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Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is delayed until February 2025 for additional development time, focusing on historical accuracy and polish following Star Wars Outlaws’ performance.
While expectant players may be surprised by Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ delay to February 2025, the game’s developers have quietly pushed for more time to hone the experience.
Following the underwhelming reviews and sales performance of Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft decided to postpone the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows from November 2024 to February 2025.
According to Insider Gaming, the three extra months will reportedly be used to fix issues stemming from a tight development timeline, add additional polish, and address issues of cultural and historical accuracy.
Much of the controversy surrounding Assassin’s Creed: Shadows has been due to the character Yasuke, but Insider Gaming was quick to stress that the Samurai will not be removed from the upcoming game.
While some of Yasuke’s story may be altered before launch, much of the work done during the delay will supposedly ensure that the game remains grounded in history and Assassin’s Creed’s ongoing worldbuilding. This should patch up any issues caused by historical experts reportedly being brought onto the project sooner than usual.
Having bet big on Star Wars and ended up with sales that have fallen short of expectations, Ubisoft needs a hit. Assassin’s Creed is one of the studio’s tentpole series, and Shadows’ exciting trailers, leaked gameplay, and demonstrations have managed to recapture lapsed fans’ attention.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows releases in just two months. Feudal Japan will soon be yours to explore. pic.twitter.com/eRNvCy3mZT
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) September 15, 2024
Ubisoft’s strategy for redeeming Star Wars Outlaws focuses on patching and polishing the often rough, buggy launch experience. While this may lead to a smoother experience a few months later, the studio cannot risk taking the same approach with Shadows.
The somewhat overblown reaction to Assassin’s Creed Unity’s bug-filled launch tainted the series’ reputation for quite some time, and Ubisoft will be looking to avoid a repeat of the debacle at all costs. Hopefully, the delay will give its developers the time to ensure this entry in the long-running series soars.
