Ahead of its release next month, Ubisoft has released a playable part of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag: Resynced online–playable sea shanties, that is. This is technically correct, which is the best kind of correct. Available online through various streaming platforms, the collection includes all the original shanties from the game, brand-new compositions, and the unreleased rendition of The Parting Glass by Sarah Greene. In total, that’s 57 tracks to accompany you on your next voyage.
You can listen to it through the links below, but we all know that you’re going to have “The Wellerman” on a loop:
The original Black Flag’s soundtrack required some work to completely unlock, as dozens of shanties had to be located and caught. Appearing in the game as glowing pieces of sheet music, players had to perform acrobatics to acquire each one, and once in their possession, protagonist Edward Kenway’s crew would sing them while players were sailing. You could even take these seaworthy tunes on the go with you, as an Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag companion app synced to the game and downloaded the tracks to your smartphone. Sadly, the app has long been discontinued.
Recorded in Montreal by a group of contemporary folk singers and musicians, the Black Flag soundtrack’s catchy collection of sailing songs predated the rise of ShantyTok on TikTok around 2021. Scottish musician Nathan Evans recorded a rendition of The Wellerman that quickly went viral, and it wasn’t long before more users began to join in with their own performances. For Black Flag, Ubisoft hired musician and professor David Gossage to produce the in-world music, which was then adjusted to fit the game’s time period.
Another interesting fact is that the singers recruited for the shanties had to dial back their singing so that they could sound like sailors, not a well-rehearsed choir.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag: Resynced launches on July 9 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Preorders opened up for the game a few months back, and to kick off the marketing for the Black Flag remake, Red Bull Gaming tasked several athletes with recreating Edward Kenway’s signature leaps of faith.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced – Standard Edition (PS5, Xbox Series X)
$60 | Releases July 9
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Digital Deluxe Edition (PS5, Xbox Series X, PC)
$70 | Releases July 9
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Collector's Edition (PS5, Xbox Series X, PC)
$200 | Releases July 9
Opinions are mixed on some of the changes that the remake will introduce, but overall, it looks like fans can expect a mix of graphical overhauls and quality-of-life updates.
