Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a 2013 historical action-adventure open world video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the sixth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, a sequel to 2012's Assassin's Creed III modern story and a prequel to its historical storyline.
It was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 29, 2013.The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were also developed, and both versions have been announced as a launch title for both consoles. The Wii U version was delayed in Europe until November 22, 2013. A Microsoft Windows version was released upon November 19, 2013 in North America and upon November 22, 2013 in Europe.
Plot
Samples taken from Desmond Miles' body in the moments after his death have enabled Abstergo Industries to continue to explore his genetic memories using the Animus' newfound cloud computing abilities. The unnamed player character is hired by Abstergo Entertainment to sift through the memories of Edward Kenway, an eighteenth-century pirate and the grandfather of Ratonhnhak:ton. Ostensibly, this is to gather material for an Animus-powered interactive feature film, but in reality, Abstergo and the Templars are searching for the Observatory, a Precursor structure that allows the user to see through the eyes of a subject whose blood has been procured. As Kenway, the player must unravel a conspiracy between high-ranking Templars within the British, Spanish and French empires who, under the guise of cleaning up piracy in the Caribbean, have used their positions to locate the Sage - later identified as Bartholomew Roberts - who is the only man that can lead them to the Observatory, which they intend to use to spy upon and blackmail world leaders. Kenway becomes an unwitting player in their plot when he kills a rogue Assassin planning to defect to the Templars and assumes his identity. His recklessness endangers the entire Assassins' Order, prompting him to pursue the Sage and the conspirators from the Yucatn Peninsula to Prncipe and the African coast.
Meanwhile, a band of notorious pirates - including Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch, Benjamin Hornigold and Charles Vane, among others - dream of a state where man is free to live beyond the attain of kings and rulers. Kenway is instrumental in realising this dream and a free "Pirate Republic" is established in the colony of Nassau. However, poor governance, a lack of an economy and an outbreak of disease bring the colony dangerously close to collapse. As the founders become deeply divided over every issue, Kenway tries to locate a solution, but is too tardy to cease the Templars from taking advantage of the situation to consolidate their control over the Caribbean.
Eventually, Kenway and Roberts uncover the location of the Observatory and retrieve the artifact powering it, but Kenway is betrayed at the last moment. After a brief stint in prison for the crimes of piracy, Edward escapes with the aid of Ah Tabai, the Assassin Mentor, and elects to join their Order. Chasing down Roberts, Kenway retrieves the artifact and returns it to the Observatory, sealing it away for great. He is left facing an uncertain future with his newfound convictions until he receives a letter informing him of the passing of his wife and the imminent arrival of his hitherto unknown daughter, Jennifer Scott.
In the present day, the player is contacted by John, Abstergo Entertainment's information technology manager. John convinces the player that their employer knows more than they are telling, and encourages them to investigate in more detail. He arranges for the player to access the Animus' core, at which point Juno materialises into an incorporeal form. She reveals that although it was necessary to open her temple to avert disaster, the world was not ready for her, and she is unable to affect it or possess the player character as her agents intended. John is unmasked as the reincarnated form of the Sage and attempts to murder the player to lid up the failed attempt at resurrecting Juno, but is killed by Abstergo's security before he can do so. As Roberts, the Sage admits to Kenway that he owes no allegiance to the Assassins or the Templars and instead uses whoever he thinks represents his best chance of achieving his ends. With the Sage dead, the player is contacted by the Assassins as they continue their infiltration of Abstergo, but neither side is able to explain the Sage's presence or identify his followers.
