Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is official with trailers, goes back in time and stars pirate Edward Kenway

It's Monday, and you know what that means, right? Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is officially a thing, with two trailers, pre-order information, and console-exclusive details already prepped. Ubisoft doesn't waste any time. While Assassin's Creed III came out just last October, Assassin's Creed IV has already been in development for two years, a joint project between Ubisoft Montreal, Annecy, Bucharest, Kiev, Quebec, Singapore, and Sofia.

The new installment goes back in time to the start of the 18th century, well before Connor existed and the whole American Revolution happened. Players now step into the shoes of one Edward Kenway, a pirate trained by Assassins and presumably Connor's grandpapa. He starts out as a privateer for the British Royal Navy, but later winds up a pirate as nations stop warring. From there, he finds himself stumbling into the whole Assassins-Templar conflict.

The setting will be the West Indies, during the so-called "Golden Age of Pirates." And with this being Assassin's Creed, expect to run into historical figures -- Blackbeard and Charles Vane being two of them.

As always, Ubi would like everyone to know this game is open to "longtime fans and newcomes alike," as CEO Yves Guillemot puts it. Now about those trailers:

World Premiere - YouTube

Edward Kenway - YouTube

Handsome fellow, isn't he? Then again, Desmond seems to have no ugly ancestors.

Despite the game being just announced, GameStop should already be taking pre-orders, and reserving the game with the retailer will net you a Limited Edition copy, which comes with a poster featuring artwork by Todd McFarlane. As usual, it's only while supplies last.

The game will be out October 29 (contrary to initial leaks), almost one year exact after the "third" game. Expect to see Kenway on PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and all next-gen consoles, including the PlayStation 4. Ubisoft has also confirmed 60 minutes of additional content post-launch for PS3 and PS4. Not that we're surprised.