Matt Ryan, the actor who played reluctant assassin and budding pirate Edward Kenway in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, is returning for Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced. With there being over a decade between the release of the original game and the remake, Ryan released a statement on what it meant to return to the character of Edward Kenway.
"When I first stepped into the role of Edward Kenway, I never imagined the journey he, and all of us, were about to embark on," Ryan said via a Ubisoft press release. He said that coming back to the character has been "surreal and deeply moving," as "Black Flag holds a special place in the hearts of so many, and rightly so."
Ryan clearly has an attachment to Kenway, as many of us who played as him did. "Edward is an ambiguous character," he writes. "You're never quite sure which way he's going to go, and that uncertainty is what makes him so compelling."
If there was a moment that stuck out to Ryan, it was when Edward carries Mary Read, as the scene represents a "major turning point" for Edward, showing off his humanity and vulnerability. "From that moment on, it becomes a kind of turning tide, the point where Edward takes a real step forward, moving toward the person he could, and wants to, become."
Wrapping up his letter, Ryan talks about how the remake does the original game a service. "This remake honours that soul while enriching the experience...I'm grateful to be a part of this adventure once more... Your voices, memories, and connection to Edward kept him alive, and now he is back."
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced releases for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC on the 9th of July.
