At least, according to this:
The mere fact that the team was making a game with slavery as a theme was an intentional choice. There are films in which ‘fun’ is not the emotional goal, such as Django Unchained or 12 Years a Slave, and Giard wanted to tap into emotions like righteousness and revenge as motivators instead of mere pleasure. “Strong emotions can be more important than only positive ones,” Giard said.
Continue reading I apparently am playing Assassin’s Creed IV: Freedom Cry all wrong.