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Angels' Ryan Johnson: Handed sixth loss
Angels' Ryan Johnson: Handed sixth loss
Where does JSN land in Bleacher Report's fantasy rankings?
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was ranked No. 4 overall in Bleacher Report’s dynasty fantasy football rankings for this year.
One Patriots player listed as undervalued for fantasy football season
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is believed to be undervalued heading into the 2026 fantasy football season.
Mets Trade AJ Minter to the Twins for Prospects: Fantasy Baseball Impact
The Mets begin their trade deadline sell-off as the Twins add bullpen help and boost AJ Minter's fantasy stock.
Fantasy Football Sleepers, Busts & Predictions: 2026 San Francisco 49ers
(Every roster is different, but there are traits on each one. All summer, Daniel Kelley will go roster-by-roster to identify the top fantasy football sleeper and bust on each roster and make a bold prediction for each team. This is…
UK's IG Group agrees to buy sports gaming firm Underdog for up to $1.3 billion
Britain's IG Group said on Thursday it has agreed to acquire U.S. daily fantasy sports and prediction markets operator Underdog for up to $1.3 billion, in a deal that would strengthen its position in the fast-growing U.S. retail trading market.
Extract From the Gyldenmist: Dark Fantasy Extraction ARPG Mistfall Hunter Arrives on XBOX
Learn about the dark fantasy world of extraction ARPG Mistfall Hunter, available now on XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, and Game Pass.
Nationals getting healthier in time for Braves series
Jake Irvin will come off the 60-day injured list to make his first start in more than two months when the Washington Nationals open their four-game series against the host Atlanta Braves on Thursday.
Grizzlies' Scotty Pippen: Competing for top point guard role
Grizzlies' Scotty Pippen: Competing for top point guard role
Celtics' Payton Pritchard: New role incoming
Celtics' Payton Pritchard: New role incoming
Jaguars’ Lawrence Named a Fantasy Football ‘League Winner’ For 2026
After an MVP-caliber finish to last season, Jacksonville’s franchise quarterback enters 2026 surrounded by elite weaponry. Discover why one expert believes Trevor Lawrence will help win fantasy football leagues this season.
Fans Want FF7 Remake Director To Lead Final Fantasy 17
Naoki Hamaguchi made a surprise ppearance onstage at the latest FF14 Fan Fest
"4 or maybe even 5 instalments" If you want Remakes of older Final Fantasy games, prepare for them to be even bigger than the FF7 Remake trilogy
Final Fantasy 14's Naoki 'Yoshi-P' Yoshida has been thinking out loud about what future remakes could look like in the FF series.
Yoshi-P Warns Final Fantasy VI, VIII and IX Remakes Would Need 5 Installments, As Square Enix Teases Final Fantasy XVII
Yoshi-P warns Final Fantasy VI, VIII, and IX remakes would need up to 5 parts, while teasing Naoki Hamaguchi for Final Fantasy XVII
Final Fantasy 17 Development Teased by Square Enix Director
It's probably a case of when, not if, for Final Fantasy 17, but Square Enix Director Yoshi-P has name-dropped the inevitable sequel.
Lions Free Agent Addition Receives Fantasy Sleeper Status
Isaiah Pacheco was a major disappointment for the Kansas City Chiefs last year. However, he is expected to bounce back and have a strong season in 2026 with the Detroit Lions. The loss of David Montgomery should propel Pacheco into flex territory in fantasy football, according to Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report.“Pacheco will get a […] The post Lions Free Agent Addition Receives Fantasy Sleeper Status appeared first on HEAVY.
Athletics' Tommy White: Settling into full-time role
Athletics' Tommy White: Settling into full-time role
Twins' Joe Ryan: On track to start Wednesday
Twins' Joe Ryan: On track to start Wednesday
WCG Dynasty Fantasy Football: Assessing Tyler Volz’s Roster
We continue to assess rosters in the WCG Dynasty Fantasy Football League. This articles focuses on the roster of Tyler Volz.
Round Up: Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold Extended Teaser Revealed, New Job And Crossover Raid Series Announced
Launching January 2027
Pelicans' Kobe Bufkin: Inks pact with New Orleans
Pelicans' Kobe Bufkin: Inks pact with New Orleans
Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Shut down for a couple days
Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Shut down for a couple days
Even more science fiction and fantasy novels to read July 2026
14 new adventures to add to your TBR
Final Fantasy 7 Director Kept 'Open World Fatigue' in Mind as New Remake Chapter Promises 'Bigger' World Than Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi has acknowledged the "open world fatigue" affecting the industry but says Square Enix was "very careful" to make sure fans would have "all the guidance they need" in the new remake chapter – even if it's bigger than the last.
WCG Dynasty Fantasy Football: Assessing Adam Hess’ Roster
We continue to look at the WCG Dynasty Fantasy Football League rosters and break them down. Today is the roster of Adam Hess.
Six Years Ago, I Indulged My Husband’s Biggest Fantasy. Now It’s Eating Me Alive.
Once ... just once ... I'd like to try anything else.
Astros' Kai-Wei Teng: Earns win in relief Friday
Astros' Kai-Wei Teng: Earns win in relief Friday
Final Fantasy XIV Online Releases For Switch 2 On 4th August 2026
Pre-orders are now live
Final Fantasy 14 reveals Nintendo Switch 2 release date and pricing, Final Fantasy 7 remake collaboration, more
At the 2026 Final Fantasy 14 Fan Festival in Berlin today, Square Enix revealed the release date for the MMORPG on Nintendo Switch 2. It will be out on August 4, 2026. Here’s the lineup of pricing: Starter Edition – $19.99 Complete Edition – $59.99 ($41.99 with pre-orders) Complete Collector’s Edition – $139.99 ($97.99 with pre-orders) Dawntrail Expansion (requires base...
Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold expansion extended teaser trailer and latest details, Switch 2 version launches August 4
Square Enix released a five-minute extended teaser trailer and new details for Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold, the patch 8.0 expansion for Final Fantasy XIV due out in January 2027, as well as announc…
WCG Dynasty Fantasy Football: Assessing Bill Zimmerman’s Roster
As we continue to analyze rosters in the WCG Dynasty Fantasy Football League, today we examine the roster of Bill Zimmerman.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Plenty of Mets make for appealing adds despite team's struggles
Ranking top five rookie tight ends by projected 2026 NFL production
These five rookie tight ends are names to know when it comes to 2026 fantasy football production.
Fantasy Football 2026: Preliminary RB rankings and tiers
RB rankings for your fantasy draft prep
Ex-Disney CEO Says He Doesn't Remember Why He Greenlit Kingdom Hearts
The Disney and Final Fantasy crossover does sound like a hard sell
Fantasy Baseball Trade Tips: Paul Skenes, Mason Miller among pitchers to target with waiver wire riddled with quality hitters
Here's How Final Fantasy X On Switch 2 Compares To Switch 1
Plus some direct gameplay footage of X & X-2
Langrisser: Sea of Sword first gameplay trailer, details, and screenshots
BlackJack Studio has released the first gameplay trailer, information, and screenshots for the newly announced “next-generation fantasy tactical RPG” Langrisser: Sea of Sword.
Final Fantasy 10 gets first Nintendo Switch 2 gameplay
Get a first look at Final Fantasy 10 running on Nintendo Switch 2 with some extensive gameplay.
Lakers' Matisse Thybulle: Agrees to sign with Lakers
Lakers' Matisse Thybulle: Agrees to sign with Lakers
ESPN fantasy experts are low on Bills WRs in 2026
The Buffalo Bills have again made key moves to improve production within their wide receivers room.
Final Fantasy X gets a 25th anniversary trailer ahead of X/X-2 HD Remaster coming to Switch 2 this week
Owners of the Switch version won’t be able to update to the Switch 2 port…
Which Running Backs Will Outperform Their Fantasy Football ADP?
With the 2026-2027 NFL campaign drawing near, fantasy football managers are eagerly waiting for draft season to begin. And every year, many wonder which running backs are going to be the key to their fantasy team. With that said, there are several halfbacks that are flying under the radar on most draft boards, with many […] The post Which Running Backs Will Outperform Their Fantasy Football ADP? appeared first on The Lead.
WCG Dynasty Fantasy Football: Assessing Kev H’s Roster
Let’s continue assessing rosters in the WCG Dynasty Fantasy Football League, today is Kev H who needs to work on his rebuild.
Royals' Michael Massey: Out of Sunday's lineup
Royals' Michael Massey: Out of Sunday's lineup
Red Sox's Jahmai Jones: Makes immediate contribution
Red Sox's Jahmai Jones: Makes immediate contribution
Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Blasts homer in blowout win
Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Blasts homer in blowout win
Fantasy Analyst Assesses Malik Nabers' Viability in 2026
Malik Nabers is on his way back from an injury, which could affect the New York Giants and fantasy football managers. Nabers was an elite wideout in his rookie season, setting a Giants single-season franchise record for catches (109).
White Sox's Kyle Teel: Receiving breather Sunday
White Sox's Kyle Teel: Receiving breather Sunday
Athletics' J.T. Ginn: Teases no-no in easy victory
Athletics' J.T. Ginn: Teases no-no in easy victory
Mariners' Bryan Woo: Fans seven in no-decision
Mariners' Bryan Woo: Fans seven in no-decision
The Best Late-Round Fantasy Basketball Picks After NBA Free Agency
Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball and Kawhi Leonard all changed teams, and understandably, those moves have stolen the spotlight. Several veterans landed in situations that quietly improved their fantasy outlook. Detroit added Collins on a three-year deal because it believes he can help right away.
Rays' Ian Seymour: Short outing vs. Boston
Rays' Ian Seymour: Short outing vs. Boston
Braves' AJ Smith-Shawver: Looks sharp in rehab start
Braves' AJ Smith-Shawver: Looks sharp in rehab start
How much should fantasy managers trust Browns RB Quinshon Judkins?
Quinshon Judkins is entering Year 2 as the Browns’ franchise running back. After an up-and-down rookie year, is he a week fantasy starter?
Celtics' Caleb Grill: Nets 18 points with four treys
Celtics' Caleb Grill: Nets 18 points with four treys
Celtics' Hugo Gonzalez: Ruled out Saturday
Celtics' Hugo Gonzalez: Ruled out Saturday
Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel: Lands on injured list
Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel: Lands on injured list
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Still not getting results
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Still not getting results
Fantasy Baseball Week 18 Preview: Two-start pitcher rankings feature Parker Messick, Freddy Peralta
Two-start pitchers for Week 18 including top fantasy baseball streaming options.
Titans' new playmaker named a fantasy football sleeper
Bleacher Report identified a new Titans playmaker as a fantasy football sleeper, pointing to breakout potential entering the 2026 season.
The Most Overvalued Players In 2026 Fantasy Football Drafts
Kevin Tompkins discusses some of the players who may be receiving too much love from fantasy managers as training camps are about to start.
Yahoo Sports releases new college fantasy football game
Yahoo Sports is expanding its fantasy football by introducing a new college fantasy football game. Find out details and how to sign up here.
Kings' Alex Karaban: Tallies 14 points in SL victory
Kings' Alex Karaban: Tallies 14 points in SL victory
Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Remake Price And Pre-Order Rumors Swirl
Also: that mobile version of Final Fantasy 14 has been canceled
Final Fantasy Resonance Trailer Imagines A World Without Final Fantasy 7 Changing Everything
Imagine a world where Square Enix played it safe with Final Fantasy 7.
Raptors' Collin Murray-Boyles: Remains out Thursday
Raptors' Collin Murray-Boyles: Remains out Thursday
Bulls' Caleb Wilson: Sloppy effort in loss Thursday
Bulls' Caleb Wilson: Sloppy effort in loss Thursday
Sports without politics is a fantasy and the World Cup proves it
From ancient Greece to Nazi Germany, sport and politics have long been intertwined. Nevertheless, we still imagine that international sport can be kept above the fray and serve as a neutral arena where nations compete on merit alone. In this article, diplomacy scholar Geoffrey Allen Pigman argues the 2026 FIFA World Cup shows this is a dangerous illusion. When international sport is left entirely to revenue-maximizing private bodies like FIFA, it doesn't escape politics, but rather surrenders to its worst expressions. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics fast approaching, the IOC must decide whether to learn that lesson or repeat the same mistakes. The largest and most lucrative FIFA World Cup ever draws toward its climactic conclusion amidst a swirl of controversy. Team members, staff, fans, and spectators have been denied their right to enter the United States to participate, and US President Donald Trump intervened with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to overturn a referee’s call that Trump believed disadvantaged the US national team. It is a moment to step back and reflect on what the purposes of international sport mega-events like the World Cup, and international sport more broadly, are, and what they should be. Does international sport serve public purposes? Is there a public interest? Or is it primarily a private endeavor organized by commercial enterprises to entertain the global public (and generate profit in the process), which is occasionally used by governments and leaders for raisons d’etat? Central to the idea of sport is the principle of fair play, which in the international context demands that games be free from political interference. However, it is impossible to separate sport from politics, all claims to the contrary notwithstanding. The most positive political use of international sport through the millennia has been to facilitate diplomacy. The use of international sport for diplomatic objectives has existed since at least the time of the ancient Olympic Games, around which was instituted the custom of the Ekecheiria, or Olympic Truce, between participating states to facilitate fair competition and diplomatic achievements by ensuring that participants could travel safely to the Olympiad. In his seminal work On Diplomacy (1987), diplomacy scholar James Der Derian characterized the objectives of diplomacy as overcoming alienation and mediating estrangement between governments and between peoples. One increasingly important diplomatic tool in the technology-infused media environment over the past century has been public diplomacy, under which governments and non-state diplomatic actors (e.g. transnational corporations) communicate to global publics about their international policy objectives and to shape their global brand image. Political scientist Michał Kobierecki, in his important book Sports Diplomacy (2020), views sports diplomacy as falling broadly within the ambit of public diplomacy, as international sport intimately involves the participation of global publics as spectators and consumers of global media. Diplomacy scholar Stuart Murray and this author, in a 2013 article, distinguish between international sport used for diplomatic purposes and international sport-as-diplomacy, which encompasses the range of diplomacy that occurs as teams and competitors, spectators and fans, and government officials all converge for international sporting events like the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. Diplomacy scholar H.E. Chehabi, in a 2001 article on US-Iran sports diplomacy, describes the interaction between spectators and fans at international sporting events as “people-to-people diplomacy,” in which relationships develop independently of governments and their objectives. Diplomacy by the aforementioned definitions is often unsuccessful. Moreover, all too often the tools of diplomacy may be employed by governments and other actors to thwart or oppose the objectives of diplomacy as characterized by Der Derian. Governments routinely use the tools of public diplomacy to disseminate propaganda, spreading misinformation in the attempt to deceive global publics about their objectives and to create misleading impressions about their brand identity. Within sports diplomacy, the term “sportswashing” has been coined recently to describe how governments invest in and promote international sport to create positive global public impressions of their nations and, in doing so, to distract the global public from their deficient records in areas such as human rights and democratic governance. Murray, in his 2018 book Sports Diplomacy: Origins, Theory and Practice, introduces the concept of sports anti-diplomacy, wherein governments intentionally use international sport to advance aggressive and nationalistic objectives. Obvious historical examples include Hitler’s use of the 1936 Berlin Olympics to glorify his Third Reich and the 1969 El Salvador-Honduras football “war.” SUGGESTED READING The beautiful game made ugly By Emily Ryall FIFA argues that it is and seeks to be apolitical in its stewardship of international Association Football (soccer). FIFA policies governing bids to host the World Cup require uninhibited and non-discriminatory access for players, team staff, and spectators of all participating countries to host nations and venues. It became clear soon after Trump returned to power in the United States in January 2025 that Trump’s political intentions and objectives to limit non-US citizens from living and working in the United States and, in numerous cases, even visiting the country, would collide with FIFA’s host nation policies. Beginning soon after the start of the second Trump administration, US federal authorities imposed restrictions on entry to the United States of citizens of between 20 and 40 countries for any purpose, with only limited exceptions. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began arresting non-US citizens in the United States, including persons with and without legal status, holding them in jails, concentration camps, and other detention facilities until they were deported to their home or third countries, where they faced substantive risks to their personal safety. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, in an effort to ensure the most successful and lucrative World Cup in history, engaged diplomatically with President Trump in an attempt to facilitate entry to the US for World Cup participants. Infantino did all in his power to ingratiate himself with Trump, to the extent of creating a FIFA “Peace Prize,” which he awarded to Trump in December 2025 at a ceremony in the then Trump-controlled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on the occasion of the World Cup draw. The prize was an ersatz consolation for someone who aspired in vain to win the rather more prestigious and well-known Nobel Peace Prize. And in the run-up to the World Cup, conditions became worse. In February 2026, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a war of aggression against Iran, illegal under international law, under the false pretence that Iran’s government was preparing to attack the United States and Israel. During the US aerial bombardment of Iran, US planes bombed Azadi Stadium, the facility where Iran’s national football team trained. As the 2026 FIFA World Cup began, it was clear that Infantino’s efforts had been for naught: the Trump administration would not adhere to FIFA policies governing access to World Cup host nations. World Cup referee Omar Artan, a citizen of Somalia, was denied a US visa to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup. Trump’s government only granted US visas to Iran’s football team ten days before they were scheduled to arrive for the tournament. Numerous members of the support staff for Iran’s team were denied US visas. Iran’s team, which had been scheduled to train in Arizona, was directed to shift its training site to Tijuana, Mexico, notwithstanding that all three of their group stage matches took place at US venues. The US Department of Homeland Security only permitted the Iranian team to enter the US on the day before each scheduled match and then to return to Mexico immediately after playing. Members of Iraq’s and Switzerland’s football teams were delayed for hours by US officials at the US border, and an Iraqi team photographer was refused entry. Spectators and fans from Haïti and Iran were denied entry to the United States altogether. A large number of fans from a range of countries had their applications for US visas rejected. There were multiple off-ramps through which participants could have avoided the negative consequences of Trump’s decisions for the 2026 World Cup. Once it was clear that the Trump government intended to violate the established expectations for World Cup hosts, FIFA could have shifted the matches scheduled to take place in the United States to Mexico and Canada. The three nations were already designated as co-hosts, and host cities and venues had been selected. Once it was clear that FIFA, governed by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s dependent and dysfunctional relationship with Trump, would never consider this option on its own, it fell to the national football federations to act. The national federations, particularly some combination of federations of the leading contenders (France, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, England, Germany, etc.), could have refused to participate under the US-imposed conditions or, at the least, demanded an ironclad agreement with the Trump government that FIFA policies on access would be respected. ___ International sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. ___ Why did neither FIFA nor the national football federations act to protect the interests of players, team staff, referees, fans, and spectators? In essence, the relentless engines of capitalism prevailed over norm observance, ethics, and fair play. The revenue interests of FIFA, sponsors, global media, and host cities won out. FIFA’s managers viewed hosting another World Cup principally in the United States as a veritable pot of gold for FIFA and its collaborators. FIFA has estimated its own revenue over the 2023-26 budget cycle, which includes the 2026 World Cup, at $13 billion, revised up from an initial projection of $11 billion, and 72% higher than the previous revenue cycle. Of that total, FIFA is estimated to have generated $8.9 billion from the Cup itself in revenue from TV rights ($3.92 billion), sponsorships ($2.69 billion), ticket sales ($3.1 billion), licensing rights, and other sources. A joint study by FIFA and the World Trade Organization estimates that the World Cup will contribute over $40 billion to global GDP, including nearly $14 billion in direct visitor spending in the three host countries (but principally in the United States, which hosted the lion’s share of the matches). The FIFA World Cup is now reportedly “the single most lucrative recurring commercial property in global sport.” And yet, notwithstanding the Trump government’s uses of the World Cup for sports anti-diplomacy, and the climate of anxiety that this created for participants and spectators, diplomacy that did not depend upon governments was able to thrive at the World Cup. Examples of successful people-to-people diplomacy were legion, as citizens of towns and cities across the States, as well as in Mexico and Canada, welcomed team members, their families and supporters, to training sites across North America. Fans of different teams joined together in person in stadiums for matches, at watch parties and bars, and at welcome events sponsored by host cities. The joy and camaraderie shared between the citizenry of Boston and Scotland’s “Tartan Army” of fans is but one example of how the “Beautiful Game” brings people together. Friendships forged across continents are likely to endure well beyond the Cup final. Even those achievements cannot be seen as unalloyed, however. As South African football fan Byron Pillay commented to Al Jazeera, “Football is called the Beautiful Game for a reason, for its ability to unite people. But it’s hard to believe in that magic with the politics and war rhetoric off the field of play, especially when one of the tournament hosts is central to that.” Ultimately, the experience of the 2026 FIFA World Cup illustrates that, as international sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. As long as there is the possibility of diplomatic progress in mediating estrangement between governments or between peoples, there is a broad and overarching public interest in international sport. Likewise, as it would be difficult to put on an international sport mega-event without international sporting organizations like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), global media firms, and companies purchasing sponsorships, public and private interests in international sport must coexist, most likely somewhere on a shifting spectrum between partnership and rivalry or cross purposes. As the World Cup wraps up, the IOC needs to consider its lessons before the scheduled 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if they want to avoid a media-hyped Trump version of the 1936 Berlin Olympiad. The IOC and the National Olympic Committees need to set conditions on and make demands of Trump’s government with clearly articulated consequences for non-compliance, up to and including cancellation of the Games. Time is running out for the IOC, as unlike with the FIFA World Cup, there is no at-the-ready alternate venue for Los Angeles.
Final Fantasy Resonance Gets A Stunning New Trailer Ahead Of Switch 1 & 2 Launch
The HD-2D RPG adventure unfolds this October
Final Fantasy Resonance ‘Pixel’ trailer, latest details and screenshots
Publisher and developer Square Enix, and developer Lancarse have Final Fantasy Resonance ■ The World Dilmagia, the Machinopolis Engineers abound in this steel-forged city, the birthplace of airship…
Langrisser: Sea of Sword announced for PC, iOS, Android, and more
BlackJack Studio has announced Langrisser: Sea of Sword, a “next-generation fantasy tactical RPG” in the Langrisser series, coming to PC, iOS, Android, and other platforms. Pre-registra…
Celtics' Hugo Gonzalez: Another strong SL performance
Celtics' Hugo Gonzalez: Another strong SL performance
Hornets' Tidjane Salaun: Goes for 21 points
Hornets' Tidjane Salaun: Goes for 21 points
NFL Skill Guys Back From Major Injury To Monitor
Injuries are a brutal reality of the NFL, and usually it’s not a massive hit that derails a player’s season, but a misstep on wet grass or turf that puts them on the shelf. During the 2025 NFL season, several standout offensive players – some of whom were likely on your fantasy team – were either ...
Fantasy Football Sleepers, Busts & Predictions: 2026 Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have been the ultimate coaching carousel in recent history. The team hasn’t had the same head coach in consecutive full seasons since Jon Gruden captained the ship in 2019 and 2020 (and, not that it applies to on-field…
Bulls' Caleb Wilson: Solid again in SL win
Bulls' Caleb Wilson: Solid again in SL win
Warriors' Will Richard: Scores in double figures Tuesday
Warriors' Will Richard: Scores in double figures Tuesday
Nets' Mikel Brown: Contributes 16 points in return
Nets' Mikel Brown: Contributes 16 points in return
Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Progressing in recovery
Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Progressing in recovery
76ers' Labaron Philon: Team-high 17 points in SL loss
76ers' Labaron Philon: Team-high 17 points in SL loss
47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
To review this month’s supposed remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, I must first correct the record. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t a game about pirates (and assassins) in the 18th century Caribbean. Sure, sure, that’s what the trailers would have you believe. They’ve go their clips of Edward Kenway swinging his swords and steering his pirate ship into cannon-blasting combat against British frigates. Is Resynced truly a pirate game? Of the 47 hours I spent playing Resynced over the past few weeks, I will admit I spent maybe 44 (?) of them collecting plunder with Blackbeard, drinking rum with Anne Bonny and debating the pros and cons of the lawless pirate-run settlement Nassau with Benjamin Hornigold. I may in fact have spent dozens of hours sailing to remote islands, reading treasure maps, opening messages left in bottles, sinking the odd Man o’ War with a well-timed broadside, collecting sea shanties for my crew, befriending a pet monkey, and hunting whales. I am nevertheless neither so Gullible nor so Narrow-Minded as to call the magnificent Resynced a “pirate remake.” Oh no. Forget any reviews of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced you may have read. Forget what you yourself may have played, if you’ve spent any time with the game since its launch. What Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is really about I’m here to give you the scoop (spoilers for Resynced’s Animus menu lore, which many players are probably not going to see): Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the new game whose development was led by Ubisoft Singapore, is set in the year 2096. It’s about a societal split, about revolution, about an old Assassin’s Creed adventure repurposed in the series’ distant future as propaganda or samizdat. It’s about the overheated future of 2096, essentially conquered by the series’ well-established nefarious Templar-run company Abstergo. (In this future, Abstergo is, among other things, remaking a 2013 pirate movie called Devils of the Caribbean, but this time in VR. The VR version will be backed by a marketing plan that involves AI influencers, a 10,000-avatar “metaverse premiere event” and that manufacturing of memes aimed at “50 million VR nodes.” See what I mean about Abstergo being evil?) Resynced is about a late 21st-century population mollified by the widespread use of Abstergo’s Animus devices which let people experience the lives of historical figures culled from “genetic memories.” It’s about an insurgent faction of Assassins. And it’s about a plan to wake the population into revolutionary fervor by showing them the memories of 18th century pirate Edward Kenway, who—as depicted in the original Black Flag and again in Resynced—gradually comes to an understanding about the Assassins of his day and their centuries old fight for freedom. Resynced is also about an AI developed within the late 21st-century Animus, called Ego. It has found a way to alter genetic memories, to create and show Animus users false ones. The game is about Ego’s efforts to tell the people experiencing Edward Kenway’s memories that Kenway was wrong, that fighting against order is folly, that we should crave a world where “compliance is rewarded with power.” Who are we in this game? We’re an unnamed Animus user in 2096 who experiences Kenway’s journey virtually. At four moments during Kenway’s exploits in the Caribbean our virtual jaunt can be interrupted for 10-15 minutes, as we explore Animus “rifts” where Ego explicitly tries to tell us how wrong Kenway was. None of this is what 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was about, of course. That was a different game, even if you also spent dozens of hours pirating as Kenway in that game, across missions and a map that’s been faithfully reintroduced and rebuilt for Resynced. The 2013 Black Flag was about you playing as an unnamed researcher newly hired in 2013 by Abstergo Entertainment, the video game development wing of the Templars’ evil-corp. In that game, you were assigned to use the Animus to dive into the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, a man who died in Assassin’s Creed III and who was descended from a long line of Assassins (and at least one Templar) whose adventures were featured across the prior AC games. In 2013’s Black Flag, your mission was to plumb the Edward Kenway experience for material that Abstergo could use in productions such as the motion picture Devils of the Caribbean, though the Templars had some ulterior motives for the assignment. Resynced is therefore not a remake of 2013’s Black Flag. It’s a sequel. It is a new game about a new exploration of Edward Kenway’s pirate/assassin journey, set 83 years after the framing sequences of the original game. Resynced provides a new narrative framework that, thanks to the concept of an AI that wants to alter historical memories, arrives with creative justification to tweak a now-classic 13-year old game. That makes Resynced, already a hot seller, a tantalizing hint of where Ubisoft could go with a line of Assassin’s Creed remakes. They could remake the first game, the Ezio games, even the recent ones set in ancient Egypt and Greece. And for each, they could not just modernize the graphics and controls but expand and alter their sequences of events to use them as reference points for a conflict set in the late 21st century, as rival factions try to weaponize historical memories. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, even when that work consists of ravings about Assassin’s Creed’s modern day plot, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe A story most players will probably miss If you didn’t know any of this, I’m not surprised. If you played the game and still didn’t catch it, I’m not a bit shocked. If Ubisoft has no plans to do more of this, I won’t fall down. Almost all of what I’ve described is optional and missable in Black Flag Resynced. I nearly missed it myself, as I planned for a breezy playthrough of an old Assassin’s Creed favorite. Instead, I found myself in a 40+ hour hunt for the “real” story, buried deeper in Resynced than any gold-filled chest. The story of 2096 is Resynced’s meta-story, told in two remote pockets of the game: 1) four optional playable “rifts” that players may find as they proceed through Resynced’s pirate fantasy , 2) in dozens of text files tucked three menus deep in the game’s barely-interactive Animus hub. Assassin’s Creed games have almost always had a meta-story about people in the 21st century (usually matching the game’s release year) and their connections to the main history portions you play. Those meta-stories have always been squeezed into the margins, though seldom as severely and as, uh, graphiaclly simple, as in recent games. Back in 2013, the modern-day exploits of you as an Abstergo Entertainment employee were prominent. They were portrayed via first-person portions that occasionally interrupted the third-person Kenway experience and could be explored for hours, complete with their own missions, side quests and puzzles. Resynced’s 2096 story—of Assassin “Watchers” vs. Abstergo/Tempar goons, of rogue AIs, of panicking scientists, of a woman wondering why her Animus-addicted husband is muttering about Mary Read (“What does he mean by Assassins?”), of a fight for the population’s hearts and minds via varying interpretations of Edward Kenway’s life choices—is mostly told through unlockable text files. The files are interesting. Offered via diary entries, intercepted chats and news reports, they present varied perspectives of a world in crisis. One set works as a narrative puzzle as it reveals the Rashomonic interpretations of a massacre, or was that a successful Assassin hit? Another favorite reveals the rising bitterness of a person who, through Edward Kenway’s journey, now shakes at the ignored evil around him. One surmises that Ubisoft is averse to putting the Assassin’s Creed’s meta-story in the way of more marketable pirate playgrounds and ninja/samurai epics. Instead, we get a better-than-nothing text-in-menus approach introduced in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In Shadows, players unlocked the meta-story text files largely via time-gated missions that called on the user to kill X number of enemy type Y, clear three enemy castles, re-win a three-phase fighting tournament, and other grinds. Time restrictions on accessing these missions and unlocking the files meant it could take players months to access the full story in-game. But even in the most hardcore Assassin’s Creed hangouts, the fanbase instead seemed to throw up their hands rather than grind to keep up. In Resynced, Ubisoft has shown some mercy, diminishing the amount of new text files that are tied to timed grinds. Now, most of the text-based 2096 lore are associated with “data file” collectibles that players can find in the world. That includes a batch of written entries that explain a historical link between the feudal Japan era in Shadows and the piracy adventures in Black Flag. Players who explore a lot will find dozens of data files, though the game does not appear to offer any in-game tracker for finding each one. You just need to keep looking for them. As of this writing, I have most of them, but not all. I can’t find any full guide for them online. And even Ubisoft’s optional $5 microtransaction that reveals lots of items in-game does not appear to reveal the locations of the text files (at least the official description omits them from its collectibles list). That’s not a huge bother, because tracking the data files down compelled me to re-explore the waves and islands of Black Flag. That was a thoroughly pleasant task to do for the first time in a dozen years. I expect many players, though, will be content to wait for the files to be reproduced in an online AC wiki somewhere, the easier to read on a web page. It may not seem enticing to play a video game in order to gradually unlock pages of text to read. Why not, you may ask, just read a book, where they put the pages in order? For one, they’ve not tucked this latest installment of Assassin’s Creed’s meta saga in a book. I also enjoy the unordered delivery, the dawning comprehension of a story about 2096’s desperate people and questionable tech, which I glimpsed first at its middle, then the end, then the front, then other moments in between1. I am also enamored with the idea of the Assassin’s Creed games I’ve previously played, including Black Flag, being repurposed for an information war. The ideas in Resynced’s meta-story, which builds off characters and ideas in Shadows’ chunks of text, are strong. The potential of where they could go with it is exciting. As for the pirate stuff? Looks great, controls pretty well, is fun to play and oh so speedy in terms of how much of a good time you can have with each sit-down. It never gets old to chase a new shanty page across a rooftop, bombard a fort with upgraded mortars or use a diving bell to explore sunken wrecks (hats off to the team at Ubisoft Barcelona that worked on the underwater portions in Resynced; that team is now facing layoffs, such is the misery of modern gaming and oft-troubled Ubisoft). New pirate missions in Resynced involving new ally characters are brief, dramatic and add more to Edward’s story, even if the gameplay perks they provide barely enhance the gameplay. A new denouement for high-class pirate Stede Bonnet is affecting; a new hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure is a welcome extra moment. A new epilogue to hunt down a pirate killer, on the other hand, over-complicates Kenway’s character. The ending credits remain my favorite of any game I’ve ever played. Black Flag provides great source material. The revisit is well-made and a great sign of what could be. It is offered in a different wrapper that hints at an opportunity for more interesting remakes to come, should Ubisoft choose to pursue such treasures—and as we brace to resist or comply with an Abstergo future. 1 The messages that Edward Kenway finds in bottles tell another out-of-order story, one about a man reckoning with the strange memories and voices he’s heard in his head since he was a boy. That tale was also in the 2013 game and develops into one of Black Flag’s most compelling character arcs. In Resynced, it has lost its climax, because the bottle story previously paid off in the halls of the first-person Abstergo Entertainment, which is exclusive to the older game. An altered resolution, written by the 2013 game’s lead writer is fine, doesn’t invalidate the 2013 version, but makes for an inferior final note.
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