Ubisoft will "surprise players" with "fresh, different ideas" to avoid Assassin's Creed fatigue

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag creative director Jean Guesdon is confident the franchise won't succumb to annual fatigue. He believes Ubisoft has the imagination and resources to keep the AC brand fresh.

Guesdon was asked whether he believes fans will tire from the franchise's annual release in a recent Q&A session. Such a concern isn't even on his mind:

"I think we have proven that this franchise is relevant, and that it has a long way to go," he said.

"Our job as developers of this new opus is to surprise players and bring fresh, different ideas, while at the same time making sure that what makes AC such a standout franchise remains intact."

"With the scale and scope of the world we are building, the completely new setting, the new gameplay mechanics, and our new characters (both our hero and his supporting cast), we are definitely on track to get the job done and avoid fatigue altogether."

Many were surprised to see the next numbered Assassin's Creed title so close to AC3's release. Guesdon suggests Black Flag started off as a spin-off, but the size and scope of the idea quickly pushed the pirate theme to a loftier position.

"But when it comes to that number 4... very early on in the project, when we started to realize the scope, freshness and innovation of what we had with the Piracy setting, we knew it was going to be a whole different beast of its own."

Are you looking forward to another Assassin's Creed sequel? Is the annual release schedule beginning to take its toll? Let us know.

Thanks, OXM.