Which Assassin's Creed game was the first to introduce the franchise's naval ship combat as a major feature?

Assassin's Creed III was the first Assassin's Creed game to introduce naval ship combat as a major feature. Players control the protagonist's ship in missions set along the Atlantic coast and take part in broadside battles against enemy vessels.

The game follows Ratonhnhaké:ton, also known as Connor, during the American Revolutionary War. His naval sequences use a ship called the Aquila and combine sailing, positioning, cannon fire, and boarding-related objectives. These missions became one of the game's most distinctive additions.

Black Flag later made naval exploration and ship combat the central structure of its open world, which is why some players remember it as the origin of the feature. Black Flag expanded the system substantially, but Assassin's Creed III introduced the major gameplay concept first.

Assassin's Creed Rogue also builds heavily on naval play, while earlier games such as Revelations included different forms of travel and siege activity. The Aquila therefore marks the series' first major step toward its later pirate-focused design.