Ubisoft announced the delayed release of the controversial Assassin's Creed Shadows to next year. The decision was made after the studio's other titles underperformed.
The upcoming title's launch has been delayed by three months and it will now be set to arrive on Feb. 14, 2025. Ubisoft released a statement announcing the decision. It added that it needs more time to "polish and refine the experience."
Assassin's Creed Shadows Delayed
The video game maker also confirmed that Assassin's Creed Shadows will be released on Steam on launch day. This is unlike the studio's other major release, Star Wars Outlaws. Players who pre-ordered the upcoming game will be refunded as well.
Ubisoft is now shifting away from its traditional season pass model and has all future pre-orders giving the first expansion for free. The studio noted that the game was already "feature complete."
However, it added that the things it learned from the release of Star Wars Outlaws led it to provide additional time to polish the title further. Its previous title had a "softer than expected launch," according to IGN.
The studio argued that the additional time would allow the biggest entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise to fully deliver on its ambition. This is notably by fulfilling the promise of its dual protagonist adventure.
The game's delay also comes amid a troubling time for Ubisoft in recent times. These include a sharp drop in stock price following the release of Star Wars Outlaws. A minority investor earlier this month urged the studio to go private.
Ubisoft said that its development teams were fully mobilized to quickly implement a series of updates to Assassin's Creed Shadows. These are meant to let it engage a larger audience during the holiday season, Variety said.
Underperforming Titles
The studio also revealed new financial guidance for the fiscal year. This includes lowering net bookings for the full year to roughly $2.2 billion. Furthermore, net bookings for the second quarter were down to $390 million to $410 million.
The situation comes after Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws was generally well-received following its launch but did not become a sales hit. This could also explain the studio's decision to step back from its commitment to the Epic Games Store.
Ubisoft said in a social media post that it is aware that the news will come as disappointing for many fans of the franchise. However, it argued that the decision to delay the release will be in the best interest of Assassin's Creed Shadows, according to PCGamer.
