Ubisoft seemingly leaked an upcoming DLC for "Assassin's Creed Shadows" on Steam called "Claws of Awaji" that adds a new map, new weapon types, and more than 10 hours of content.
The Steam page for the latest entry in the franchise had a momentary update that included new information regarding the expansion. On top of the new region and weapon types, it mentioned it would have new skills, gear, and abilities for players to play around with.
Assassin's Creed Shadows DLC
The phrasing of the DLC is a little bit confusing as it seems like only players who pre-purchase "Assassin's Creed Shadows" will get the Claws of Awaji expansion. However, this is highly unlikely as major expansions are typically tied in with Season Passes.
It seems like Ubisoft is doing away with its Season Pass model for the latest entry in the "Assassin's Creed" franchise. This decision follows major practice shake-ups after its other game, "Star Wars Outlaws," underperformed commercially, according to IGN.
On top of the studio scrapping its Season Pass model, it canceled plans to charge players more to let them play on launch day. This is why many fans assume that expansions, such as the Claws of Awaji, will be free and available to all players.
Despite the leak, details regarding the upcoming DLC were restricted to only a brief paragraph that was published on Steam. Its name did not explain much about what fans could find included in the expansion.
Major Delays
The leak comes as "Assassin's Creed Shadows" was planned to be released on Feb. 14, 2025, before being delayed again to Mar. 20, 2025. Ubisoft said that this was done to give it more time to improve gameplay quality and performance, Game Spot said.
Ubisoft is currently facing major challenges amid internal woes as it tries to pursue "various transformational strategic and capitalistic options" so it can maximize shareholder value. It comes as there have been reports that the studio is planning to sell to Chinese video game giant Tencent.
The speculations regarding the studio's potential buyout to Tencent follow a tough period for the French gaming giant.
It comes during a time when many of the company's major games, such as "XDefiant" and "Star Wars Outlaws," have failed to meet expectations, according to Game Rant.
Most recently, Ubisoft shared new details regarding the parkour system in "Assassin's Creed Shadows" that showed off what fans will be able to do. It also showcased the control changes made, mainly the swapping of the dodge and crouch buttons.
