Paris, France – Ubisoft recently announced a delay in the release of their highly anticipated game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, shifting the launch from November to February 2025. This decision, met with surprise by the public, was actually a long-awaited and necessary move internally within the company.
The delay was attributed to the need for additional time to refine and polish the game, following lessons learned from the release of Star Wars Outlaws. While the company cited this as the reason for the delay in an earnings update, internal sources revealed that developers had been advocating for a delay for months, with their requests gaining traction after the underwhelming performance of Outlaws.
Yves Guillemot, in an internal communication, highlighted the soft sales of Star Wars Outlaws, emphasizing the average critic rating on Metacritic. This lower-than-expected performance of Outlaws led to increased scrutiny of Shadows and a decision to postpone its release to Q1 2025.
Amid speculation about potential changes to the character Yasuke in Shadows, sources revealed that the development team had been actively addressing historical and cultural concerns raised during external playtests and feedback. Issues such as historical accuracy, character portrayal, and architectural details have been under review to ensure alignment with both historical accuracy and the Assassin’s Creed universe.
The delay of Shadows was also attributed to ongoing development challenges, including issues related to bugs and gameplay mechanics. Feedback from playtests and developers indicated that further adjustments and improvements were necessary before the game could be released.
Despite pushback from developers and concerns about the impact of strict timelines on game quality, Ubisoft Quebec has set a new release date for Assassin’s Creed Shadows on February 14, 2025. Anticipation for the game remains high, particularly with the announcement of its availability on the Steam platform.
As the gaming community eagerly awaits the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the internal dynamics at Ubisoft continue to be a topic of discussion. The decision-making process at the company has been scrutinized, particularly in relation to development timelines and the impact on game quality. While the future of Shadows looks promising, the journey to its release has been marked by challenges that have required careful navigation by the development team.