Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Launches $500,000 Treasure Hunt with a Twist

After revealing an upcoming live show for the Assassin’s Creed series earlier in May, Ubisoft surprised fans again on Wednesday. In celebration of the impending launch of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the company is teaming up with the French start-up Unsolved Hunts to create a real-world treasure hunt. The grand prize? A staggering $500,000 in pirate treasure.

Named Gold & Crystal — The Lost Treasure of Edward Kenway, after the main character of Black Flag, this treasure hunt promises an “immersive pirate experience.” According to a news release, participants will encounter “multiple elements to decipher: an encrypted message in a bottle, a Caribbean map, and a series of letters and archives containing 15 puzzles, all filled with references to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced.”

At the end of the hunt lies a treasure trove of $350,000 in gold coins and a crystal skull replica valued at $150,000, waiting to be unearthed by a lucky and determined adventurer somewhere in the Caribbean.

The Gold & Crystal website mentions that you don’t need to have played Black Flag or any Assassin’s Creed title to join in, as the puzzles “primarily depend on your historical knowledge, logic, common sense, and intuition.” To participate, you’ll need to buy a clue pack, starting at $39.99 for digital copies. For those who prefer a more traditional approach, a physical pack with digital copies is available for $59.99. Additional packs with various extras, like a notebook and the Chaotic Armadaboard game, can also be found on the Gold & Crystal site. Pre-orders are open now, with the hunt set to kick off on November 9.

Ubisoft and Unsolved Hunts are clearly confident in the challenge posed by the riddles and puzzles, estimating that the hunt could last anywhere from two to five years. They recommend tackling it as a team, but note that only one person will ultimately claim the prize, so choose your crew wisely.

You won’t have to wait five years to dive into the next Assassin’s Creed adventure, though. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is slated for release on July 9 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and it’s shaping up to be quite impressive.