The iconic final words of Blackbeard in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag were significantly longer in the original script, according to series writer Darby McDevitt.
In the 2013 title, the character Edward Thatch dies after shouting, “In a world without gold, we might’ve been heroes!”
McDevitt told Polygon that the original draft included a much more wordy version: “In a world without wine, women, and gold, we might have been heroes!”
Trimming for impact
Production changes occurred during rehearsals when the original pacing failed to land. Animation director Kama Dunsmore requested a rewrite because the longer line felt unnatural for a character in the middle of a life-or-death struggle.
McDevitt decided to strip the sentence down to its most essential element. He noted that gold represented the primary corrupting influence in the game's narrative.
“I took one look at the line and realized that gold was the only thing that mattered in this final sentiment,” McDevitt said.
The streamlined version proved successful. The performance by actor Richard Mark Bonnar solidified the shorter version as the definitive take.
McDevitt noted that the pithy nature of the final quote makes it easily shareable on social media. He believes the brevity helps communicate the game's larger themes regarding the pirates' lost potential.
While Ubisoft recently announced a remake titled Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, McDevitt declined to comment on whether the specific dialogue will remain unchanged in the new version.
