Even though Assassin’s Creed III ended Desmond’s adventures in the animus, it was clear that the franchise would live on. After all, the world has had a long history full of incredible stories and fans have been speculating as to where (and when) the next tale would take place. Now we have our answer.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag puts players in the boots of Edward Kenway, pirate and Privateer, who happens to be the father of Assassin’s Creed III’s Haytham and grandfather of protagonist Connor. However, he is an entirely different character than that of Connor, being more charming, humorous, and clever. Through Edward, players will take to the high-seas in what Ubisoft is calling “the first true naval overworld.” Those familiar with the previous game are already well aware of the presence of naval vessels and combat, but Ubisoft is taking it much further in Black Flag. The team is thinking big, offering seamless exploration rather than treating land and sea gameplay as two separate entities. You’ll now be able to explore upwards of 50 locations across the Caribbean, simply by setting sail and traveling from place to place without load times.

Rather than simply putting the old game engine in a new setting, the team working on Black Flag is focusing on addressing some of the issues that fans have been criticizing for years, while also adapting the gameplay for the new character. The notoriety system that has been present in every game in the series has been completely reworked. With the world being so open, allowing players to travel between several major locations, Ubisoft felt that the “worldwide alert” wouldn’t make much sense in Black Flag. The team is making sure that any gameplay elements that don’t belong are taken out, and those present will be refined and perfected.

Of course, many have been wondering about whether or not the game will continue the tradition of having a modern-day storyline. With Desmond’s tale at an end, Ubisoft is now making the player the central character in the story. Very few details have been given, though it was stated that the modern storyline revolves around the player being brought in by a company called Abstergo Entertainment to explore Desmond’s ancestry, and it is from there that you leap into Edward Kenway.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise is arguably the biggest series of the current generation with over 10 games having been released in only six years and a big-budget movie currently in the works. It currently stands as Ubisoft’s most successful property and the most recent release, Assassin’s Creed III, sold over 7 Million copies in only two months. Black Flag is ushering in a new era for the franchise, as the game is set to be released on both current-gen and next-generation consoles. The announcement comes as a surprise to some, but the presence of naval combat and exploration in Assassin’s Creed III stood out as a deep experience begging to be developed further.

More details about Black Flag are sure to come over the next few months, but the game is already set to release on October 29 of this year.