Assassin's Creed Shadows Launch Delay, A Red Flag For Ubisoft

The second delay for Assassin's Creed Shadows was not received well by all fans. The release date of Assassin's Creed Shadows was earlier pushed back to February 14, 2025, from its original November 2024 release date. A few days back, Ubisoft confirmed that the release would be postponed yet again, this time until March 20, 2025. Although there are numerous worries surrounding this game, the cause of the delay still seems unclear. Ubisoft Quebec has expressed their need for more time to fine-tune the game in order to have a better launch and perhaps prevent a terrible reaction similar to Star Wars Outlaws.

Ubisoft inadvertently made Assassin's Creed Shadows' first expansion, Claws of Awaji, public on Steam. The expansion will include a new explorable area, a new weapon type (the Bō), and around ten hours of added content, but these specifics were swiftly scrubbed, indicating it wasn't intended to launch quite yet. There was a general sense that Assassin's Creed Shadows wasn't ready for launch when the first gameplay video surfaced in the summer of 2024; the game featured janky movements and unrefined graphics. After Ubisoft published a few gameplay videos after the first delay, things seemed to get better. Both the game's graphics and gameplay have been significantly improved, catching many players off guard with their unexpected fluidity and polish.

The initial delay allowed Ubisoft the necessary time and resources to enhance the game's quality. The second delay, however, is a mystery. How much improvements can a game make in a month? Within weeks of Assassin's Creed Shadows' prior release date, many hugely anticipated games came out, including Monster Hunter Wilds, Sid Meier's Civilization VII, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. This month is lined up to be quite busy for game publishers.

Throwing Assassin's Creed—a big action RPG—into the mix with these time-sucking games might have been disastrous. Monster Hunter has the potential to steal a large number of gamers from Assassin's Creed despite the franchise's legendary reputation. By rescheduling Assassin's Creed Shadows from February, Ubisoft has given itself more time to prepare, which might lead to an increase in sales and a longer period of player involvement.

Ubisoft may have been wise to include this second delay. However, the manner in which Ubisoft dealt with this revelation did nothing to build up faith. They published an article with new gameplay footage of the game’s parkour only days before they announced the delay, and there was no indication that the release date was going to be changed in any way. So obviously, something seemed unusual about this sudden change. Did someone at Ubisoft make a last-minute choice, or did they miscommunicate?

The digital pre-orders have been noticeably absent, and the lack of promotion has been a red flag for some time, so it's clear that something is going on behind the scenes at Ubisoft. Given the initial setback upsetting the Japanese community, Assassin's Creed Shadows' promotion has been rather chaotic. It becomes clearer why the digital version's pre-orders weren't available right away due to this delay. After considering the February release window, Ubisoft probably opted to prioritize the game's survival. It's enough to point out that they are making every effort to ensure that Assassin's Creed Shadows is successful.

However, Ubisoft didn't seem as confident as it used to be, and it still does not help the company's situation. This is obviously because they are really going through a very difficult time right now. Ubisoft's stock price has plummeted once again after the second delay of Assassin's Creed Shadows was announced, leading many to doubt the studio's future.

In a press conference held recently, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that the company has assembled a group of experts to investigate potential financial and strategic opportunities. Although details are still sketchy, speculations have been circulating, with some speculating that Chinese tech powerhouse Tencent may make an acquisition. Until this turns out, all we can do is hope that Ubisoft puts its fans first and stays away from unwise initiatives that might ruin their future.

While it's understandable for the fans to be worried when a game falls behind schedule, delays aren't always indicative of problems with development unless the game in question is going through improvements or modifications, which is obviously not happening with Assassin's Creed Shadows. This delay may cause concern to some, but past events indicate that it is not always a sign of disaster.

Consider Assassin's Creed Mirage; it had several delays before being released in stable technical conditions. If anything, the second delay shows that Ubisoft is serious about providing a high-quality product. But the risks are bigger than they have ever been before. If Assassin's Creed Shadows goes wrong, it may spell disaster for Ubisoft's already fragile position in the industry and the Assassin's Creed series as a whole.