Edward Kenway voice actor likens Black Flag Resynced to “an old friend”

Thirteen years after the release of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Edward Kenway is making a comeback in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, and Matt Ryan, the voice actor who brought the swashbuckling pirate-turned-assassin to life, can’t help but feel a little nostalgic and emotional. 

For context, Matt Ryan delivered a spectacular motion-capture performance alongside his voice acting as Edward Kenway, despite limitations in facial animation, when Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was released in 2013. After more than a decade, you never quite know how well those emotions will resonate when you pour your heart into a character.

In an interview with Game Informer, he shared that returning as Edward felt like meeting an old friend again. He said, “The reception the character has gotten from the fans has been amazing over the years, and getting to come back, I feel really humbled and grateful. I feel really lucky that we’ve returned and that they chose this game.”

He further explained his emotions, saying, “It was a strange and wonderful and nostalgic and beautiful experience, man. It’s like an old friend. The funny thing is, when I did the original game, you didn’t quite know what it would be.”

This hits Matt Ryan particularly hard nearly 13 years later, especially given that he was under an NDA to decline any commentary on Black Flag Resynced, which had already been at the center of many rumors for years.

Ubisoft’s long-rumored remake, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, has finally been announced and rebuilt from scratch using the latest iteration of Ubisoft’s Anvil engine, featuring combat that harkens back to the old days of Assassin’s Creed and brand-new side quests. Given the chance to once again helm the role of Edward Kenway, Ryan couldn’t be more thrilled to step back into his boots.

Ryan’s return as Edward Kenway wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret. Leaks circulated online alongside rumors, including one involving Ryan himself, in which he accidentally hinted that fans might need to replay the original to get a taste of what Ubisoft is cooking.

His comment from a meet-and-greet was posted online, and Ryan was subsequently warned by Ubisoft, which threatened legal action over the slip-up. Despite this, all these ups and downs haven’t diminished Ryan’s motivation to reprise his role as Edward.