Assassin's Creed Shadows has been delayed from this year until February. That's probably for the best. As Shigeru Miyamoto didn't say anything. Delayed games will eventually be good. Rushed games are forever bad. If there was a way to make Assassin's Creed Shadows better in just a few months, it would be. That's a worthwhile trade-off. But there are two questions – what are those methods? And why does it have to be February?
In general, It is quite easy to understand why the game lags. Because the game isn't ready yet. That's not the case with Shadows. Ubisoft accepted a version of the game that was good enough for public consumption. But it can get better than this. So it was delayed. That's not normal and not always a good sign. The last time a game went down that route, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League never seemed to fix its fundamental problems. And by the time it launched, there weren't any.
What exactly is Assassin's Creed Shadows going to fix?
Things aren't so bleak with Shadows, even if I or any other reporter have ever played the game. But I got to see it at SGF where more gameplay was showcased. It looks great. It's an Assassin's Creed game. It still has the charm that those games have – impressive enough visuals, historical moments, cool kills. – as well as disadvantages The animations are less fluid than other Ubisoft games, trying futilely to keep up with the game's realism. And there are other aspects. Many more outdated
At one point Naoe was crawling next to a candle on a tall pole. and extinguish the candle while still crawling (without moving) due to pressing the button In the same way When she threw the dagger and destroyed the lantern The guards looked from side to side in fear. Then he continued on to his position. It must have been fainting, right? You can get away with this as every game does, but other games are more realistic, tactile, and interactive. You can't look like them and not act like them. You are willingly making yourself worse by inviting comparison. How do you fix that by delaying it for several months?
Shadows innovates But it doesn't matter in any way. There seems to be an understanding that Assassin's Creed needs to evolve. But I have no idea what to do. The realistic weather mechanics had no impact on gameplay in the gameplay I saw at SGF or my colleague Rhiannon Bevan observed at Gamescom. I was told there was another way to play the missions I saw if the lake became icy But even if I show it three times But the lake remains the same every time.
Ubisoft is blindsided by Shadows' culture wars
This lack of thought is also evident in the firestorm swirling around the game. In Ubisoft's defense, it's reasonable to assume that by 2024, having a black man in a video game won't lead to being seen. Said to be a demon incarnate, Yasuke is an interesting historical character. There is no debate about his general existence. And it's the kind of person I'd expect to see in an Assassin's Creed game. Unfortunately, he's become a lightning rod for racism, but Ubisoft handled the situation poorly.
The company is constantly torn between rejecting the racist taunts of its fans. and protecting the company's creative choices. Most of this happens through periodic interviews. with individuals involved in the game on rare occasions in the media and courting an apology to please as many fans as possible, which mostly happened through company statements. Although this cancellation The problem was still resolved.
“I want to reaffirm that we are primarily an entertainment company. Create games for the widest possible audience. And our goal is not to push any specific agenda. We remain committed to making games… that everyone can enjoy,” Ubisoft's CEO wrote in a memo that was leaked after the delay. Outlaws' poor reception has also been mentioned, but whether reviewers will get Shadows for longer than a week to experience it in a more charitable manner remains to be seen.
February is the worst time to release Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Then there is the question of time. In general, February is a pretty good month to release games. After a long holiday our wallets are fully charged. And that's usually when there's limited competition. Because other famous movies Instead, focus on dominating the spring or summer. There is an important word in that sentence 'usually'.
This year, aside from a few good remasters, there were three more 'big' games in February. And two other games were destined to fail anyway. The aforementioned Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League opened this month, Skull And Bones came in mid-month, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (which differs from the standard remake ) shut down that month if Shadows is postponed to 2023 until February. The best thing to do is avoid the FF7R when February arrives.
That's not the case in 2025. The short list of February's games includes Avowed, Civilization 7, Monster Hunter Wilds, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, before many of these games announced release dates. The release of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage has also been moved to February to avoid clashes with Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which may help save face for the delay. 'Game Not Ready' as usual, but it was a poor choice in February. From the pan to hell
Not to mention that it's now dropped to second place as the second biggest samurai game of the year thanks to Ghost of Yotei.
At least Lost Records couldn't look at it before it jumped. Assassin's Creed Shadows willingly decided to take on the whole task. Unfortunately, the current version of Assassin's Creed doesn't seem like a winnable battle. Although there are other factors such as co-releases on PC being the biggest. But it felt like the game was delayed less due to factors. 'Behind schedule' in general, and more because Ubisoft didn't fully believe in the game.
Placing a game where you're not quite sure how to fight Monster Hunter feels silly. Going head-to-head with Monster Hunter and four other games that could be GOTY competitors if done right is downright vicious. That ties into a failure to understand the evolution required for the series. And their inability to deal with the toxicity of the modern triple-A game makes me think Shadows might have been doomed from the start.
