14 DAY TRIAL // Edward Kenway, the protagonist of the upcoming Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, won't become an assassin right at the beginning of the game, as Ubisoft Montreal wanted to tell a different type of story and will show that Kenway, a talented pirate, explored both the Assassin brotherhood and the Templar order.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag takes place before Assassin's Creed 3 and focuses on Edward Kenway, the father and grandfather, respectively, of AC3's Haytham and Connor Kenway.
Edward will be a completely different protagonist than previous heroes, according to lead writer Darby McDevitt, who talked with the UbiBlog about the next game.
"The way Edward is introduced to the Assassin/Templar conflict is surprising and it’s a fresh approach to the storyline," McDevitt said.
"Altair was born into it. Ezio and Connor both, through personal tragedy, met the Assassins and felt right away that it was not only a good philosophy but that it would help them accomplish their goals: Ezio’s being revenge and Connor’s being protecting his people and ensuring, in a general sense, that liberty wins out over tyranny."
"Edward is almost a counterpoint to Connor in some ways. Connor begins very idealistic and the experience he has through Assassin’s Creed III starts to make him really jaded. He’s doing all these things he believes are right and they don’t pay off in all the right ways."
Edward won't be likeable right away, as Ubisoft wanted to show a man who's having quite a few problems in life and just wants to find a purpose while becoming respected as a pirate in the Caribbean.
"So I started with a guy who was already jaded. He was cynical. He’s out for himself. He has this marriage that’s really rocky. He’s estranged from his wife. He wants to try to prove he’s a man worthy of her affection, so he goes to the West Indies to become a privateer, and that falls apart really fast and he falls into piracy."
What's more, Edward will explore each of the two rival factions, the Assassins and Templars, as he just wants what's best for himself, not for a group, country, or humanity.
"He kind of bounces between the Assassins and Templars for a time, trying to find something that makes his life more meaningful. At first he has all these selfish goals but his experiences focus him on what is and isn’t important in life."
"Because he’s a good man at heart and the Assassins can see that, they pop into the story and try to steer him right, but he just refuses to listen after a time. He’ll come into contact with Templars at the same time and they’ll be interested in him too."
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is out in October for PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, and in November for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.