Today, Ubisoft revealed a new Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag figurine, Blackbeard the Legendary Pirate, to be released in October 2013 along with the Edward Kenway: The Assassin Pirate, already available for pre-order on Uplay.

Based on the infamous legendary pirate, this high quality figurine features Blackbeard in Mayan Ruins, swords at the ready. Additional digital content for Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is also included in this premium collectible now available for pre-order via Uplay here: http://shop.ubi.com/promo/93024600



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In order to give you a sense of what it was like to be a pirate to get you prepared for Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Darby McDevitt, Scriptwriter of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag answers some questions.

How much research went into bringing to life the Golden Age of Piracy?

I cracked open my first book about pirates in the summer of 2011, just after finishing my work on AC Revelations, and for the following 6 months I read dozens of primary and secondary sources. I researched as broadly as I could, to get a good sense of the entire period, which meant reading books and articles on the sugar trade, slavery, politics, and sailing, in addition to the best books on Piracy. I also brushed up on some popular pirate fiction – books like Treasure Island and the Pirate King, and various films – to get a general sense of what made up the standard “pirate yarn.” I found these sources less interesting in general, though, as they were typically too narrowly focused for the needs of an assassin’s creed game.

Lastly, we contacted Colin Woodard, author of The Republic of Pirates, and asked him to help steer our ship in the right direction. Colin’s book had provided us with the answer to one crucial question we had worried we might not be able to resolve: How do we get all of the most famous pirates in history together in the same story? It turns out that the Republic of Pirates – AKA Nassau in the Bahamas – was the answer.

All told, it took almost a year of aggressive research and writing to feel like we had arrived at a confident understanding of the time period and its people, and I am confident that it will show. Naturally there are always concessions that must be made when creating a playable video game, but the over-all “feel” of this world is astounding, and far richer than any pirate themed experience ever made.

Why settle for this particular timeframe in the wide era of “Piracy”?

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