Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remastered Is Already A Steam Hit, But The £80 Day-One DLC Isn’t – WGB
Ubisoft may have a hit on its hands with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, but not without the usual storm brewing with one-day DLC and game monetization. Yes, despite this seemingly easy win – which Ubisoft really needs – they still find a way to drop the cannonball at their feet.
According to SteamDB, Black Flag Synchronized has already peaked at 99,451 concurrent players on Steam, putting it within touching distance of the 100,000 player launch day milestone. This is a very strong start for Ubisoft, especially for a remake of a 2013 game. Mind you, the 2013 game was incredibly bloody.
Of course, there are obvious caveats: SteamDB doesn’t completely show players on all available platforms. We don’t know how the game is going elsewhere. Still, the PC numbers can give us a little idea of how well things are going, and with a game like this, I actually expect the console numbers to be even better.
The bad news is that the player’s emotions are already being dragged down into the wretched depths of Davy Jones’ locker. But why? Aside from some complaints about the cinematics being locked to 30fps and a few technical bugs, people seem to love the re-release. The graphics are more advanced, the controls are better, the quality of life development seems to be hitting the spot – in fact, it’s an already amazing game made even better. So what’s the problem?
Game DLC and storefront. That’s it.
At the time of writing, SteamBD lists the user review breakdown as mixed, with approximately 58.7% positive reviews from over 3,000 tracked reviews. The Steam store page also shows a Mixed rating, with only 45% positive from 1,067 reviews at the time of indexing.
A quick look at the PlayStation Store shows why some players are upset. Black Flag Resynced already has 10 different DLC packs listed, which add up to £80.50 when purchased individually. That includes two mini packs at £4.29 each and eight cosmetic style packs at £8.99 each.
Steam has nine packs listed. It’s missing a utility package, for some reason. That brings the total down to just £76.21.
Complaints don’t seem to be limited to DLC just existing in the storefront, either. PC Gamer reports that Black Flag Remastered includes an in-game cash shop, weekly challenges and battle pass-style reward tracks, with players greeted by a shop in the main menu and see small ads when they launch the game. I don’t remember those in the first game.
This complaint is echoed in the Steam reviews, pointing to ads for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, ads in the start menu etc.
If there’s a lot of good news to be had, it’s that you’re not missing out on anything important. The DLC is nothing more than some stupid looking skins and two packs that have little impact on gameplay.
So, on the other hand, Ubisoft has presented a remake that clearly appeals to a wide audience. Most people completely tune out the ads and the in-game marketplace, clicking the continue button and raiding and looting to their heart’s content while listening to sea shanties.
On the other hand, many people are not so forgiving of Ubisoft. The remake also managed to attach a modern controversy like Ubisoft to the beloved pirate of the past before the ship sailed.
This was an easy win, Ubisoft, but you couldn’t help it, could you?
