Image: Ubisoft
Ubisoft is delaying Assassin’s Creed Shadows and refunding pre-orders.
Ubisoft is officially delaying Assassin’s Creed Shadows to February 14, 2025. The game, which was originally set to launch this November, is having its release date pushed back after the developer realised it needed “more time to polish and refine the experience”. This announcement comes hot on the heels of the company pulling out of Tokyo Game Show and confirming that Star Wars Outlaws’ financial performance was “softer than expected".
Ubisoft released a statement to announce the delay on Twitter/X:
Ubisoft delays Assassin’s Creed Shadows and cancels pre-orders
Ubisoft has had a rather big news week. First, the company pulled out of a planned appearance at Tokyo Games Show and cancelled press previews for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, prompting speculation that its plans for the game had been changed. Soon after, it announced that it was indeed delaying the game’s release date to February 14, 2025 - three months from its planned launch on November 15 this year.
The developer confirmed that all players who pre-ordered Assassin’s Creed Shadows will receive a full refund, and future pre-orders for the game will include its first expansion at no additional cost. In a statement on Twitter/X, Ubisoft said that the upcoming game “is an ambitious addition to the franchise, a rich experience that can be lived through the eyes of two unique protagonists – but we realise we need more time to polish and refine the experience, pushing further some of our key features.”
That’s not all, however. Ubisoft also sent out a press release updating its financial targets for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, confirming that the decision to delay Assassin’s Creed Shadows came from “the learnings from the Star Wars Outlaws”, the initial sales of which “proved softer than expected”. As a result, Ubisoft is “departing from the traditional Season Pass model” with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and will also release the game - and all future titles in its development slate - on Steam on launch day.
Ubisoft is also acting on Star Wars Outlaws’ ‘soft’ sales by pushing “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”. A statement on Twitter/X also confirms that the open-world game’s first DLC story pack will launch on November 21, the same day it becomes available on Steam.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now launch on February 14, 2025.