As you may or may not know, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is a next-gen game, and will feature some new special systems on console versions, like a "connected" single-player mode, creative director Jean Guesdon said in an internal Q&A.

"Next-gen versions will bring to the players new, connected features allowing them to feel that even if they remain 'single player,' it will be better to be a 'single connected player,'" Guesdon says. "I mean that next-gen Consoles will allow players to have a solo experience that benefits the presence of a huge community."

Guesdon didn't go into detail about the connected systems. He did outline some more info about the game, including the "horizon system," which provides characters aboard the ship with "pirate opportunities," side-quests specific to an individual player's progress. Ubisoft has six studios working on Black Flag: Montreal, Singapore, Sofia and Québec working on single-player content, and Annecy and Bucharest developing multiplayer.