On February 24, we reported that Assassin’s Creed Shadows had leaked online, with numerous individuals streaming the game a full month before its official release date on March 20. Over the weekend, as highlighted by the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, now-deleted social media posts revealed physical copies of the game being sold before the street date, and multiple streams of the unreleased game surfaced on platforms like Twitch.
In response to these leaks, Ubisoft, the game's developer and publisher, has issued a statement on the Assassin's Creed subreddit. They confirmed their awareness of the situation and urged players to refrain from spoiling the experience for others. "We are aware players have accessed Assassin’s Creed Shadows ahead of its official release. The development team is still working on patches to prepare the experience for launch, and any footage shared online does not represent the final quality of the game," Ubisoft stated.
They further emphasized the negative impact of leaks on player excitement, saying, "Leaks are unfortunate and can diminish the excitement for players. We kindly ask you not to spoil the experience for others. Thank you to our community for already taking steps to protect everyone from spoilers. Stay in the shadows, avoid the spoilers, and keep an eye on our channel for more official surprises in the coming weeks! March 20 will be here soon!"
These leaks represent yet another challenge for Ubisoft and its flagship Assassin's Creed series. The development team has previously had to address controversies, including using a historical recreation group's flag without permission and inaccuracies in Assassin's Creed Shadows' depictions of Japan.
Originally slated for a November release, Assassin's Creed Shadows saw its launch date pushed back first to February 14, and then again to the current release date of March 20. With Ubisoft facing struggling sales from other recent releases and an investor backlash, the company is counting on Assassin's Creed Shadows to deliver strong performance.
