Ubisoft postpones "Assassin's Creed Shadows". "Star Wars Outlaws" is to blame
Ubisoft needs more time and is postponing "Assassin's Creed Shadows" until 2025, the only problem being that another big samurai game is being released in the same year.
Because "Star Wars Outlaws" is not developing into the megahit that was hoped for, Ubisoft is postponing the launch of "Assassin's Creed Shadows" to 14 February 2025. The game was originally due to be released on 15 November 2024. This was announced by Marc-Alexis Côté, producer of the game, on X.
Côté cites the need for more time to improve the gaming experience as the reason for the postponement. He also mentioned that the planned Season Pass has been cancelled and that the company is returning to the classic DLC model instead. Pre-orderers will receive the first one free of charge. In addition, the PC version will be released simultaneously on Steam and Ubisoft Connect. However, you will probably still need Ubisoft's own launcher for the Steam version.
In a letter to investors, Ubisoft went into a little more detail about why "Assassin's Creed Shadows" is being postponed. It explicitly mentions the slow launch of "Star Wars Outlaws". The game did not develop into the bestseller that had been hoped for, despite solid reviews. The lessons learnt from this will be used to improve the gaming experience in "Assassin's Creed Shadows". "Star Wars Outlaws" will also be released on Steam on 21 November.
Caught in the downward spiral
The postponement comes as a surprise. Until now, the Assassin's Creed games have always been released on time. But there were certainly warning signs. At Gamescom, as elsewhere, there was a lack of hands-on opportunities. A few days ago, Ubisoft also cancelled all planned previews and its appearance at the Tokyo Game Show.
Ubisoft does not seem to be escaping the downward spiral. Neither the online shooter "XDefiant", the "Skull and Bones", which was postponed several times, nor the unremarkable "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora" generated much positive feedback. The share price continues to slide.
Whether the additional months will be enough to significantly improve "Assassin's Creed Shadows" remains to be seen. But the postponement will not bring any advantages. In 2025, "Ghost of Yōtei", another well-known samurai game, will be released. Its predecessor, "Ghost of Tsuhsima", was for many the "Assassin's Creed" with a Japanese setting that they had been waiting years for. Studio Sucker Punch could now steal Ubisoft's laurels once again.
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