This followed the reported decision to cancel the Animal Crossing-like Project Alterra, but those developers haven’t been laid off. Instead, they’re reportedly on Ubisoft’s Interproject team and must be assigned another project within three months. Failing to do so means redundancy, apparently.

Why scale back so many developers, especially following reports that development on Codename Hexe is proceeding well? Apparently, it’s to prevent the budget from going overboard, and while internally targeting June 2027, the title may end up delayed to Holiday 2027 after these changes (which Henderson previously claimed as a release window).

Guesdon’s appointment to the team follows his new position as head of content on the Assassin’s Creed franchise at Vantage Studios. He would take over for the previous creative director, Clint Hocking, and after joining the team last January, game director Benoit Richer also left recently.

Whatever may be going on, Ubisoft has yet to officially showcase Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe or confirm a release date. The publisher recently revealed Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the long-rumored remake of the 2013 classic, and announced a July 9th launch date.

“I think the way they wrote that script…even though I’m not particularly a gamer myself, I knew the games,” said Blyth. “They took it, and they made it about the world we live in today. I will say that I do think that the film really tears apart this world we live in today, which is this online setting, the dangers of everything being interconnected and online in the way that the games do. Yeah, that was a vague answer, but that’s all I can say. Sorry, man.”

Ubisoft, New Regency, Sony Pictures, and Columbia Pictures have been quiet about the film. The last we heard about the project was all the way back in 2024, with its filming having started in July and having come to an end by September. On the production side of things, the screenplay was written by Christie LeBlanc (Oxygen), and stars Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), Sophie Wilde (Talk to Me), Markella Kavenagh (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), and Victoria Bata (Pitch Perfect 3, Fate: The Winx Saga). Directorial duties have been handled by Mathieu Turi (Meander, The Deep Dark).

The last entry in the Watch Dogs game franchise was 2020’s Watch Dogs: Legion. Released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, the title marked a first for the series by foregoing a traditional protagonist for its plot, and instead gave players the ability to recruit just about any NPC they can find in the world into their team.

Set in 2029 London, Watch Dogs: Legion revolves around the London branch of hacker group DedSec that has continued its battle against the nefarious authorities that still make use of mass surveillance technology ctOS to further their own goals. The base game revolved around DedSec’s shadow wars against a number of antagonists, including rival hacker group Zero Day, a private military company, a criminal syndicate, a corrupt biotechnology corporation, and an intelligence agency named Signals Intelligence Response.

The original Watch Dogs was released all the way back in 2014 on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, and its story revolved around Aiden Pearce taking on the corrupt elite that is running the city of Chicago. It was followed up by Watch Dogs 2 in 2016, which moved the setting to the San Francisco Bay Area, and featured a new protagonist—Marcus Holloway.

A rumor from last month indicated that Ubisoft might be bringing the series back with a Director’s Cut release of Watch Dogs: Legion.

The map will seemingly come in two varieties—wide and square. The wide version essentially just extends the sides of the map to include more empty landmass and ocean. However, the square map gives us a more focused look at the in-game world, with confirmation that the remake won’t bring in any major changes to the game. When compared with the world map from the original Black Flag, Resynced has essentially the same landmasses. However, the scales might be different, and the remake might have more places to explore in terms of area.

It is also worth noting that the map is highly stylized, likely intended to be printed out and framed to hang on a wall rather than to be used as an actual reference for navigating the game’s world.

Some of the other assets included in the social media posts are images that Ubisoft will use for things like patch notes, title cards for new announcements, a release countdown, and key art that we will likely see end up as box art for a potential physical release. We also get a look at some other graphic elements that largely stick to the grey, white, and blue color scheme of Black Flag, along with in-game icons that can be used for other purposes.

Ubisoft officially unveiled Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced just last week, and has confirmed that it will be coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on July 9th. The remake will also be making its way to the Ubisoft+ subscription service on day one of release. The title will be priced at $60 for its standard edition, and $70 for a Deluxe Edition that includes the Master Assassin Character Perk, a new outfit for Edward, and a unique sword, pistol, and trinket.

The company has also confirmed that it won’t include multiplayer or DLC. Creative director Paul Fu explained that the team behind Black Flag Resynced is “fully focused on Edward’s adventures in the Caribbean.” As for the modern-day sections of Black Flag, Fu has said that it will be present, and will even “feature new moments that focus on Edward’s internal struggles,” in Resynced. The decision not to bring in any DLC for the title casts a shade over one of Black Flag’s major expansions from its original release—Freedom Cry, which revolved around former Trinidadian slave Adewale.

Last week also saw the release of a trailer for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, teasing one of the new quests that will be added to the game—Blackbeard’s Treasure. The trailer features Anne Bonny looking at Edward from a distance and singing, before the protagonist gets into a battle with Blackbeard.

For more details, here are 15 major changes in Resynced. Also, take a look at our graphics analysis of the remake while you’re at it.

But what’s been the impact on Hexe? According to YouTuber j0nathan, who’s been reliable in the past with Assassin’s Creed leaks, “Since Jean Guesdon was put in charge of the Assassin’s Creed franchise in February, he’s decided to get rid of everything that was ‘magical’ in Hexe. For example, we were supposed to control a cat, well, ultimately that’s been canceled.” He notes that this may be one reason why Richer leaves.

When asked if this would hinder development, he responded that it may actually speed things up. “From what I’ve been told, the control with the cat wasn’t quite there yet and still needed more work. Removing it allows the teams to focus their efforts on more important things. But that doesn’t change the story.” If development progresses faster, then it’s possible that cat control could return at some point. For now, however, it’s apparently not a priority.

While it’s unknown if Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe will make its alleged Holiday 2027 date, Guesdon’s impact is seemingly becoming more and more evident. For instance, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced was allegedly set to launch last month, but seemingly faced a delay after Ubisoft’s big reshuffle. Thankfully, it’s arriving on July 9th, much sooner than previous claims about a 2027 release.

As for Codename Hexe, we’re still yet to officially learn about its premise, much less any gameplay. But Guesdon said it would be “unique, darker, and narrative-driven,” perhaps more so than what Assassin’s Creed fans are used to.

Why? Richer is joining Servo Games as a game director, according to a new LinkedIn post. Calling it the “beginning of a new chapter,” he said the indie studio comprises “industry veterans, aligned around a shared vision of the industry and experience creation, with a strong complementary skill set.” More details are forthcoming, but for those looking forward to Hexe, there’s cause for concern.

Hocking left after Jean Guesdon took over as head of content for the Assassin’s Creed franchise at Vantage Studios. The latter is known for his work on several acclaimed entries, most notably as a co-director on Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag 4 (which is getting a remake this July courtesy of Ubisoft Singapore). Whether his goal didn’t align with Hocking or Richer is unknown – there certainly haven’t been any rumblings of dissent.

Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe doesn’t have an official name or release window, but it’s rumored to launch in Holiday 2027. Guesdon teased that it would be “unique, darker, and narrative-driven” compared to previous titles. Previous reports claim it to be set in 17th-century Germany during the witch trials.

Players allegedly control Elsa, a witch, who subsequently aligns with the Assassins, though her own reasons for doing so remain unknown. As always, stay tuned for more details and upcoming announcements.

Ubisoft has teased one of them, “Blackbeard’s Treasure,” in a new cinematic trailer and for those who played the original, it’s pretty emotional. As Anne Bonny sings outside, she views Edward from a distance. All by his lonesome, he’s suddenly engaged by Thatch before unfurling what seems to be a treasure map.

When he mockingly says that he thought Kenway would be done with “fairy stories,” Edward looks into the camera and replies: “Not yet.” Where this map will lead remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the development team isn’t simply tacking on this new content and calling it a day.

Launching on July 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced retails for $60. If you didn’t watch the worldwide reveal or check out our feature, it’s a ground-up remake of the 2013 classic, right down to the cinematics. Combat is revamped to focus more on parrying and taking down enemies (and don’t worry – the blood is very much present), while parkour embraces side ejects, free jumping, back ejects and more for improved traversal.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t include competitive multiplayer or DLC like Freedom Cry, and Ubisoft isn’t being completely up front about the removal of the modern-day segments. As usual, stay tuned for more updates and gameplay in the coming months.

Thankfully, it hasn’t been omitted from the remake. Producer Justin Ng clarified “without getting into trouble hopefully” that “There WILL be blood in the final game, and it will not be a paid DLC.” Furthermore, the development has heard feedback on “the VFX and audio cues” in fights and says it’s being toned down.

And just in case there was any doubt, since it wasn’t showcased during the reveal, social stealth is “still there.” Whether you’re sitting on benches to evade pursuit, blending into different groups, or hiring dancers to distract the opposition, it’s all here. Well, except for the DLC and multiplayer, since the team chose to focus more on Edward’s adventures.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC for $59.99, with the Deluxe Edition costing $69.99. You can check out the PC requirements here, with ray-traced lighting with global illumination and shadows baked in (which also applies to consoles, regardless of the mode). Check out our feature for everything you should know before pre-ordering.

The modes in question are Performance (60 FPS), Fidelity (30 FPS) and Balanced (40 FPS with a 120Hz display required). While they all feature ray-tracing global illumination, Fidelity mode also benefits from ray-traced reflections. How each performs remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be surprising if other aspects are tuned to help the frame rate in Performance and Balanced modes.

If you’re on PS5, then support for the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers is a given alongside Tempest 3D Audio. As for those on PS5 Pro, Upgraded PSSR is available at launch for even higher visual quality, but otherwise, you can expect sleeker fidelity and “additional rendering features.”

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced arrives on July 9th and will also be available on Xbox Series X/S alongside PC and PS5. It’s a ground-up remake with overhauled combat, parkour improvements, new quests (including narrative arcs for Blackbeard and Stede), and much more. Unfortunately, it won’t feature the original game’s multiplayer or DLC, and it seems that the modern-day Abstergo segments have been removed.

On the minimum end, you’ll need an Intel Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz, 16 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB), an AMD Radeon RX5500XT (8GB) or an Intel ARC A580 (8GB). This enables 1080p/30 FPS gameplay on the Low preset with Standard ray tracing and an upscaler set to Balanced.

For the recommended requirements, a Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz or Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz, 16 GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB), a Radeon RX5500XT (8GB) or an ARC A580 (8GB) are required to net 1080p/60 FPS gameplay on the Medium preset with Standard ray tracing and Balanced upscaling.

At the highest end, a Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz or Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz, 16 GB RAM, and an RTX 4090 (24GB) or Radeon RX7900 XTX (24GB) are required. The result? 4K/60 FPS gameplay on Ultra preset with Extended ray tracing and upscaling set to Quality. Of course, Windows 11 is required across the board, and you’ll need 65 GB of installation space on a solid-state drive.

Pretty hefty overall, but given the sheer fidelity of the remake, it’s probably warranted. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9th, retailing for $60 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Head here for more details on all the changes.

The core reason for this, as creative director Paul Fu explains, is that the team is “fully focused on Edward’s adventures in the Caribbean.” It wants to stay true to the original’s action-adventure roots, presenting a 2026 take on the original legend. Which is understandable but the fact that Freedom Cry, which adds 15 hours of content, won’t be included is kind of disappointing.

But what about the original’s modern-day sections, where players controlled an Abstergo employee? Here’s where things get a little less clear. Fu confirmed that the modern-day rifts in Resynced will “feature new moments that focus on Edward’s internal struggles.” So take that as you will, and maybe don’t expect to explore Abstergo’s offices like before.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. The Standard Edition retails for $60 and includes the base game, but there’s also a Deluxe Edition for $70, which features the Master Assassin Character Perk with a unique sword, pistol and trinket alongside an outfit for Edward.

You also get the Master Assassin Naval Pack, which includes ship customization options from crew attire, a wheel, figurehead and sail set to a pet. Pre-orders are now live, so check out our feature for everything to know about the remake before picking it up.