Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag protagonist Edward Kenway has been described by Ubisoft has something of a ‘counterpoint’ to grandson and Assassin’s Creed III hero, Connor.
Both characters have something in common in that they are affiliated with the Assassin Brotherhood; however, their motivations for joining couldn’t be more disparate, observes lead writer, Darby McDevitt.
“Edward is almost a counterpoint to Connor in some ways,” said McDevitt in a post on the Ubisoft Blog.
“Connor begins very idealistic and the experience he has through Assassin’s Creed 3 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.”
In contrast, Edward signs up to stabby school purely for the chance to become a filthy-rich pirate captain; he believes joining the assassins will merely facilitate his ambitions, and is nearly swayed by the Templars at some point.
“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,” added McDevitt.
“He kind of bounces between the Assassins and Templars for a time, trying to find something that makes his life more meaningful,” he continued. “At first he has all these selfish goals but his experiences focus him on what is and isn’t important in life.”
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is scheduled to ship in the U.S. in late October and in early November across Europe. The game will initially be released for PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360 and Wii U, with a PlayStation 4 version due out alongside Sony’s new console on launch day. Xbox One will also get the game at some point, too.
Are you excited for ACIV? Did you feel that Connor was something of a disappointment as a hero and as such want Edward to redeem his grandson’s shortcomings? Let us know in the comments section below.