Ubisoft has announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows has been delayed into 2025.
After canceling a press event for the Assassin's Creed game earlier this week without comment, Ubisoft has now confirmed that Shadows has been delayed from its original November 12 release date to February 14, 2025.
The publisher shared a statement on X / Twitter, explaining that the development team needs additional time to polish the game before it's ready for launch.
"This is an ambitious addition to the franchise, a rich experience that can be lived through the eyes of two unique protagonists - but we realize we need more time to polish and refine the experience, pushing further some of our key features," the post reads.
Ubisoft also confirmed that, unlike recent Assassin's Creed installments, Shadows will launch day one on Steam alongside PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Amazon Luna.
Additionally, all existing pre-orders will be canceled and refunded as Ubisoft moves away from its traditional season pass model.
Instead, all future pre-orders will be granted the first Assassin's Creed Shadows expansion for free.
Assassin's Creed Shadows will now release February 14, 2025. pic.twitter.com/J2ah7kkytWSeptember 25, 2024
In a separate letter to investors, Ubisoft's Vice President and Executive Producer of the Assassin's Creed franchise, Marc-Alexis Côté, further explained that the delay comes after learning from the recent release of Star Wars Outlaws'.
"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," Côté said.
"This will enable the biggest entry in the franchise to fully deliver on its ambition, notably by fulfilling the promise of our dual protagonist adventure, with Naoe and Yasuke bringing two very different gameplay styles."
Although Massive Entertainment's open-world Star Wars title was received well, the game underperformed in sales. The developer recently revealed its plans to update and refine the game, while also announcing a November 21 release date on Steam.
"In response to player feedback, Ubisoft’s development teams are currently fully mobilized to swiftly implement a series of updates to polish and improve the player experience in order to engage a large audience during the holiday season to position Star Wars Outlaws as a strong long-term performer," Côté added.
