Some players didn't like Edward - the creator of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced recalled the reaction to the original game

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced was recently released. The project's creative director, who previously worked as a game designer for the original AC IV, gave an interview to Retro Gamer and shared memories of the community's reaction to the main character.

Paul Fu said that at the time of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's (2013) release, not all players accepted Edward Kenway – they didn't perceive him as an assassin:

People really liked the whole pirate theme, especially Blackbeard. But I also remember that at first they didn't like that Edward didn't feel like an assassin.

But over time, such a character was accepted:

I think people changed their minds over the next few years, and soon the game became a classic. I remember how proud I was of the Montreal team for their foresight – they decided to create an anti-hero.

Attitudes towards the main character have indeed changed over the years. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced received a lot of negative feedback at launch, and the complaints concerned monetization (the DLCs collectively cost more than the game) and gameplay changes – not everyone appreciated the updated combat system, animations were criticized, and some players didn't like that modern-day segments (content with the Abstergo office) were cut. However, Edward himself was not criticized.

After a few days, the remake's rating increased and reached "mostly positive" reviews (73% positive).