Xbox's post-layoff future
Plus, thoughts on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
I celebrated my birthday last week and spent Thursday through Sunday careening between work, childcare, and tabletop games (which included a LARP where I played a scheming royal bent on the crown and the affections of a noblewoman he believed he saw in a God-given vision!). I’ve neglected my newsletter until now, but offer up these morsels.
First up, the Xbox “reset.” Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has pointed out that its worst consequence is the uncertainty it’s thrown Microsoft staff into. They’ve seen 1600 coworkers get the axe; another 1600 will go by the end of the year. I produced a Here & Now segment with Schreier — listen here. I also directed KUOW’s Monica Nickelsburg to an expert source for her superb All Things Considered piece on the layoffs.
In other gaming news, I caught up with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which sits uncomfortably between a traditional remaster and a thorough remake. I enjoyed chasing after sea shanties and stalking Caribbean settlements, but missed the Abstergo Entertainment framing device — without it, the pacing feels off and the quest for Isu Observatory feels forced. Jordan Ramée goes into much more depth on this point and more in their Gamespot review.
Black Flag’s characters still charmed me though. It’s great to see Stede Bonnet again, though my impressions of the historical figure have been much changed by Our Flag Means Death. And I swear that Ubisoft must have told Edward’s actor to channel Heath Ledger from A Knights Tale, but, you know, as a pirate. I love how unapologetically self-interested he is. Not to the point of malice, but he’ll never help someone if it doesn’t benefit him. It’s a fitting place to begin his hero’s journey — Assassin’s Creed protagonists have a preposterous tendency towards saintliness that Black Flag manages to avoid.
The tutorial is especially cute. Edward’s already mastered the usual Assassin maneuvers even though he’s only pretending to be one to appease the Templars he’s duping. Their plan to surveil the whole world doesn’t phase him, but he can’t abide their leader paying him less than he thinks he’s worth — kicking off his opposition and the rest of the plot. Also, he kills dozens of Assassins while maintaining his cover. They go down like chumps. So much for an elite order.
All in all, Black Flag Resynced belongs in the same category as AC Shadows — serviceable franchise fodder I don’t regret playing, but not something I’d go out on a limb to recommend.
Other Mastromarino Productions
Health insurance premiums skyrocket, outpacing wages and inflation
Breaking down the 2026 Emmy nominations — a lovely reunion with critic Eric Deggans, who I used to produce weekly TV segments with
Hundreds of thousands gather for Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral in Iran