Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag's modern day setting will last between three and five hours 

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag's modern day setting, where the players is under the employ of Abstergo Entertainment, may be "optional," but you will want to play it anyway to see what you discover. Plus, according to game director Ashraf Ismail, it will provide you with three to five hours of entertainment.

Speaking on the UbBlog (thanks, Shack), Ismail said that three to five hours would include: "finding everything, hacking every computer, accessing every room."

"We pretty much tried to boil it down to its most core essence because we know there are people out there who really don't like the present day, and that's okay," he said. "You don't have to like it, but it's part of the brand."

The only modern part of the game players will be required to play will last around 20-25 minutes - so the rest of the time you can be womanizing, plundering, pillaging, and sailing the high seas if you prefer.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag lands on PS3 and Xbox 360 October 29 in North America, and November 1 across Europe. The PC version is due on November 19.

The PS4, Wii U and Xbox One versions will be made available on November 22.