On February 24, we reported that Assassin’s Creed Shadows had unfortunately leaked online, with numerous individuals streaming the game a full month before its official launch scheduled for March 20. Over the weekend, as highlighted by the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, now-deleted social media posts revealed that physical copies of the game were being sold prematurely, and multiple unauthorized streams of the unreleased title surfaced on platforms like Twitch.
In response to these leaks, Ubisoft, the game's developer and publisher, has taken to the Assassin's Creed subreddit to address the situation. They confirmed their awareness of the early access to Assassin’s Creed Shadows and emphasized that the development team is still fine-tuning the game with patches to ensure the best possible experience at launch. Ubisoft stated, "The development team is still working on patches to prepare the experience for launch, and any footage shared online does not represent the final quality of the game."
Ubisoft expressed their disappointment over the leaks, noting that such incidents can spoil the excitement for players. They urged the community to refrain from sharing spoilers and appreciated those who were already taking measures to prevent spoiling the game for others. "Leaks are unfortunate and can diminish the excitement for players," Ubisoft remarked. "We kindly ask you not to spoil the experience for others. Thank you to our community for already taking steps to protect everyone from spoilers."
Encouraging fans to stay engaged without spoiling the game, Ubisoft concluded their statement with, "Stay in the shadows, avoid the spoilers, and keep an eye on our channel for more official surprises in the coming weeks! March 20 will be here soon!"
These leaks represent another challenge for Ubisoft and its flagship Assassin's Creed series. The development team has previously faced criticism and had to apologize for using a historical recreation group's flag without permission, as well as for inaccuracies in Assassin's Creed Shadows' depictions of Japan.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was originally slated for a November release but was postponed first to February 14 and then to the current release date of March 20. With a struggling Ubisoft in need of a strong performance from this title, following disappointing sales of other recent releases and an investor backlash, the success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is more crucial than ever.
