AC Shadows protagonist Naoe in a hooded costume in front of a large temple. Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the next high-profile release from Ubisoft, has just received a delay from its planned release date. Previously set to launch on November 12, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to take the pulpy historical franchise to the long-requested setting of Japan for the first time in the history of the series. Dual protagonists Yasuke and Naoe offer two different styles of play, making it possible to approach missions with both brawling power and refined stealth.

As reported by Jason Schreier on Twitter and confirmed by the official Assassin’s Creed account, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been delayed to February 14, 2025. The official statement also notes that it will be available to play on Steam at launch, diverging from a recent pattern of timed exclusivity on the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect platforms. Pre-orders for the game are being refunded, and pre-ordering in the future will provide access to the first expansion for free.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Could Benefit From The Delay

A 2025 Launch Might Not Be A Bad Thing

Yasuke, dressed in a simple white shirt, looks up toward an unknown figure in a screenshot from Assassin's Creed Shadows.

The delay of Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes across as a thoroughly considered course correction, following a number of major releases from Ubisoft that have underperformed in recent years. Giving up the spot ahead of the holiday season is a blow, but it could give the game more time to avoid the kind of bugs that riddled Star Wars Outlaws at launch.

The Steam launch is also huge news that could significantly boost PC sales at the starting line. Although Ubisoft games still require the Ubisoft Connect launcher even when purchased on Steam, many PC players prefer to collect their games in a Steam library, and timed exclusivity tends to mute the excitement around releases. It certainly doesn’t feel like it helped Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora or Star Wars Outlaws, which both failed to capture the hype that surrounds film releases in their respective franchises.

Schreier also confirmed that there’s no early access incentive tied to a season pass for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, so everyone will be able to access the game at the same time without having to pay extra. All the modifications to the release trade potential extra avenues for cash in favor of a release with more widespread appeal, moves that should directly benefit the average fan and potentially generate more sales in exchange. In a market increasingly driven by extracting more money from willing spenders at the expense of others, these are refreshing changes.

Whether Assassin’s Creed Shadows can deliver an excellent experience at launch remains to be seen, and the delay might mean that the game is currently in rough shape. It certainly stands a better chance now than if it had retained the original date, however, so a bit of patience might prove to be worthwhile. Assassin’s Creed Shadows abandoning its 2024 plans isn’t ideal, but PC players can at least celebrate a launch that will be available on a common platform of choice.