Assassin's Creed 4: 40% of missions to be ship shaped

It seems that Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag players will have plenty of chance to get their sea legs. In a Q&A released by Ubisoft, the developer reveals that around 40% of the game's missions will be naval-based. Not only that, but a "Horizon" system will create additional opportunities for potential pillagers. Seriously, Ubisoft? You're creating a dynamic pirate mission generator, and you don't call it the Yo-Ho-Horizon system?

"Mission wise, land missions will represent approximately 60% of the game and naval ones 40%," the Q&A states. "But if you take the global experience that players will leave with ACIVBF we're more talking about 50-50.

"The Seamless, systemic open-world system (Horizon System) packed full of sea and underwater activities will represent a big part of the game."

According to Ubisoft, at any point you'll be able to take out a spyglass, scan the horizon and be given 2-3 dynamically generated naval activities, from robbing a merchant convoy, to whale hunting or pirate rescue.

As promising as it all sounds, it's a very different idea of an Assassin's Creed game. Ubisoft reassure that the series' staples will also be present. "Free-running, social stealth and combat are still the key pillars of our ground experience but are also used (free-running and combat) in the boarding sequences of ships."

Are you looking forward to high-seas hijinks, or are you more of a landlubber, worried about the new game's nautical shift?

Thanks, Videogamer .

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.