It started with Assassin’s Creed 3, and the seafaring side missions that actually felt better than the main game itself. Naturally, a more naval-focused sequel – the beloved Black Flag – would follow, but a fully-fledged pirate sim was seemingly always Ubisoft’s goal. After more than a decade in development, Skull and Bones finally hit the waves on Friday February 16. Since then, however, the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Steam player count has increased by thousands. Perhaps it remains the zenith of Ubisoft’s pirate ambitions.
Our own Skull and Bones review analyses in detail the flaws, features, and occasional fun of Ubisoft’s latest pirate game. It’s not without charm, but the world of Skull and Bones feels bloated and padded, designed to keep you busy with endless, meaningless stuff, as is the modus operandi of many live-service games today. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag meanwhile remains an atmospheric and story-driven high point in the stealth and RPG series. Since the launch of Skull and Bones, it’s suddenly surged in popularity.
On Thursday February 15, the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Steam player count peaked at 971 concurrent users. A day later, the same day that Skull and Bones was finally released, this jumped to 1,662. According to Steam DB, on Saturday February 17, it jumped again, to a 24-hour peak of 2,600, before yet another jump the following day to 3,226.
As of this writing, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag’s highest concurrent player count in the last 24 hours is 3,594. This is the largest number of concurrent players for AC Black Flag since October 2020.
Considering that Skull and Bones is only available on either the Epic Games Store or directly from Ubisoft itself, we cannot currently compare its Steam player numbers to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. There is word, however, that a full Black Flag remake is on the way.
In the meantime, you might want to try some of the other best RPG games, or maybe take a look at the best upcoming PC games on their way to you in 2024.
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