Assassin’s Creed Shadows has seen its release date delayed to 2025 which comes amid their Star Wars Outlaw video game not performing up to expectations.
It also follows woke concerns from fans that are tired of a political agenda infecting their favorite entertainment IPs.
Ubisoft actually made the announcement following a meeting of its Board of Directors giving an update on the company’s financial targets.
“The revised targets are mainly a reflection of decisions taken for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the softer than expected launch for Star Wars Outlaws,” states the report released Wednesday.
As a result, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has seen its released date pushed back to Feb. 14, 2025.
“Listening to players’ feedback, and as an illustration of our player-centric approach, the following important decisions relative to Assassin’s Creed Shadows have been taken,” continues the report.
The report offers: “Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now be released on 14 February 2025. While the game is feature complete, the learnings from the Star Wars Outlaws release led us to provide additional time to further polish the title. 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.”
Regarding Star Wars Outlaws bombing, the company admits in the report: “Additionally, despite solid ratings (Metacritic 76) and user scores across the First Party and Epic stores (3.9/5) that reflect an immersive and authentic Star Wars universe, Star Wars Outlaws initial sales proved softer than expected. In response to player feedback, Ubisoft’s development teams are currently fully mobilized to swiftly implement a series of updates to polish and improve the player experience in order to engage a large audience during the holiday season to position Star Wars Outlaws as a strong long-term performer. The game will be available on Steam on November 21.”
It’s also learned that as a result of the Assassin’s Creed Shadows delay that early media reviews have been canceled (via Polygon).
The release date delay also follows the announcement of the Ghost of Tsushima sequel, Ghost of Yotei, from developer Sucker Punch, which has fans excited and sounds similar to Assassin’s Creed Shadows but without the woke content.
Just cancel the game. Take the tax write off. Pretend it never happened and try again, this time with respect to Japanese culture and history.
— Z.J. Majewski (@ne0mega) September 25, 2024
2025 won't do you any favours. pic.twitter.com/WgcR5fnPQm
Official statement from Ubisoft
Ubisoft also released the following statement on social media from Marc-Alexis Côté, the Vice President Executive Producer of the Assassin’s Creed franchise:
Dear players,
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a dream project for us; finally bringing the series to Feudal Japan with many features developed with our community in mind, such as parkour or the renewed stealth, brought by new technology, all set in a beautiful and immersive world.
This is an ambitious addition to the franchise, a rich experience that can be lived through the eyes of two unique protagonists – but we realize we need more time to polish and refine the experience, pushing further some of our key features.
As such, we’ve made the decision to postpone the release date to February 14, 2025. The game will release on a broad range of platforms, including Steam at launch. Additionally, preorders will be refunded and all future preorders will be granted the first expansion for free.
We understand this decision will come as disappointing news, especially to those who’ve been waiting patiently for an Assassin’s Creed game inspired by Feudal Japan, but we sincerely believe this is in the best interest of the game, and ultimately your experience as a player.
Rest assured we are looking forward to the moment you will embark on a memorable adventure with Naoe and Yasuke.
Until then, we thank you for your ongoing support.
Marc-Alexis Côté, on behalf of all teams working on Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Assassin's Creed Shadows will now release February 14, 2025. pic.twitter.com/J2ah7kkytW
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) September 25, 2024
