On February 24th, news broke of a significant leak affecting Assassin's Creed Shadows. Numerous individuals began streaming the game online, a full month before its official March 20th release date.
The weekend saw further evidence of the leak emerge on platforms like Twitch and in deleted social media posts from the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, revealing physical copies circulating before their street date.
Ubisoft, the developer and publisher, acknowledged the leak on the official Assassin's Creed subreddit, urging players to refrain from spoiling the game for others. They explained that the leaked footage doesn't reflect the final game quality, as the team is still working on pre-launch patches. The statement emphasized the negative impact of leaks on player excitement and thanked the community for its efforts in mitigating spoilers. Ubisoft concluded by encouraging players to avoid spoilers and look forward to official announcements in the coming weeks.
This leak adds to a series of challenges facing Ubisoft and the Assassin's Creed franchise. The team previously apologized for unauthorized use of a historical recreation group's flag and for historical inaccuracies in the game's depiction of Japan. Assassin's Creed Shadows' release date has already been shifted from November to February 14th, and finally to March 20th. With recent titles underperforming and investor concerns surfacing, Ubisoft needs Assassin's Creed Shadows to be a success.
