Assassin’s Creed Shadows has unfortunately been postponed to February 2025, and we now understand the reasons behind this delay.
Following the decision to delay the game at the end of September, Ubisoft disclosed that the primary reasons stemmed from the underwhelming launch of Star Wars Outlaws. Some fans have speculated that the recent reveal of the Ghosts of Tsushima sequel trailer played a role as well, though this appears to be a mere coincidence.
In their original announcement, Ubisoft stated, “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.”
However, Insider Gaming‘s Tom Henderson reached out to the developers for more insight into the actual reasons for the delay. The developers mentioned to Henderson that they had been advocating for a postponement “for some time,” and eventually, Ubisoft consented.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will introduce two protagonists this time around.
Regarding the delay, Henderson noted, “As for how these issues fell through the cracks, I’m informed that historical experts were brought onto the project later than usual for a project of this scale, and miscommunication between teams, along with cutting corners in the asset approval process to meet deadlines, also contributed.”
“Seven developers working on the project expressed that they had been advocating for a delay for some time, and their voices had even been heard in other studios within the company. Ultimately, however, the delay is attributed to a strict development timeline and the necessity to resolve issues arising from that timeline.”
Fans have also raised concerns about the representation of Samurai Yasuke in the game, particularly regarding its historical accuracy. Henderson’s report states that, “The team has been actively addressing many of the historical and cultural concerns,” and that the delay might involve “altering some aspects of Yasuke’s narrative and portrayal in the game, refining architectural details, and ensuring that the game remains historically credible while fitting within the Assassin’s Creed universe.”
Nevertheless, it is confirmed by Ubisoft that both protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe, will continue to be the playable characters and that neither will be removed based on online feedback. While adjustments to certain elements of Yasuke’s character may contribute to the delay, the primary reason is simply to provide developers with more time to realize their ambitious vision for an Assassin’s Creed title set in feudal Japan.
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