Ubisoft has decided to delay Assassin's Creed Shadows once more. The game will now be released on March 20. The next mainline entry in the acclaimed (sometimes heavily criticized) series was originally going to launch this past October before being pushed to February 14.
The news broke via a press release on January 9. The development team decided to delay AC Shadows to give them more time "to better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months and help create the best conditions for launch by continuing to engage closely with the increasingly positive Assassin’s Creed community."
In addition to polishing the game, the decision to delay it by a month could prove wise. February is rather busy with the releases of Avowed, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and the big one: Monster Hunter Wilds.
Yves Guillemot, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft, expects Shadows to be a triumphant return to form for the franchise. "We are all behind our teams’ efforts to create the most ambitious Assassin’s Creed opus of the franchise," he stated.
Ubisoft has had a rough year with the bomb of Star Wars Outlaws. The game sold and reviewed well below expectations after the company expected it to be a massive hit. According to the developers, Outlaws underperformed during the Holiday season amid various discounts.
As for Assassin's Creed, this will be the first major entry since Mirage in 2023. However, that project developed by Ubisoft Bordeaux was much smaller in scale and wasn't even sold at full price on release.
For many fans, you'd have to look back at Valhalla in 2020 as the last massive AC game to hit the digital and physical shelves. A lot is riding on the shoulders of Shadows.
The appetite for a Japanese-inspired Feudal period open world is still there, even with the likes of Ghost of Tsushima beating Ubisoft to the (sucker) punch. But it's clear the company isn't resting on its laurels with this one, and they won't seem to bank on interest for the period and brand alone this time.
Ghost of Yotei could also launch in 2025, motivating the team behind Shadows even more.
Time will tell if all the extra polish is worth it. As mentioned, Assassin's Creed Shadows will be released on March 20 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Store). An iPad version is also launching if you're into that.