Summary
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsdevelopers have been trying to get the game delayed for months until Ubisoft finally relented, according to a new report from a well-known industry insider. The same source also provided some additional insights into the ongoing development troubles ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows.
The upcoming game has been in development since late 2018, according to several LinkedIn profiles of Ubisoft Quebec employees. And while the company originallycommitted to a November 15 release date forAssassin’s Creed Shadows, it subsequently announced a three-month delay in late September 2024. Ubisoft cited a desire to spend more time on polishing the game as the main reason for the postponement.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Devs Have Reportedly Spent Months Asking for a Delay
A newreportfrom Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson has now shed some additional light on the circumstances surrounding this turn of events, claiming that Ubisoft Quebec developers have spent the last several months trying to getAssassin’s Creed Shadowsdelayed. But their requests were only granted afterStar Wars Outlawsunderperformed sales expectationsand was criticized for a variety of technical issues. Aside from ironing out bugs, Ubisoft Quebec intends to use the extra three months it was given for the development to address some “cultural and historical accuracy concerns” that the Japanese community raised about the game, the report states, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Ubisoft Is Reportedly Changing Some of Yasuke’s Story in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
As part of these efforts, the developers are reportedly planning to change bits of Yasuke’s story and the way he’s portrayed in the game, Henderson claims. Revising certain architectural details and reviewingAssassin’s Creed Shadows' overall portrayal of its historical settingare also on the studio’s newly expanded agenda, as per the same source. Although some of these items would ordinarily be completed much earlier during development, Ubisoft reportedly involved historical experts and consultants inAssassin’s Creed Shadowslater than usual, given the project’s ambitious scope.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Pre-Order Numbers Are Reportedly Below Valhalla’s
Aside from addressing historical accuracy concerns, the delay is also meant to give Ubisoft Quebec more time to revise some of the game’s mechanics, Henderson claims. In terms of pre-release commercial performance, the insider’s latest report saw him reiterate his prior claim thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowspre-order numbers are “solid.” Be that as it may, they still haven’t matched those ofValhalla, possibly because the 2020 entry was a cross-gen title that was consequently available to a significantly larger (console) audience.
Aside from delaying the next mainline entry in its flagship franchise,Ubisoft recently also announced an internal probe into its struggles. The company said that the investigation is geared toward identifying ways in which it could improve its game development practices.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
WHERE TO PLAY
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the fourteenth major installment in the Assassin’s Creed Franchise and this time takes place in Feudal Japan. The release includes new mechanics like crawling and allows players to swap between characters to complete the main storyline.
