After announcing yesterday that they would be withdrawing from the Tokyo Game Show that starts its 5-day showcase today, Ubisoft has dropped another surprising announcement that the highly anticipated and scrutinized Assassins Creed Shadows will be delaying its release date to February 14th, 2025. It is said that Ubisoft confirmed that the delay will cost $22.2 million. “This will enable the biggest entry in the franchise to fully deliver on its ambition, notably by fulfilling the promise of our dual protagonist adventure, with Naoe and Yasuke bringing two very different gameplay styles.”
This is yet another blow for the company in recent times. Between uncertainty from stockholders and an investor making demands that include layoffs on the development team. This alongside the criticism towards Assassins Creed Shadows, Star Wars Outlaws, and the low player count on XDefiant has made things extremely difficult for Ubisoft in recent months.
The board at Ubisoft has stated that they will be launching an investigation into the recent woes the company has faced. In a statement from the board, they state:
…the Executive Committee, under the supervision of the Board of Directors, is launching a review aimed at further improving our execution, notably in this player-centric approach, and accelerating our strategic path towards a higher performing model to the benefit of our stakeholders and shareholders.
However, to put a positive twist on the announcement, Another positive outcome of this delay is Ubisoft revealing that there will not be a season pass for Assassins Creed Shadows. Instead, not only will all current preorders be refunded, but all future preorders will receive the first expansion for free.
Another positive outcome of this delay is that Ubisoft has announced that the game will be available on Steam day one. This contrasts the company’s most recent major release, Star Wars Outlaws. In a letter from leadership to investors, they stated that Assassins Creed Shadows is “learning” from the release of Star Wars Outlaws, “led us to provide additional time to further polish the title”.