Ahead of the release of Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Resynced on July 9, Ubisoft has made the game's sea shanties available for streaming. This collection includes all the original tracks from the 2013 game, along with new compositions and an unreleased rendition of "The Parting Glass" by Sarah Greene, totaling 57 tracks. Players can access the music across various platforms, including Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Qobuz, and Tidal.
In the original Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, shanties were an in-game collectible. Players had to find glowing pieces of sheet music scattered throughout the world, and once collected, Edward Kenway's crew would perform them during sailing sequences. A companion app was also available, allowing players to download these tracks to their smartphones, though this app has since been discontinued.
The soundtrack for Black Flag: Resynced was recorded in Montreal by contemporary folk singers and musicians. Musician and professor David Gossage produced the in-world music, ensuring it fit the game's historical period. Notably, the vocalists were directed to adjust their performances to sound like authentic sailors rather than a polished choir.
The surge in sea shanty popularity, often referred to as ShantyTok, gained significant traction on TikTok around 2021, with viral renditions like Nathan Evans' "The Wellerman." The shanties in Black Flag predated this trend.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Resynced is set to launch on July 9 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Preorders for the Standard Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, and Collector's Edition are currently open. While some changes in the remake have drawn mixed opinions, fans can generally anticipate graphical enhancements and quality-of-life improvements.