Threads
- Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag is a more complete pirate game than Ubisoft’s latest live-service release.
- The title is experiencing a major resurgence after the disappointing launch of Skull and Bones.
- Thousands of players on Xbox and Steam have returned to the game.
Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag combined the worlds of pirates and assassins in 2013, becoming famous as the best AAA pirate game. Over ten years later, this statement still holds true.
While Ubisoft has just launched Skull and Bones, the game fails to live up to years of promises. As a result, Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag’s player counts have increased by 31% on Xbox alone.
Meanwhile, Steam shows a 200% increase in concurrent players.
Why it matters: Ubisoft is struggling to catch a break. The publisher hosted an open beta, offered a free eight-hour trial, and carried out extensive marketing for its latest title, yet these efforts appear to have been in vain.
As reported by True Achievements, the player counts first increased when the Skull and Bones beta was launched.
Even with the live-service tile now available as a full release, Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag continues to see returning and new players, marking a 31% increase in the Xbox player base.
Meanwhile, Steam shows an even bigger resurgence. The game peaked at close to 3K players in the last 24 hours, tripling its concurrent player counts from early February. Such figures were seen several years ago, showing the impact of Skull and Bones.
We were among the thousands returning to sail the high seas of Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag. Following the recent beta, we quickly returned to this game and found it better than its live-service successor.
Skull and Bones is missing crucial elements like ship boarding and melee combat. The basic gameplay loop also fails to hold interest, making it difficult to play the game for too long.
Nearly ten years of development have not led to a substantial evolution of Ubisoft’s naval combat formula, adding to the disappointment. It should also be noted that the live-service offering is currently much more expensive since Ubisoft priced it at $70.
This may not have been the outcome Ubisoft hoped for, but the developer is currently looking to remake this specific Assassin’s Creed entry. Therefore, the current buzz for the game could be beneficial in the long run.
Last year, the team confirmed that 34 million players had ventured into the Caribbean, taking on the role of Edward Kenway. The remake holds the potential to open this adventure up to even more players.
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[News Reporter]
Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.
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