Summary
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagwas suddenly pulled from Valve’s storefront late last week, surprising many a fan. And though thatremoval ofAssassin’s Creed 4from Steamgave way to some wild speculation, it’s actually not that big of a deal.
TheAssassin’s Creedmaker historically had a wavering approach to Valve’s digital store, having first embraced it before deciding to develop a rival in the form of Uplay—nowadays called Ubisoft Connect—back in 2012. A decade later,Ubisoft revealed plans to bring its games back to Steam, althoughAssassin’s Creed 4wasn’t part of that strategy shift since it remained on the platform from day one.
RELATED:Why Ubisoft May Be Remaking AC4: Black Flag Instead of Earlier Games
The Removal of Assassin’s Creed 4 From Steam Was a Mistake
The game’s recent withdrawal from Steam didn’t really prompt concerns that the company is once again pulling its catalog from the storefront so much as it reinvigorated speculation that a remake of the critically acclaimed title could be on the horizon. But the real reason behind the removal is much more mundane, with Ubisoft attributing the game’s omission from Valve’s platform to an unspecified “technical issue.”
The company said as much in a statement provided to several media outlets, clarifying that its teams were already working on bringingAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagback to the storefront over the weekend. The game’s Steam listing was once again live as of the early morning hours (EDT) of September 11. Although games don’t normally get delisted from Steam due to technical issues, it is clear that the now-reverted withdrawal ofAssassin’s Creed 4from the storefront wasn’t a big deal that fans should read too much into. Ubisoft did not elaborate on the circumstances that led to the seemingly accidental removal.
While this episode hence wasn’t the harbinger of aBlack Flagremake, Ubisoft might still be planning to revisit its hit game in the foreseeable future. That’s according to a June 2023report claiming that anAssassin’s Creed 4remake is in developmentat Ubisoft Singapore. However, the alleged project is still said to be years away from releasing.
Ubisoft Singapore is currently wrapped up inthe troubled development ofSkull and Bones, another pirate-themed game that was delayed for the sixth time back in January. However, it is unclear whether the Asian studio is actually leading the development of the reportedAssassin’s Creed 4remake or merely supporting it.
Even if anAssassin’s Creed 4remake was on the verge of hitting the market, there is no reason to assume that Ubisoft would pull the original game from sale, especially seeing how the two would presumably cater to completely different budgets. On the contrary, the gaming giant’s track record suggests that Ubisoft would be more likely to bundle the hypothetical remake withAssassin’s Creed 4instead of making the original game less accessible.
And while it remains to be seen whetherBlack Flagdoes eventually get revisited, fans of the franchise aren’t exactly short on titles to look forward to, asover half a dozen newAssassin’s Creedgames are currently in development. The first of that lot to hit the market will beAssassin’s Creed Mirage, which is scheduled to release for PC and the last two generations of PlayStation and Xbox consoles on October 5.Miragepromises to return to the series' roots by delivering a shorter story paired with a gameplay loop focused on stealth and puzzle-like parkour segments instead of the action RPG elements that were the focus of the last three mainline installments in the long-running franchise.
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagis available on PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
