2024 has been a mixed bag of a year for Ubisoft. They began strong with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, a game that reimagined the gameplay of the classic games whilst delivering a brand new story with Metroidvania gameplay. The game was a hit for the company, and the Mask of Darkness expansion pack was released earlier this month. Since then, Ubisoft has not met fan expectations. Their latest release, Star Wars Outlaws, was a sales disappointment and was given lukewarm reviews from critics. Criticism was aimed at the game’s technical bugs and the gameplay— Outlaws performed below Ubisoft’s expectations. The company has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows, their next AAA release, will be delayed from November 15th, 2024, to February 14th, 2025.
Marc-Alexis Côté, the executive producer of Assassin’s Creed, stated on behalf of everyone at Ubisoft:
‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a dream project for us; finally bringing the series to Feudal Japan with many features developed with our community in mind, such as parkour or the renewed stealth, brought by new technology, all set in a beautiful and immersive world. This is an ambitious addition to the franchise, a rich experience that can be lived through the eyes of two unique protagonists - but we realise we need more time to polish and refine the experience, pushing further some of our key features.
As such, we’ve made the decision to postpone the release date to February 14, 2025. The game will release on a broad range of platforms, including Steam at launch. Additionally, preorders will be refunded and all future preorders will be granted the first expansion for free.
We understand this decision will come as disappointing news, especially to those who’ve been waiting patiently for an Assassin’s Creed game inspired by Feudal Japan, but we sincerely believe this is in the best interest of the game, and ultimately your experience as a player.
Rest assured we are looking forward to the moment you will embark on a memorable adventure with Naoe and Yasuke.
Until then, we thank you for your ongoing support.’
Additionally, Côté wrote to Ubisoft investors to provide more information about the delay. The delay is partially a reaction to the reception of Star Wars Outlaws:
‘While [Assassin’s Creed Shadows] is feature complete, the learnings from the Star Wars Outlaws release led us to provide additional time to further polish the title.’
What lessons Côté is referring to has not been confirmed. However, it is likely to assume that Outlaws’ current state and initial release are probable factors. Like other Ubisoft games, Outlaws was not initially released on Steam, the most popular marketplace for PC gamers, and that would have triggered a lack of sales. The lukewarm reviews also would have turned some fans off, and there has been little positivity from fans who have been vocal about their thoughts towards the game online. It is a shame about the reception Outlaws has received, given the ongoing popularity of Star Wars, but Ubisoft has not refined its open-world format for a long time.
However, news of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ delay could be a significant positive for fans and a sign that Ubisoft wants to change its culture. Recently, the company made a change to their release policy. In the future, all Ubisoft games will be available on Steam from the release day, allowing more fans to play their games sooner. Massive Entertainment, the developers of Star Wars Outlaws, are committed to improving Outlaws by ironing out technical bugs and gameplay improvements to remove the redundancy of missions. Whether they achieve this remains to be seen.
For Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the delay is a positive but should be carefully considered. Côté claims that the game is ‘feature complete,’ so it is doubtful that Ubisoft can make any significant story and design changes for a game at the end of its development cycle. However, any attempt to refine the gaming experience would be much appreciated, given that some of Ubisoft’s recent AAA games like Skull and Bones, Far Cry 6 and Watch Dogs: Legion have all crumbled for their bland open-world and mission designs. There is a lot on the line for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and I hope that whatever improvements Côté speaks of will improve the experience. Optimism surrounds this delay, but we shall see how the Shadows turns out when it releases on February 14th, 2025.
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