The remake of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, titled Resynced, has become the target of a Steam review-bombing campaign following its launch on 9th July, with disgruntled players objecting to the presence of cosmetic microtransactions in a single-player game. Despite strong commercial performance — the title was reportedly on track to out-earn Assassin's Creed Shadows, pulling in roughly $14m in gross revenue before launch — its user reviews have slid to "Mixed" after briefly sitting at "Mostly Negative". The backlash reflects a wider, long-running grievance that Ubisoft has become associated with, and matters as another flashpoint in the debate over monetising premium-priced single-player titles.

Central to the complaints is the sense that buyers of the £59.99 Deluxe Edition are immediately confronted with large volumes of additional paid content, with players citing figures such as $84.91 and £76 worth of DLC advertised at launch. The store also offers "paid gameplay advantage" items, including a resource pack and a map pack at £4.29 each, though Eurogamer notes these are effectively optional time-savers for things obtainable in-game rather than true advantages. Other frustrations include store items that prompt players to open the separate Assassin's Creed Shadows to preview purchases. The article's author, who gave the game a three-star review, regards the cosmetic microtransactions as largely harmless but sympathises with the frustration of being upsold immediately after buying a deluxe edition.