E3 2013 united the two once again – this time confirming Aveline de Grandpré, the heroine protagonist of the aforementioned Liberation, as an exclusive playable character on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 editions of Asssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.
Joined by the announcement of four PS3/PS4-only missions for its highly anticipated IP Watch Dogs, Ubisoft revealed that the Aveline will inhabit a bonus contingent of campaign missions in Assasssin’s Creed 4. According to Joystiq, the missions begin from the conclusion of Aveline’s story in AC3 Liberations thanks – you guessed it – to an upgrade of the Animus. (Liberation last left us in 1777 – 52 years after the 1715-start of Black Flag. The same flexibility enabling Black Flag’s canonical-dive backward is, in unison, driving some part of it forward.)
Ubisoft wouldn’t speak on the the story details behind Aveline’s reemergence – whether it’s a direct epilogue of Liberation, a separate tangent, or a means of tying the female assassin to Black Flag – but a word of caution: It will be brief. An hour, in fact, according to Sony VP of Publisher and Developer Relations Adam Boyes, who was quoted in Sony’s official press release:
We’ve spent a (proverbial) boatload of time previewing Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag at E3 this week, and it’s clear that with new mechanics, new open-world exploration and, perhaps most importantly, a new generation of hardware, Ubisoft intends to give gamers a taste of something different beyond setting and storyline with this year’s annual installment. For Liberation fans (those who own, or will own, a PS3 or 4, anyway) Aveline’s bonus chapter, if well-handled, could offer a rewardingly familiar slice franchise lore.
We’ll find out when Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag releases on October 29, 2013, for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC – with PS4 and Xbox One editions confirmed for later in the year (possibly as launch titles).
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