Assassin’s Creed Shadows was unfortunately delayed to February 2025 and we finally know the reason why.
After delaying the game towards the end of September, Ubisoft revealed that their reasons for doing so had to do with Star Wars Outlaws launch not meeting expectations, with some fans pointing to the Ghosts of Tsushima sequel‘s trailer reveal also factoring in. Though, this was likely only a coincidence.
Their original statement read, “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 spoke to the developers to learn more about the real reasons behind the delay. The developers told Henderson that they had been asking Ubisoft to delay the game “for some time” and that the publisher eventually agreed.
Speaking more about the delay, Henderson said, “As for how these issues fell through the cracks, I’m told that historical experts were brought onto the project much later than usual for a project of this magnitude and that miscommunication between teams and cutting corners when it came to the approval process of assets to meet deadlines were also at play.”
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“Seven developers working on the project said that they have been pushing for a delay for some time, and their situation had even been heard at other studios in the company. Ultimately, though, the delay comes down to a strict development timeline and the need to address issues caused by the set timeline”.
Fans have also expressed concerns about the portrayal of Samurai Yasuke in the game, allegedly due to its historical accuracy. Henderson’s report also says that, “The team has been actively addressing many of the historical and cultural concerns” and that the delay may be potentially, “Changing some of Yasuke’s story and how he’s portrayed in the game, fixing architectural details, and ensuring that the game is historically grounded while fitting into the Assassin’s Creed universe.”
However, can also reveal that Ubisoft has confirmed that both protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe will remain the two playable characters and that neither of them will be removed due to online feedback. While changing some aspects of Yasuke’s character may factor into the delay, the report essentially reveals that the main cause is simply for the developers to have more time to craft their ambitious vision of an Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan.
