Assassin's Creed IV may have pirates and naval warfare

The Assassin’s Creed series has always had some unique settings based on real-life history and a big serving of conspiracy theories, and it looks like the next game will be no different. According to Kotaku, a picture of a poster has popped up that hints at what could possibly be a pirate-themed setting for the next Assassin’s Creed game.

The poster shows a character—clearly wearing traditional assassin robes—taking on a horde of what look like pirates. The kicker is the Jolly Roger flowing in the background that more-or-less confirms the pirate setting. If the game is indeed set during the late 1600s to early 1700s era, this could also mean the return of the stellar naval battles that first made their debut in Assassin’s Creed III.

Our gruff-looking hero donning the traditional assassin robes

A game that revolves around a much more fleshed out naval battle system than that seen in Assassin’s Creed III, could possibly be one of the best naval-themed games ever created, though there isn’t exactly much competition in the genre, other than the classic Sid Meier’s Pirates!

It was revealed earlier this month that Ubisoft is going to be holding an event today. The interesting thing is that the event is said to be centred around the Assassin’s Creed franchise. The most probable outcome of the event is bound to be the announcement of a new Assassin’s Creed game, as Ubisoft has an annual cycle with the series.

It could be interesting to speculate on what the next Assassin’s Creed game may be about. Previous games have been about Desmond and his ancestry, but with the definitive end of his story in Assassin’s Creed III, one has to wonder if Ubisoft will still stick to the Animus plot device, or whether the company will ditch all pretense and keep the game set in some time during history without any science-fiction elements.

The complete power. You can see the Jolly Roger in the background

Recently, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told investors that the company is working on a new instalment in the Assassin’s Creed series, and it will feature a new protagonist in a new setting. Guillemot made the announcement during an earnings call presentation where he also noted that the last iteration of the game, Assassin's Creed III, has sold 12 million units worldwide. Gaming analysts expect that the new game will be announced at the coming E3 video game expo in Los Angeles this June.

The Assassin’s Creed series deals with a secret war between Assassins and Templars that has gone on for millennia. The Assassins are fighting to preserve the free will of people while the Templars seek to control the masses. The first game was set during the Holy Crusades in Jerusalem and had protagonist Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad jumping from rooftops and sneaking into groups of people in order to identify and assassinate his targets.

The second game was set during the Renaissance era in Florence. The main protagonist here was Ezio Auditore, who starts out as a vengeful teenager and ends up as a highly-skilled master of Assassins. Altaïr also featured in this sequel and the aged assassin’s last few days are shown. The secondary protagonist of the series is Desmond Miles. The last game in the series puts you in the shoes and body of Connor Kenway, as you witness the American Revolution take its course.

Check out or review of Assassin’s Creed III.