Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is finally official, and it's coming in July

After more than a year of leaks that got so out of hand they forced Ubisoft's legal department to crack a smile, the big moment is finally upon us: Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has been formally, fully, and finally revealed to the world. And it won't be too long before we get to actually play it, as Ubisoft also unveiled the launch date of July 9.

We've also got the Black Flag Resynced PC system requirements:

• Minimum System Requirements For 1920x1080, 30 FPS, Low Preset, Ray Tracing – Standard, Upscaler – Balanced
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz, AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB), AMD Radeon RX5500XT (8GB) or Intel ARC A580 (8GB)
  • RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage space: 65 GB (SSD required)
  • OS: Windows 11
• Recommended System Requirements For 1920x1080, 60 FPS, Medium Preset, Ray Tracing – Standard, Upscaler – Balanced
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-10600K 4.1 GHz, AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB), AMD Radeon RX6600XT (8GB), or Intel ARC B580 (12GB)
  • RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage space: 65 GB (SSD required)
  • OS: Windows 11
• Recommended System Requirements For 2560x1440 (2K), 60 FPS, High Preset, Ray Tracing – Standard, Upscaler – Balanced
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-11600K 3.9 GHz, AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB) or AMD Radeon RX6800XT (16GB)
  • RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage space: 65 GB (SSD required)
  • OS: Windows 11
• Recommended System Requirements For 3840x2160 (4K), 60 FPS, Ultra Preset, Ray Tracing – Extended, Upscaler – Quality
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz, AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (24GB) or AMD Radeon RX7900XTX (24GB)
  • RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage space: 65 GB (SSD required)
  • OS: Windows 11

A Core i7-8700K, GTX 1660, and 16GB RAM struck me as a little on the steep side for a minimum spec—although some of that feeling may arise from the fact that Black Flag originally came out in 2013. You shouldn't need that much horsepower to run a 2013 game, right?

It's not really a 2013 game, of course: Black Flag Resynced is "rebuilt from the ground up" in Ubisoft's Anvil engine, and as PC Gamer hardware writer Nick Evanson noted, the Resynced requirements are quite similar to those of Assassin's Creed Shadows, which he said "makes sense, because they're both on Anvil."

Black Flag Resynced promises "updated visuals and enriched gameplay, including parry driven combat, improved stealth and parkour, deeper naval mechanics, and new narrative content." Among that new content is a trio of new officers who can join you on your adventures—Lucy Baldwin, the Padre, and Dead Man Smith—each with their own unique quest that reveals more about their histories. They'll also bring new special abilities to your ship, like double shots from broadside weapons.

"Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced matters deeply to us and to you," game director Richard Knight said during today's showcase. "That's why we took the time to rebuild it with the care it deserves. This remains a solo adventure and character-driven experience. It is not an RPG. The focus stays on how you play and how you explore the world."

That might seem like kind of an odd thing to focus on, but there's a point: Creative director Paul Fu said that because Ubisoft wants Resynced to be a "pure story-driven adventure" that's "fully focused on Edward's adventures," it will not offer the multiplayer elements that were in the original game.

Here's a deeper dive into the updated gameplay:

And some new screens:

It's been quite a ride, with spoilers coming from merch makers, voice actors, age rating boards, and various "anonymous sources," who probably aren't used to having to stand in line when they want to spill some beans.

Ubisoft didn't take that leakiness especially well at first but eventually had a change of heart about the whole thing and decided to embrace the absurdity of it all. Which was understandable, really: Have to laugh to keep yourself from crying, and all that.

The standard edition of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced goes for $60, and is up for pre-purchase now on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Ubisoft Store. Ubisoft also confirmed during today's showcase that the original Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will remain available for purchase.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced will be out on July 9—I already said that, I know, but a reminder never hurts. In the meantime, why not try our new pirate quiz? I can promise* you that "What's a pirate's favorite letter?" is absolutely not one of the questions.

(*not actually a promise, I have no idea)