Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’s Game Director Ashraf Ismail has revealed some new information about the upcoming game featuring new protagonist Captain Edward Kenway, and set during the Golden Age of Pirates in the early 1700s. Ismail has previously revealed that present-day sequences will be available in the game, but has delved deeper in a new interview.
Instead of playing as Desmond, you will slip into the shoes of an Abstergo employee. As an Abstergo employee, in Black Flag you will witness first-hand how the company operates and what they are doing with your research. You’ll also be able to hack security terminals and perform other tasks in order to get more out of the game’s story.
However, the present-day sequences are optional luckily, as Ismail outlines:
You don’t have to like it, but it’s part of the brand. For the people who like the present day and are big fans, we put in a lot of fan service and a lot of fun optional content. You get to choose if you want it or not.
The present-day sequence will be around 3-5 hours long says Ismail, with around 20-25 minutes of it being required gameplay. “You leave the Animus five times during the game’s main path and each time you’re there for about three to four minutes,” notes Ismail.
[Source: Ubi Blog]