Who is Edward Kenway? What is his relationship to Assassin's Creed 3 protagonist Connor Kenway? And how does Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag's story fit into the larger mythos? These are just some of the questions fans hope to see answered in Ubisoft's forthcoming sequel.

Prior to the unveiling of Assassin's Creed 4, and Edward Kenway as its protagonist, there was some speculation that the next AC game might feature a female assassin as its protagonist. After Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation broke the mold with Aveline, most fans figured it was only a matter of time before a female took on a more prominent role.

However, according Assassin's Creed 4 director Ashraf Ismail, that was never in the cards. That isn't to say a woman won't star in a future game, but that wasn't part of Ubisoft's present plans.

As Ismail explains, the current storyline was always designed as a Kenway affair, with gamers playing as three different generations in the assassin family. As we know, Connor's father, Haytham, shuns the family trade, but his father, Edward, was apparently quite the character. In fact, he may just be the most unique assassin fans have seen so far — a pirate assassin.

"Really early on, we decided to tell the story of the Kenways. So we already had in place the idea to tell Edward, Haytham, and Connor. This was actually years ago, we had this."

And therefore, in order to preserve historical accuracy (or as well as Ubisoft could in a franchise like this), the developer has decided a female pirate might raise more questions or criticisms than Ubisoft was willing to invite. With that said, the future still looks bright for the possibility of a female protagonist. While it may not be in Assassin's Creed 5, 6, or even 7, it's comforting to know that Ubisoft is not opposed to the idea.

"I would say it wouldn't be surprising to see a female assassin coming up in a mainline Assassin's Creed."

Perhaps the second Assassin's Creed game in development — thought to be another Vita title — will feature a female assassin. Maybe like AC 4 features a forefather of Connor, this other game will feature an ancestor of Aveline. Although questions like that won't likely be answered anytime soon, we can share in the excitement for Assassin's Creed 4.

Would you like to see Ubisoft feature a female protagonist in a major Assassin's Creed title? What time period or setting do you think lends itself the best to a female protagonist?

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is slated for an October 29, 2013 release on the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U. A next-gen release should follow some time after.

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Source: IGN