How Ubisoft Singapore weathered 18 years of highs and lows

Ubisoft Singapore appears to have regained its footing with the Black Flag remake. The original game holds a special place in the studio's history, motivating the team to give everything to the 2026 remake.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ubisoft Singapore has released the fruits of its labour to the world: the 2026 remake of the 2013 action-adventure classic Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, subtitled Resynced.

Ubisoft is a global company with studios around the world, and Ubisoft Singapore has been part of that network since 2008, operating from Fusionopolis.

The studio has experienced its fair share of highs and lows. It played a major role in developing the naval technology featured in Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.

It was also responsible for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Phantoms, the free-to-play co-operative shooter that ran from 2012 to 2016. Arguably, it remains the most successful and relevant Ghost Recon spin-off since Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter.

On the other hand, Ubisoft Singapore was the studio that made Skull and Bones, a pirate game that was stuck in development hell until its release in 2024.

Originally conceived as a successor to Black Flag, the project underwent multiple revisions, lengthy delays, and numerous development challenges.

Several former employees claimed that staff assigned from Ubisoft’s headquarters in France and Canada viewed postings to Skull and Bones as little more than a “paid holiday” in Singapore.

Government grants from Singapore also helped fund the game’s lengthy development, with the studio eventually facing a deadline to demonstrate tangible progress – contributing to its eventual 2024 release.

Fortunately, Ubisoft Singapore appears to have regained its footing with the Black Flag remake.

Lead producer Justin Ng has said the original game holds a special place in the studio’s history, motivating the team to give everything to the 2026 remake.

Judging by the critical reception it has received this week, that effort has paid off.

While the games industry continues to face difficult times, it is worth celebrating the successes when they come. Congratulations to our neighbours down south – here’s hoping there is much more to come.

Short beats

Microsoft has restructured its Xbox division by cutting 4,800 jobs – 1,600 this week, with the remaining reductions to be completed by the end of the financial year in July 2027.

Xbox studios Double Fine and Compulsion Games will return to their founders and become self-funded.

Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will be sold to different publishers by Microsoft, with agreements in place to ensure their respective titles, Senua and State of Decay 3, are released.

Xbox subsidiary ZeniMax Media has laid off 158 employees at id Software (Doom, Wolfenstein, Quake). The studio will be reduced to a support role.

After six days of silence following its 1st July post announcing the end of physical disc production, Sony PlayStation has returned to social media with posts about its upcoming FlexStrike wireless arcade stick and San Diego Comic-Con 2026 plans. Both posts have been heavily ratioed.

Tokyo Game Show 2026 has revealed its list of exhibitors, including Sega, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Square Enix. The event will take place from September 17 to 21.

Games of the week

Granblue Fantasy Relink: Endless Ragnarok is a major expansion for the 2024 action role-playing game Granblue Fantasy Relink. Choose your favourite fantasy hero – with parties of up to four players – to battle colossal bosses and dragons while uncovering a new epilogue storyline.

Characters can now progress beyond Level 100 with the new Master Trait and Transcendent Weapons systems. Out now for PC, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Resynced is Ubisoft’s remake of the 2013 action-adventure classic. Built using an all-new game engine, it features upgraded visuals, expanded storylines, new supporting characters and numerous gameplay improvements. Out now for PC and consoles.

Echoes of Aincrad is a new action role-playing game based on the Sword Art Online manga and anime series. Out now for PC and consoles.

Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations is the latest expansion for the first-person shooter. It features a brand-new campaign with deeper puzzles, new demons and weapons, including the Chain Spear. Out now for PC and consoles.

Palworld has officially left Early Access and launched in its full Version 1.0. Explore an open world, survive, craft, and befriend creatures known as Pals, whose abilities can aid you throughout your adventure.

3D kaiju-filled arena brawler Gigabash has added Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Belial to its roster, joining Godzilla, Gamera, and the original Ultraman in its packed roster.

Recommended Viewing

Summer Games Done Quick is livestreaming this weekend. The charity speedrunning event sees some of the world’s best speedrunners racing through games while raising funds for Doctors Without Borders.