Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ delay reveals Ubisoft’s desperation

Ubisoft desperately needs a success, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ delay proves it

Ubisoft is in a terrible financial position, and their latest games aren’t selling as well as expected. Since 2018, the company’s value has dropped by 85%, and Ubisoft has recently confirmed that Star Wars Outlaws has sold fewer copies than expected. This may be why the PC version of Star Wars Outlaws is coming to Steam earlier than expected. Now, Ubisoft has delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and dramatically changed the game’s launch plans.

Ubisoft claims that they are spending more time to “polish and refine” Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The studio also plans on “pushing forward some of our key features”. To put it another way,

Now, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is launching on February 14th. Previously, the game was due to launch on November 12th. This delay will reportedly cost Ubisoft €20 million.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is coming to Steam on day-1

On PC, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now be available through Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Connect on day-1. This is unusual for a Ubisoft release. This clearly indicates that Ubisoft is desperate to make Assassin’s Creed Shadows successful at launch. They do not want any PC gamers to “wait for the Steam release”.

This move will make Assassin’s Creed Shadows more appealing to many PC gamers. Note that Assassin’s Creed Mirage isn’t available on PC through Steam at the time of writing. Clearly, this is a major strategy shift from Ubisoft.

Assassin's Creed Shadows will now release February 14, 2025. pic.twitter.com/J2ah7kkytW

— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) September 25, 2024

Pre-orderers will get free expansion content

Ubisoft has also confirmed that they have cancelled all pre-orders for their new Assassin’s Creed game. This is because all pre-orderers will now get the game’s first expansion for free. This gives gamers more incentive to pre-order, which may result in more game sales at launch.

Ubisoft plans to release Assassin’s Creed Shadows with more polish, on more PC platforms, and with more pre-order incentives. Ubisoft is doing everything it can to ensure that this game is successful at launch. This is great news for gamers, but a sign that Ubisoft is getting desperate.

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