Ubisoft just canceled the early access of Assassin's Creed Shadows. The studio added that it has implemented various changes to the game.
The situation comes as the latest game in the popular franchise was originally scheduled to release in less than a month. However, it was delayed to an early 2025 release following backlash from the community.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Early Access
The developer said that the game's Collector's Edition will no longer include early access. Ubisoft confirmed the news during a question-and-answer session on Discord. It also emphasized that it will not move forward with plans to have season passes.
Another change that Ubisoft announced is that the Collector's Edition of Assassin's Creed Shadows will have its price reduced to $230 from $280. The version includes a steelbook, an artbook, a statue, and many other bonuses, according to Game Spot.
Reports suggest that the sudden changes could have been due to the issues that the studio has faced so far trying to defend Assassin's Creed Shadows. The complaints stem from the game's supposed historical inaccuracy and cultural misrepresentation.
Another reason that was raised was that Ubisoft Quebec wanted to give the developers more time to polish Assassin's Creed Shadows before its official release. There are also rumors suggesting that Ubisoft Quebec is planning to add a co-op mode to the latest entry.
One other issue that Ubisoft is facing is due to the design of the status that comes with the game's Collector's Edition. The studio has been forced to pull the items and commit to remodeling it after the design was described as "insensitive," Eurogamer" said.
Ubisoft's Various Challenges
Model company Purearts said it immediately went back to the drawing board after people raised concerns about its design. One of the reasons for this was the statue's inclusion of a broken torii gate.
This looked similar to the ones that were seen in Nagasaki following the 1945 atomic bomb blast. Japan has preserved the "one-legged torii" at Nagasaki's rebuilt Sanno Shrine as a reminder of the devastation.
On the other hand, Ubisoft's decision to delay the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows was supposedly because the studio listened to developers. A recent statement noted that the game is feature-complete.
However, learning from Ubisoft's underwhelming release of Star Wars Outlaws, it decided to give developers more time to work on the latest Assassin's Creed game.
This would supposedly make the title capable of fully delivering on its ambition, according to Rock Paper Shotgun.
