Assassin's Creed Shadows is delayed into 2025, will launch on Steam on day one

Image of Yasuke striking an enemy in Assassin's Creed Shadows — (Image credit: Ubisoft)

Ubisoft has announced the surprise delay of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Instead of launching on November 15 as planned, the game is now slated to come out on February 14, 2025.

"Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now be released on February 14, 2025," Ubisoft said. "While the game is feature complete, the learnings from the Star Wars Outlaws release led us to provide additional time to further polish the title.

"This will enable the biggest entry in the franchise to fully deliver on its ambition, notably by fulfilling the promise of our dual protagonist adventure, with Naoe and Yasuke bringing two very different gameplay styles."

Star Wars Outlaws, which came out on August 30, was generally well received but reportedly not a big sales hit. Ubisoft confirmed that in today's statement, saying that "initial sales proved softer than expected."

That under-performance may also be driving what appears to be a step back from its commitment to the Epic Games Store, as Ubisoft said Assassin's Creed Shadows will be available on Steam on launch day.

The traditional season pass model is also out: "All players will be able to enjoy the game at the same time on February 14 and those who preorder the game will be granted the first expansion for free," Ubisoft said. All existing preorders will be cancelled.

In a separate message posted on X, Ubisoft acknowledged the delay "will come as disappointing news," but said "we sincerely believe this is in the best interest of the game, and ultimate your experience as a player."

Assassin's Creed Shadows delay message — (Image credit: Ubisoft)

News of the announcement, which came via a financial update released today, followed an equally surprising last-minute cancellation of an appearance at the Tokyo Game Show.

"Regarding our online exhibit at Tokyo Game Show 2024, scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm on September 26th, due to various circumstances we regret to inform you that we have decided to cancel our participation in the exhibition," Ubisoft Japan announced on X (translation via alt text). "The currently ongoing giveaway campaign to commemorate the official release will continue. We apologize for the short notice. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was looking forward to the release."

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.