Summary
Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas been under fire lately, leading to a delay and a new release date of July 12, 2025. Based on what Ubisoft has outright confirmed,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis still on track to eventually be released, and that might be even further confirmed by a recent leak that suggests something unique about its gameplay.
According to recent reports,Assassin’s Creed Shadowswill feature a co-op mode, currently codenamed “LEAGUE.” The explicit details of the game mode have not been disclosed, but there are some assumptions that can be made based on the gameplay mechanics that have already been confirmed forAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Should the reports of the game’s co-op mode turn out to be true,Assassin’s Creed Shadowswould be reviving a game mode that hasn’t been around inten years sinceAssassin’s Creed Unity.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Reported Co-op Mode Would Be a Game-Changer
Assassin’s Creed Hasn’t Featured Co-op Since Assassin’s Creed Unity
Assuming the reports aboutAssassin’s Creed Shadows' co-op mode are true, it still wouldn’t be thefirstAssassin’s Creedgameto feature co-op. While it might have initially been a very divisive and controversialAssassin’s Creedtitle,Assassin’s Creed Unityalso featured a co-op mode where up to four players could explore the game’s world together and complete certain story-driven missions. It was possible to play co-op inAssassin’s Creed Unityeither by matchmaking, joining a friend’s session, or inviting friends to a session. As such, it’s assumedAssassin’s Creed Shadows' reported co-op mode would function similarly.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Co-op Mode Would Likely Allow Two Players to Control Yasuke and Naoe Simultaneously
The most obvious benefit toAssassin’s Creed Shadowshaving a co-op mode is that two players would likely then be able to control Yasuke and Naoe simultaneously. WithNaoe filling the classic stealth rolefor the game and Yasuke filling the action RPG role, this would allow players to be very strategic in their approach to certain situations throughoutAssassin’s Creed Shadows' world. In the game’s default single-player mode, players are given regular opportunities to decide which protagonist they will control during missions, with some missions possibly favoring one approach over another. A co-op mode would potentially remove that choice barrier and see players completing missions using a hybrid of both styles.
While it might have initially been a very divisive and controversialAssassin’s Creedtitle,Assassin’s Creed Unityalso featured a co-op mode where up to four players could explore the game’s world together and complete certain story-driven missions.
The main downside toAssassin’s Creed Shadows' reported co-op mode in comparison toAssassin’s Creed Unity’s is that the presence of two protagonists in the game suggests that there will only be room enough for two players to be in a game together, whereasAssassin’s Creed Unityallowed up to four players to be in the same game. However, the distinct playstyles of both ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows' protagonistsmeans it would be better for the game’s co-op mode to be limited to two players.
Finally, another obstacleAssassin’s Creed Shadows' possible co-op mode would need to overcome is balancing the strength ofthe two protagonistswith their enemies. It would be anticlimactic for players to participate in a co-op game and very easily mow down their foes, with the two protagonists effortlessly overpowering anyone in their path. As such,Assassin’s Creed Shadows' co-op mode would likely need to scale the difficulty a bit to ensure enemies are much smarter, much stronger, and, therefore, much harder to take down. Of course, this is all assuming that the reports ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows' co-op mode are true. For now, fans will likely need to wait untilFebruary 2025draws nearer to find out.
