Skip to main content

How fans shaped the unique multiplayer in ‘Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’

Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag MP 9
'Assassin's Creed IV' multiplayer is still all about the social stealth and unseen murdering. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Back in our November 2010 review of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, we noted this about the new multiplayer mode:

“This seems like the type of multiplayer that many will play then put down, while a select group of hardcore fans become ridiculously good and play it all the time. It might have a solid cult following if Ubisoft can keep those select few happy.”

It worked. Nearly three years and three games later, Ubisoft’s creative approach to the multiplayer genre is a success. Those “select few” fans did in deed remain engaged, and Ubisoft wisely chose to cater to them rather than abandoning the mode in favor of a more standardized form of multiplayer. Third-person action games have no shortage of online modes, most typically involving one team or individual running up and shooting the other. The Assassin’s Creed series instead went in a different direction, offering a cat-and-mouse style of gameplay that has been described as a “cerebral deathmatch.” And it is paying off.

You step into the shoes of a killer, are given a target to hunt identified by a picture, then watch the crowd for your human target to stand out and reveal themselves.

“With Brotherhood, it was a very bold step to do a very new multiplayer. It was actually loved quite early by some early adopters,” Lead Multiplayer Game Designer Tim Browne told us. “It is still is loved, it is still played. We can see people playing on servers for Brotherhood. Yes, though the numbers were lower than [multiplayer modes in other games], it still proved popular. We knew we had something very special in the multiplayer that we didn’t really want to change the DNA, the core design.”

The modes have changed, but the concept has remained the same: You step into the shoes of a killer, are given a target to hunt identified by a picture, then watch the crowd for your human target to stand out and reveal themselves – all while you yourself are being hunted. The multiplayer will once again be a big part of the series when Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is released on October 29 for PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, and then as a next-gen launch title for PS4 and Xbox One on November 15 and 22, respectively.

Since the first Assassin’s Creed game was released in 2007, the property has become one of Ubisoft’s flagship titles, with annual releases and multiple teams constantly working on future iterations. This year, the single-player campaign is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, but more than 900 people spread over seven offices have all had a hand in making sure it is complete and able to ship on time. It is very much a team effort for Ubisoft. Development for the multiplayer, however, remains the province of Ubisoft Annecy, located in eastern France near the Italian and Swiss borders.

Founded in 1996, Annecy is one of Ubisoft’s oldest studios. It has specialized in multiplayer since 2004, when it worked on Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and introduced the unusual and spies vs. mercs mode. That mode pitted two heavily armed, but slow, soldiers against two stealthy, but weak spies. Like the Assassin’s Creed multiplayer, it attracted a relatively small, but loyal following that grew over time.

“[The multiplayer] has become huge, but at the same time, we knew just how amazing and how great the solo was going to be this year, and we didn’t want to be outdone, so we had to make the multiplayer as great,” Browne said. “It’s kind of like a nice little competitiveness between the teams, but not against each other. We want to deliver the best thing we possibly can to the player, the paying public effectively. These guys are buying the game, and we want to give them hundreds of hours of gameplay if we can.”

Browne took on the lead duties with Assassin’s Creed III, and has helped to oversee the transition from the current gen to the next. Beyond the obvious challenges of increasing the visual fidelity, when development began on the new multiplayer Browne and the team at Annecy were put in the odd position of adhering to a new set of Technical Requirement Conditions (or TRCs) from both Sony and Microsoft – without actually knowing what those new requirements were.

“Working with those [TRC] and not knowing fully what they are is one of the challenges you have,” Browne said of the challenges of developing for the next gen as a launch title. “That said, we cannot fault how great the support has been from both first parties, it’s been phenomenal. This support has allowed us to be a launch title, which is a huge, huge deal for Assassin’s Creed.”

In answer to a question that Browne hears often, he does not have a favorite between the PS4 and the Xbox One, and already pre-ordered both.

“We know if we dumbed it down, we’d lose lots of the core fanbase who made the game what it is.”

Regardless of which console people play Black Flag on, the multiplayer modes will remain essentially the same. The primary differences will be in the visual fidelity and the hardware tools native to the new system – including things like the ability to easily share and stream video, which will be important to many, but won’t alter the game itself.

The game modes from the previous games will return, along with a few new surprises Ubisoft is keeping quiet about for now. But the major addition will be the “Game Lab” mode, which gives players the ability to customize games down to smallest detail.

One of the things that sets the Assassin’s Creed multiplayer apart from other, bigger multiplayer games is the involvement of the community. That is something most developers tout, and they generally do mean it, but the AC multiplayer is a bit different. Unlike a game like Call of Duty that puts the multiplayer first, Assassin’s Creed is first and foremost a single-player experience. That creates a certain amount of freedom for the Ubisoft Annecy team. The weight of creating a successful game mode that can recoup the sizeable budget doesn’t fall entirely on its shoulders. That allows the developers to try new things, interact with the community to a huge degree, and still have the resources to present a product that is every bit as fine-tuned as a game that puts multiplayer first.

To this end, the Ubisoft Annecy team frequently asks the community for its opinions. Browne can frequently be found on Twitter replying to fans and answering questions.

“Building on the community is really, really key, as is improving the game for the community,” Browne told us. “If we start making changes to the game because we think it’s best, but then not taking feedback from the community, not taking on their opinion, that’s going to be a brilliant way of losing the community, or losing the original community. And we really don’t want to do that.”

Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag MP 7
It’s always best to avoid drawing attention to yourself when you take down your targets. Image used with permission by copyright holder

This is where the idea for Game Lab was born. Players can set the overall specifics to however they want, but it goes beyond broad strokes like choosing the number of players, types of weapons, and timers; it allows players to change the minutia of the game. One example Browne offered was the HUD. Between Revelations and AC3, the approach meter – the meter that lets you know how far from your target you are – was modified. Some people loved it, others didn’t. The devs took note. With GameLab, that is one of dozens of minor changes the players can modify in GameLab.

“When we announced GameLab to these fans, you just saw their eyes light up with the potential we could do with this. ‘You guys are giving us the chance to make our own Assassin’s creed multiplayer modes.’”

Even with the new additions, the multiplayer mode for Assassin’s Creed remains the same at its core. It isn’t likely to jump in popularity to the point that it threatens to steal traffic from games like Call of Duty or Battlefield, but it has managed to retain a passionate and loyal fanbase by catering to them. It’s a strategy that has worked, and continues to pay off more and more with each new iteration.

“We haven’t changed the core, but we’ve improved everything, the presentation, making it [easier] to pick up and play, effectively, but keeping the core elements,” Browne said. “Because we know if we dumbed it down, we’d lose lots of the core fanbase who made the game what it is, who made it as popular as it is.”

Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
Assassin’s Creed Mirage ending explained: What happens to Basim, Nehal, and Roshan
Basim showing off his hidden blade in front of the Bagdad cityscape.

Assassins’ Creed Mirage is out now, bringing the series back to basics with a game focused on one of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s most intriguing characters. This adventure follows Basim as he goes from Anbar street thief to expert Assassin in Baghdad while hunting down members of The Order of the Ancients. As a prequel, there are some things about Basim as a character you might already know going in. Still, learning exactly how Basim stumbled upon these revelations is entertaining itself.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is shorter than other games in the series (at around 12 to 17 hours to complete), but most of the noteworthy reveals are saved for the story’s ending. If you want to know how Basim discovers who he truly is or just need to read a recap of the narrative’s major events, this is an overview of everything that happens in Assassin’s Creed Mirage and how it concludes in spectacular fashion.
How does Assassin’s Creed Mirage begin
Assassin’s Creed Mirage begins with a brief narration from modern-day Assassin Brotherhood Mentor William Miles. In the game’s only Animus-referencing narrative segment, he admits that he was worried people would learn the wrong lesson from Basim’s story. He now recognizes that his story “has much to teach us” and is now sharing it. He then sets the stage for its ninth-century Baghdad setting, the threat that is The Order of the Ancients, and Basim’s humble origins and eventual challenging of the Creed’s ideals.
This intro then transitions into a dream sequence for Basim, where a creepy jinni attacks him. Upon awakening, he’s comforted by his friend Nehal, and they set out to complete a contract for their friend Dervis in Anbar, a smaller city close to Baghdad. After pocketing some people and stealing a shipping ledger, Basim and Nehal learn that Dervis is working with a member of Hidden Ones named Roshan.
Roshan initially rejects Basim when he asks to come with her on a mission to retrieve a chest from the Caliph’s Winter Palace, but he and Nehal end up sneaking off and trying to get it anyway. Upon successfully infiltrating, they learn that the Caliph is working with The Order of the Ancients. They get to the chest and find a mysterious device inside it that gives him a vision of one man torturing another. The Caliph catches Basim doing this, and Nehal stabs and kills the Caliph.

Read more
All Lost Book locations in Assassin’s Creed Mirage

After the massive worlds of the last three titles, it is nice to be back to a more intimate setting with Assassin's Creed Mirage. While not nearly as large as previous games, Baghdad is still dense with activities and collectibles to find. Among the loot and outfits are a special set of Lost Books hidden across the map. These are not only great to find for the rewards you can get, but also necessary if you want to fully complete each district in the game for the Explorer and Scholar trophies and achievements. Even with eagle vision at Basim's disposal, finding these Lost Books isn't going to be an easy task. Follow our lead and we will make sure you find all the Lost Book locations in Assassin's Creed Mirage undetected.
All Lost Book locations

There are technically seven Lost Books to find in Assassin's Creed Mirage, but only six are required for the quest tied to them. Collecting certain ones will give you a skill point as a reward, but not all. Turn them all in to Al-Jahiz to complete the quest. Note that some books can't be collected until you've gone far enough into the story to unlock the areas where they are hidden.
Harbiyah
There are two books in this district to find.

Read more
All Assassin’s Creed Mirage outfit locations
Basim showing off his hidden blade in front of the Bagdad cityscape.

A true assassin knows how to blend in with any crowd necessary to stalk their prey and remain undetected until the moment is right to strike. That is unless you're talking about Basim in Assassin's Creed Mirage, or any protagonist from the series really. Those white robes with the hood aren't exactly helping the assassins blend in anywhere, so why not spice up your look with some fresh outfits? Not only will they let you add some personality and style to keep the game a little fresher, but each outfit, unlike costumes, also has its own upgrades that give you different buffs. Unfortunately, there are some that can only be purchased as DLC, which we will list in a separate category, but all the others are able to be found in the game naturally. If you want to fill your wardrobe with all the latest fashion in Assassin's Creed Mirage, here is how you can get every outfit.
All outfit locations and perks

There are six outfits you can get through natural progression, either by purchasing them or as rewards for main or side quests.
Initiate of Almut Outfit
A simple one to start, this is the outfit Basim has by default when you start the game. It has the Silent Blade perk that reduces the noise you make when assassinating targets by 50%, 75%, and 100% as you upgrade it.
Zanj Uprising Outfit
You can loot the Zanj Uprising Outfit from the Gear Chests in the Harbiyah region. The chest is in the galley of the ship in the Upper Harbor. This outfit grants you the Infamous perk, which reduces how much notoriety you gain from illegal actions by 20%, 30%, and 40% per upgrade.
Abbasid Knight Outfit
You first need to steal a key from a guard to unlock the Tax Collector's Mansion in Karkh before you can go inside and loot the Gear Chest with this outfit inside. Once equipped, this outfit has the Lick Your Wounds perk that lets you regenerate 1%, 2%, and then 3% of your HP every two seconds so long as you're in stealth, but only up to a maximum of 50% HP.
Milad's Outfit
This outfit is a reward for collecting five Mysterious Shards and using them to unlock the middle chest in the Secret Chamber. Milad's Outfit has the Forgotten Terror perk which comes at max level and stuns all enemies within 15 meters after performing an air assassination.
Hidden One Outfit
Named after the order itself, the Hidden One Outfit is left in a Gear Chest at the top of the Shurta Headquarters in Round City. Wearing these robes grants you Deadly Movement which will restore 5%, 10%, or 15% of your Focus Chunks each time you pull off a stealth kill.
Rostam Outfit
An easy outfit to get, but also to miss, the Rostam Outfit is a reward for beating the side quest called"The Marked Coins." With this equipped you get the Sound of Silence perk to reduce the amount of noise you make while moving by 50%, 75%, and 100% with each upgrade.
DLC outfits
While it is unfortunate some outfits are not available to everyone without paying, at the very least they do not have perks you can miss out on. All three of these need to be purchased in the shop or come with the Deluxe Edition of Assassin's Creed Mirage.
Sand Outfit
Fire Demon Outfit
Jinn Outfit

Read more