Ubisoft has announced an Assassin's Creed Shadows delay, with the open-world action-RPG now set to launch early next year instead of on its originally intended November release date.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ubisoft says that while the game is a "dream project", it needs more time to "polish and refine the experience" and push "some of our key features" further. As such, the game will now launch on February 14th.
It's not all bad news, though; Assassin's Creed Shadows will now officially launch on Steam on day one, along with the other platforms on which it's arriving, so if you don't feel like using Ubisoft Connect, you no longer have to.
The announcement of Assassin's Creed Shadows' delay comes alongside an announcement that Ubisoft is updating its financial targets for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
In its statement, Ubisoft admits that Star Wars Outlaws' initial sales were "softer than expected", and that a series of updates to "polish and improve the player experience" are in the works.
Additionally, Star Wars Outlaws will land on Steam on November 21st, and going forward, all of Ubisoft's PC games will, it seems, launch on Steam on day one. Presumably, you'll also be able to play them on Ubisoft Connect if you really want to.
Ubisoft head Yves Guillemot (the man some investors want rid of) says Ubisoft's second quarter performance "fell short of our expectations", and that the benefits of the company's "transformation" are taking "longer than anticipated to materialize".
As part of that statement, Ubisoft also says it's "departing from the traditional Season Pass model", and that everyone who pre-orders Assassin's Creed Shadows will be able to enjoy its first expansion for free as well.
It might be tempting to chalk Assassin's Creed Shadows' delay up to the ongoing backlash from some sections of the gaming community, but that doesn't seem to be the case; Ubisoft doesn't mention the controversy at all in its delay announcement.
Additionally, in response to what he calls "polarized comments about Ubisoft", Guillemot says the studio is an "entertainment-first company" and that it doesn't intend to "push any specific agenda".
Assassin's Creed Shadows launches on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on February 14th. Stay tuned for more.
