on Twitch, pulled nearly 100,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, and moved 2 million copies in a single day. We know the exact figures because Ubisoft did something it almost never does and released actual sales numbers instead of vague player counts and engagement stats.

On Steam the game sits at mostly positive. Ubisoft kind of cooked with this one, and that success is exactly why the conversation about what comes next matters so much.

Why This Success Matters for Ubisoft's Remake Strategy

Black Flag Resynced proved that a full scale Assassin's Creed remake is not a side project or a nostalgic cash grab. It is a legitimate release that can carry an entire franchise for a single year. Now that Ubisoft knows that, it is not something the company is going to unlearn. They could forget how to do this, but I do not think they will in this case.

That is where I think the really exciting conversation starts, because there is a company I cover quite a bit, Capcom, that has already run this exact play with Resident Evil.

The Capcom Playbook Ubisoft Could Copy With Resident Evil Style Remakes

Capcom releases mainline games and remakes in a steady rhythm between each other. We had RE7, then the RE2 remake, then the RE3 remake, then Village, then the RE4 remake, then Requiem, with the Veronica remake set for the year after that. Every one of those releases fed the next one, and Capcom has done it at a quality that is unmatched right now.

Assassin's Creed is a different scenario because, unlike Resident Evil's consistent quality, some Assassin's Creed games are good and some are bad, so Ubisoft has to pick and choose which ones to remake. But there is a world where Ubisoft could absolutely run a similar cadence: a remake releases one year, then a smaller linear Assassin's Creed game like Hex or a Mirage successor, then a big flagship RPG, then repeat.

That cadence would keep Assassin's Creed in the conversation every year without burning out on one style of game. Remake fans get their nostalgia hit, RPG fans get their 100 hour epics, and old school fans get tighter linear experiences. Pretty much everybody eats.

Tom Henderson's Roadmap Leak Points to a Capcom Style Cadence

Tom Henderson's reporting on the Assassin's Creed pipeline describes a strategy built around flagship RPGs every two to three years, with other projects layered in between including multiple remakes. That is legitimately the Capcom model in everything but name. Resynced was the proof of concept, and it passed with flying colors.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag is my favorite Assassin's Creed game, and I am so glad the team did it justice. I will not lie, I was a bit nervous at times, but I am glad they really did pull it off.

Project Stardust Is Reportedly Ubisoft's Next Remake, and It Might Be Assassin's Creed 1

According to Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming, Stardust is Ubisoft's second remake project, and the plan was for it to move into full production once Black Flag Resynced shipped, which has already happened. With that game being a massive success, Stardust could have been ramping up around that time.

Ubisoft has never officially confirmed which game Stardust is remaking, but pretty much everyone following this believes it is the original Assassin's Creed from 2007. That makes sense to me. AC1 is the game that introduced Altair, the Brotherhood, the Animus, Desmond, and the entire modern day framework the whole franchise is built on. I say this with the utmost respect and love for the game, but it is one that desperately needs a remake. The core idea and fantasy of AC1 is incredible, but the actual moment to moment gameplay and structure is pretty rough today.

The reporting around Stardust suggests a full remake rather than a remaster, with a complete redesign of the missions while keeping the narrative intact and expanding things into a grander experience. Unlike Black Flag, AC1's modern day segments would reportedly be preserved more faithfully because they are such a pivotal part of the core game's identity. I am picturing the Holy Land rebuilt in the new Anvil engine, and I really want that to happen, taking everything Ubisoft learned from Resynced to build the best possible AC1 experience while keeping the core philosophy intact.

Why Assassin's Creed Rogue Is a Tempting but Risky Follow-Up

There is another path I keep coming back to, and other creators have floated it too: Assassin's Creed Rogue. A remake of Rogue would be the cheapest and fastest follow up imaginable, since it shares naval DNA with Black Flag, meaning a lot of the tech and systems from Resynced would carry over directly. I also think Shay's story is one of the most underrated narratives in the series, so from a pure development efficiency standpoint, Rogue is sitting right there as a slam dunk.

But here is why I ultimately do not think it happens next. Rogue sold pretty well, though I do not think it was super great, and it launched the same day as Unity in a genuinely wild situation, with Unity on current gen and Rogue on the previous generation, completely separating the audiences. A lot of people who had both consoles played Unity first and went back to Rogue later, if at all.

Rogue also does not have the brand recognition of Black Flag or the significance of AC1. Following the biggest critical win in over a decade with a remake of one of the least played games in the series would be quite the gamble. If I were Ubisoft sitting in that executive meeting asking what maximizes profits, I would go in order: give fans the AC1 remake they have actually wanted, and save Rogue for later in the rotation once the remake train is fully established.

The Ezio Trilogy Is Being Held Back as Ubisoft's Emergency Remake

Then there is the elephant in the room: where does Ezio Auditore da Firenze fit into all of this? Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations are the most beloved games in the franchise, and a lot of people assume they would be first in line. But I think Ubisoft is doing something smarter here.

The Ezio trilogy is essentially a break in case of emergency remake, an almost guaranteed hit that you do not spend early. You hold it and wait until you really need it. If the remake strategy ever hits a rough patch, or a mainline game underperforms, that is when Ubisoft presses the button on an Assassin's Creed 2 remake, the single most reliable card they can play.

Tom Henderson's roadmap even mentions a third remake with no code name and no target release date, scheduled deep into the future. If I had to guess, I would say that mystery remake is the first game in the Ezio trilogy.

When Could the Next Remake Actually Arrive?

Stardust reportedly only entered full production once Resynced shipped, meaning the development clock started that month, though it could have been in pre production for a while before that. Even with heavy asset sharing already proven in the Anvil engine pipeline, a full AC1 remake is still a multi year project.

The earliest I would put money on for an Assassin's Creed 1 remake release is around 2028, though I think 2029 is the safer bet, since Ubisoft also has Hex as its next big game and would not want to release another remake anywhere near it. I am looking forward to it regardless, and I hope Ubisoft takes what it learned with Black Flag Resynced and applies it to future Assassin's Creed games. We clearly want to play more Assassin's Creed, we just want it to be really good Assassin's Creed.

Would you rather see Ubisoft remake Assassin's Creed 1 next, or take the cheaper and faster route with Rogue first?