Assassin’s Creed Shadows delayed again by Ubisoft

Female ninja Naoe is one of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ two playable protagonists

Ubisoft Screenshot shows a hooded woman with a katana raised above her head. She holds the blade in both hands, each clad in an elaborate leather gauntlet. Behind her is a blood-red backdrop with flashes of black Japanese calligraphy. — Female ninja Naoe is one of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ two playable protagonists

Video game giant Ubisoft has announced a further delay to its upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

The long-running series is one of the French publisher’s flagship franchises, with recent instalment, Valhalla, reportedly making more than $1bn.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set in 16th Century Japan, was due to be released on PC, PlayStation and Xbox last November before an initial delay to February 2025.

Announcing the new release date of 20 March, executive producer Marc-Alexis Coté said a “few additional weeks are needed” to ensure the game’s launch goes smoothly.

Players complained that Ubisoft’s major 2024 release, Star Wars Outlaws, was launched with bugs and glitches.

The company’s bosses told investors the sci-fi tie-in’s sales were “softer than expected” and said “learnings” from Outlaws’ launch had prompted the original delay to Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

In his update, Mr Coté thanked fans for their support and said the extra time would allow the development team to implement “valuable feedback” from gamers.

The game’s second playable character, Yasuke, is based on a historical figure

Ubisoft Screenshot shows a female ninja with a male character who's clad in elaborate samurai armour and horned helmet. They adopt battle poses as they stand in the gardens of a traditional Japanese castle. The building is visible in the background with cherry blossom trees blooming in front of its walls. — The game’s second playable character, Yasuke, is based on a historical figure

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is seen as an important title for Ubisoft – one of the biggest gaming companies in the world with an estimated 13,000 employees worldwide.

Its other 2024 titles, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and pirate-themed online game Skull & Bones, were also reported to have fallen below the company’s expectations.

The company also discontinued online shooter XDefiant and closed three of its studios.

In a conference call held around the same time as the Assassin’s Creed delay was made public, CEO Yves Guillemot told investors Ubisoft was “taking decisive steps” to reshape the company.

It was also looking to “drive significant cost reductions”, the meeting heard.

‘Strong appeal’

BBC Newsbeat previously spoke to James Batchelor, former editor-in-chief of Gamesindustry.biz, who said the Assassin’s Creed series is a “golden goose” for Ubisoft.

He said moving the game from its original November release date meant Ubisoft had missed out on sales from the busy pre-Christmas sales period.

But, he also said it would have faced stiff competition in February – a crowded month for high-profile new releases, with Monster Hunter Wilds, Avowed and Civilization VII also due to come out.

While Ubisoft’s 2024 had been “tough”, James told Newsbeat that colleagues who’d played preview versions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows were impressed with the game.

He also pointed out that its feudal Japan setting was one series fans had been requesting for a long time, and he expected this to drive sales.

“Whether or not it sells quite the levels it would have done in November, or whether it sells as well as they hope. I don’t know,” he said.

“But of all the things they’ve put out in the last year and the varied performance they’ve had, this one has got the strongest chance and the strongest appeal.”