‘Additional Packs Are Entirely Optional’: Ubisoft Responds to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Microtransactions Backlash, as $60 Game Arrives With $85 of DLC
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
Ubisoft’s remake of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, titled Black Flag Resynced, launched on Steam at $60 and immediately drew criticism for offering $85 worth of optional DLC on day one. The launch includes ten $10 cosmetic packs—four character skins, four ship skins, and two themed bundles—plus a $5 map pack that reveals all collectibles. Players complained the volume and pricing of add‑ons, with some calling the deluxe edition misleading and threatening refunds. Ubisoft responded on Steam, emphasizing that the standard edition contains the full story, missions and world, and that all extra packs are purely optional. Despite the backlash, critics praised the visual upgrades and new content, and the title set a franchise record of roughly 100,000 concurrent Steam players.
💡 Why It Matters
- · The outcry underscores growing player intolerance for extensive day‑one microtransactions in remastered titles, pressuring developers to balance revenue models with consumer expectations.