An Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remaster seems to be on the horizon for Assassin's Creed fans, which is great. This also brings the opportunity for Ubisoft to add in the multiplayer that the series used to be known for. This was a great addition to the series when it was added, but seemed to disappear entirely as the games went on, and hasn't been seen since Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.

While Assassin's Creed Unity did feature some co-op functions that could be fun to return to, the original competitive take on multiplayer is what I miss most. The classic multiplayer came with a lot of bugs and issues from the first few games, but it was still a great addition to the series at the time. Thanks to how far companies have come regarding multiplayer capabilities, it's possible that a newer implementation could retain the strengths while minimizing the problems.

Assassin's Creed Had Great Multiplayer

It Was A Lot of Fun While It Lasted

Before the huge RPGs and expansive open worlds of recent Assassin's Creed entries, the franchise boasted a unique and surprisingly compelling multiplayer experience. The multiplayer blended stealth, social deduction, and strategic gameplay, and was present in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Revelations, 3, and Black Flag. Since Ubisoft may be releasing a multi-player Assassin's Creed game in 2025, this could be the perfect time for a comeback.

The main gameplay involved a high-stakes chase where players took on the roles of either Assassins or Templars. They had to move through busy crowds, trying to find and eliminate their targets while keeping their identities hidden. Success depended on good observation skills, as players needed to tell real opponents apart from AI-controlled characters, using subtle hints in behavior and being aware of their surroundings. It was a ton of fun, and rather than feeling like a minor supplementary mode, it was something I played often.

Besides the main assassination tasks, the games included various other modes that offered different strategies. These ranged from traditional map domination to unique variations inspired by the series' lore, such as a vampire-themed mode in Assassin's Creed 3. Though the modes had different goals, they all involved deception, requiring players to outsmart their opponents to win. This created a social stealth experience where careful planning and cunning were more effective than just brute strength.

The biggest issue was matchmaking. While some games of the time had great matchmaking systems, others, like the Assassin's Creed franchise, struggled. Plenty of players were calling for lobbies to be used, as matchmaking took a long time and was nowhere near as efficient as it is now, so players would wait five to ten minutes between games waiting for the loading to stop. This limitation was ultimately the biggest reason why I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked in the multiplayer mode.

The Issues With Multiplayer Wouldn't Matter Today

Those Issues Were A Product of their Time

The Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag multiplayer was an exciting idea at the time, but it had some major problems that made it less fun. The biggest problem was the lack of dedicated servers, which meant players relied on peer-to-peer connections. This led to lag, game delays, and cheating, ruining the experience for many players. With dedicated servers, everyone would have a stable and fair gaming environment.

While some games still rely on peer-to-peer connections, a complete lack of dedicated servers in major titles was more common a decade ago. Another big issue was the small number of players. A few console generations ago, Wi-Fi wasn't as common as it is today, and Assassin's Creed players might be less likely to have a Wi-Fi connection set up or an Ethernet cable plugged in than the dedicated fanbase for something like Call of Duty. There weren’t enough people to play with, leading to long waits for matches.

None of those issues are problems anymore. Matchmaking is a lot easier thanks to dedicated servers, and a lot more players have easy access to the internet. Dedicated servers could also allow cross-platform play, expanding the player base considerably. There's also the ability to have sophisticated anti-cheat software, which could help curtail the once-rampant cheating in Assassin's Creed. This is a great time to reintroduce a multiplayer experience that no other games offer in quite the same way.

A Black Flag Remaster May Be Coming Soon

Now Is The Perfect Time To Add Multiplayer

There have been plenty of reports about Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag getting remastered. The leaks seem pretty substantial, but it's best to wait until Ubisoft confirms that itself. Regardless, there's at least reason to hope that one of the franchise's most iconic games could be making a return soon.

It would make sense for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag to be the game that gets remastered because it was received so well by players. While Black Flag is the one Assassin's Creed game that has almost nothing to do with assassins, it's executed so well that the focus on piracy is completely excusable. Even I love the game, and I think every Assassin's Creed game should be about assassins.

If a new version of the Black Flag multiplayer does well, Ubisoft could add it to the Animus Hub.

There aren't many other games waiting for remasters besides the original, and that one is a bit too dated to put out for people to play. If Ubisoft were to remaster a game, it would have to choose from the games that have not been remastered but could still benefit from one. Ubisoft deciding between Black Flag and Syndicate, for example, would be an easy choice, as Black Flag is beloved and Syndicate was, by comparison, relatively ignored.

This Is Ubisoft's Chance To Have Live Service Features

Ubisoft Could Make A Lot of Money

A remaster of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag with its multiplayer gives Ubisoft a great chance to add live service elements that the company likely wants to add to the series. I'm not saying to touch the single-player at all, but instead, focus on adding live-service aspects to the multiplayer in Black Flag. Ubisoft could also encourage player creativity by letting players add and modify their own modes, as the original Black Flag allowed.

If a new version of the Black Flag multiplayer does well, Ubisoft could add it to the Animus Hub that it has been trying to push. The Animus hub already missed a major opportunity by launching without any classic games or characters, and it shouldn't let another opportunity go by. This would open it up to more players and let Ubisoft add elements like battle es without affecting the primary game experiences. While this kind of content can be unpopular, it helps sustain costs for multiplayer games, and this way, Ubisoft could keep it out of single-player games.

If Ubisoft really does give us the Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remaster we've always wanted, then this would be a great time to add it to multiplayer. With how much Ubisoft stands to gain from resurrecting the classic Assassin's Creed multiplayer experience, it's hard to imagine why the company wouldn't add it in, too. Hopefully, multiplayer will be the next thing on Ubisoft's list.