In what must be either the least controlled media reveal ever or the most transparent one conceived in the past decade, the cinematic announcement trailer for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag has leaked ahead of Monday's intended reveal time.  Please note that, given Ubisoft's history of covering up leaks, the above video may not be available after a certain period of time.  If this happens and you happen to find a mirror to share with everyone, please leave a link in the comments.

For those of you unable to watch the video, allow me to describe what you would see.  Players will take on the role of Edward Kenway, father of AC3 antagonist Haytham Kenway, sometime in the early 18th century.  In the trailer Kenway is depicted as a fierce new pirate captain sailing throughout the Caribbean, plundering upon the likes of Spanish galleons.  The infamous pirate Black Beard, who narrates the trailer, advocates for Kenway's ferocity on the high seas but warns the potentiala crew members that his personal affairs are not to be trifled with, possibly hinting that Black Beard is aware of Kenway's anti-Templar actions.

The trailer certainly shows some promise at an interesting story and Assassin's Creed III's naval combat was certainly one of the most exciting gameplay elements to be had.  This prequel to AC3 should also provide us with some interesting insight into Haytham Kenway's turning away from the Assassin Order.  I do wonder though how this ties into the future aspect of the game though.  Given the events that occur at the end of the previous game I have to wonder just how Desmond Miles might tie into what happens.  Whatever the case, Assassin's Creed IV may just be the start of a new trilogy of events and I'm certainly looking forward to the journey.

Comments

  • Moom Avatar
    Moom
    11 years ago

    This actually looks a lot more interesting than anything I have seen in the AC series since the first one was revealed. I do feel like there was a lost opportunity by just keeping the main character as a white male though.

  • spookyfox1 Avatar
    spookyfox1
    11 years ago

    So this means Desmond will still feature as the protagonist then, seeing as its Haytham's father we will be playing as.

    Also this looks great, i really hope they don't mess this up as this could be the best in the series since AC 2 or brotherhood.

  • Thebradman Avatar
    Thebradman
    11 years ago

    I hope with this next game they'll drop with the oogie-boogie sci-fi doomsday conspiracy subplot of the previous games.

  • Nick Henderson Avatar
    Nick Henderson
    11 years ago

    Love it. I didn't see the subtle tie-in to AC3 coming and I love pirate fiction so this seems legit. Im just eager to see how prominent the exploration of the open ocean is gonna be. It seems like they are hinting that there will be some underwater exploration which should spark Brad's interest too.

  • Kdbattletoad Avatar
    Kdbattletoad
    11 years ago

    I hope this will be open world like Wind Waker!

  • Avatar
    NovelGravy
    11 years ago

    I think it looks really good but I'm a little disappointed. The series seems to be moving away from actual stealth and assassin gameplay to more action based. In AC3 it felt like you hardly ever actually assassinated anyone, you just fought them.

  • Travis Collins Avatar
    Travis Collins
    11 years ago

    Looks badass, but it does seem they are kind of moving stealth aside and making it more about action. Would rather this be its own game and not Assassin's Creed, but its just a trailer. Maybe there will be a lot of stealth play. Still looks like a fun game never the less.

  • bigbazz Avatar
    bigbazz
    11 years ago

    underwater swimming?......maybe.

  • rabbeseking Avatar
    rabbeseking
    11 years ago

    So now that we don't really care about following any kind of pattern, can we just go to feudal Japan next?

  • Arxidus Avatar
    Arxidus
    11 years ago

    Sure... but why 4? Could they not just call this Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (being a prequel to 3), then leave 4 for jump to next-gen down the line? Pirates are all well and good, but why not showcase the power of the next-gen consoles with seamless naval and underwater exploration in an open-world game? Seems like it would be a no brainer.

  • Avatar
    Binary79
    11 years ago

    YoHoYoHo a pirates life for me.

    If they can make ship travel fun they will have a winner on there hands,

  • theottomatic91 Avatar
    theottomatic91
    11 years ago

    This actually seems pretty interesting. Having been letdown by 3 I look forward to this title since I really liked Haytham as a character (alot more than Connor). Hopefully Edward will be a more interesting person and maybe it may explain why Haytham became a templar