Ubisoft staff asked bosses over the course of several months to delay Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a new report has claimed, as the need for further time became clear.
“While the announcement was somewhat of a shock publicly, internally, it was expected and desperately needed,” Insider Gaming writes, based on the accounts of seven developers working on the project.
The report cites a need for Shadows’ developers to be given additional development time to address bugs and better incorporate recent “tweaks” to gameplay mechanics based on playtests and mock reviews (a standard practice where external consultants size-up projects before copies are given to press).
Of particular note here is the mention that Ubisoft is taking time to address historical and cultural concerns that have lingered since before the game was publicly revealed and been accelerated since. This includes “changing some of Yasuke’s story and how he’s portrayed”, as well as what sounds like more minor design decisions.
Ubisoft did not respond to Eurogamer’s request for comment on the report today. Previously, the publisher apologised to Japanese fans for elements “that have caused concern” and said Shadows will continue to “evolve” while in development.
Speaking to Eurogamer previously, Assassin’s Creed Shadows art director Thierry Dansereau defended the game’s creative choices. “It’s a video game in the end, so we want to make the best experience as possible for our players,” he said.
Ubisoft ultimately agreed to delay Shadows last month after seeing “softer than expected” sales for Star Wars Outlaws, which has now reportedly just passed the 1m sales mark after launching on 30th August. (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla notched up 1.8 million players in a week back in November 2020.)
The publisher has also embarked on a bid to improve Shadows – which currently sits with a middling user score on Metacritic and which failed to impress in Eurogamer’s Star Wars Outlaws review – before its arrival to a wider audience on Steam.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now arrive for PC (including Steam), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 14th February 2025.