Ubisoft responds to Black Flag Resynced DLC critics by telling them they're 'not a requirement'

Ubisoft tells the critics of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced that the $85 worth of DLC is "never a requirement," and technically, they're not wrong. It's just that the optics of this DLC launch are downright terrible.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced launched on July 9 to a genuinely strong start. It reportedly sold over five times as many pre-launch Steam copies as AC Shadows, and the remake earned solid reviews from critics for its combat overhaul and visual upgrades. For a couple of days, it looked like Ubisoft had actually pulled off a comeback.

Then, players noticed the updated Steam store page. Alongside the $59.99 base game (which is already a hard sell for a remake) sits roughly $85 worth of day-one DLC, ranging from $5 map packs to $10 cosmetic and time-saving bundles. Even the $70 Deluxe Edition only covers two of those packs, which makes it look even worse.

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Steam reviews flipped fast, dragging the game down to "Mostly Negative" before recovering to "Mixed." One review that racked up hundreds of awards called out Ubisoft directly for slapping €85 worth of DLC packs onto a €70 game on launch day, packs that offered a gameplay advantage rather than just cosmetics.

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Ubisoft responded on Steam with what's become a copy-paste reply to the backlash. The publisher said it's been reading the feedback since launch and wanted to be clear that the standard edition is the full, complete experience, with every mission, island, and story beat included. It closed by stating the additional packs are entirely optional extras for players who want them, never a requirement to enjoy or complete the game.

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That statement is factually accurate. Nobody needs the cosmetic packs to finish the story, and most of the backlash agrees on that point. But the response misses why people are annoyed in the first place. Apart from the optics, which are terrible, buried in that DLC list is a map pack that reveals collectible locations, something that brushes up against a gameplay advantage rather than just a new coat of paint for Edward Kenway.

The timing of this DLC launch doesn't help either. Ubisoft just laid off 51 employees who worked on the successful launch of Black Flag Resynced, just as the game was climbing the sales charts, a pattern that's followed the company through years of studio closures and restructuring.

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Frequently Asked Questions

TweakBot answers common questions about this news using TweakTown's own coverage from this page and related content from our archive. Tap a question to reveal the answer, or type your own below.

Question #1

Which specific day-one DLC packs for Black Flag Resynced include gameplay advantages rather than purely cosmetic items?

The day-one DLC that offers a gameplay advantage is the map pack that reveals collectible locations. The article also cites $10 "time-saving" bundles (in addition to cosmetic packs) as offering non-purely cosmetic benefits.

Answered

Question #2

Has Ubisoft indicated any plans to change the DLC pricing or bundle structure after the Steam review backlash?

No. Ubisoft's Steam reply only defended the standard edition as the complete game and said the additional packs are optional extras; it did not indicate any plans to change the DLC pricing or bundle structure.

Answered

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Shipping a game with lots of potential, cutting the people who built it, and then leaning on a scripted "it's optional" reply to paying customers is a rough look, even when the underlying argument holds up. Ubisoft isn't exactly wrong here. It's just tone-deaf about it again.