Today, Ubisoft announced Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, the next installment in the company’s best-selling franchise. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag introduces an all new hero and setting, and will feature the most diverse and seamless Assassin’s Creed world ever created. Or at least that’s what is stated in the press release we received today.

According to Ubisoft, the game has been in development for two years and is being spearheaded by one of the veteran Assassin’s Creed teams in Ubisoft Montreal with support from Ubisoft studios in Annecy, Bucharest, Kiev, Quebec, Singapore and Sofia. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag will be released on X360, PS3, PS4, WiiU, PC and other next generation consoles. The game will be available on X360, PS3 and WiiU on 1st November, 2013 in the UK, meaning that the PC will be based on the next-generation version of it.

Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft said:

“With the new hero and new setting we are creating the boldest and most unique Assassin’s Creed game yet, while still respecting the pillars of the franchise that have made it such a fan favorite. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is based on a true, harsh and exciting part of a legendary era and will thrill longtime fans and newcomers alike.”

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag tells the story of Edward Kenway, a young British man with a thirst for danger and adventure, who falls from privateering for the Royal Navy into piracy as the war between the major Empires comes to an end. Edward is a fierce pirate and seasoned fighter who soon finds himself embroiled in the ancient war between Assassins and Templars. Set at the dawn of the 18th Century, the game features some of the most infamous pirates in history, such as Blackbeard and Charles Vane, and takes players on a journey throughout the West Indies during a turbulent and violent period of time later to become known as the Golden Age of Pirates.

Gameplay in Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is based upon the franchise’s proven tenets. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag features a vast open world with more than 50 navigable locations. Combat combines the weaponry of the Assassin’s Order with armaments of the era, and rewards both daring and stealth. And the series’ acclaimed multiplayer experience is more varied and ruthless than ever in Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag.

Ubisoft has also released a Q&A in which it unveils some more interesting information. The global world in AC4 will be bigger than the one featured in AC3, but its structure is totally different and will allow players to visit more than 50 (fifty) locations. The “main path”, the story of the game, will be around the same amplitude than AC3 and the world will be filled with new gameplays and things to do.

This game is not only a naval game. Even though the naval component, based on the successful first iteration in AC3, will be a key part of it, the ground/land gameplay remains important as it is one of the pillars of the AC franchise. 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.

ACIVBF will also be available on Next Gen consoles and PC. In addition to improved graphics and physics, Next Gen versions will bring to the players new connected features allowing them to feel that even if they remain “Single Player” it will be better to be a “Single Connected Player”. In other words, Next Gen Consoles will allow players to have a solo experience that benefit the presence of a huge community.

Customers who purchase Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag on PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 can download 60 minutes of additional gameplay via the PlayStation Network after the game’s launch.

Collector’s Editions of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag will be available in the EMEA region. More details will be unveiled by the end of March.