Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas been delayed for the second time, but this time, the new release date is much closer.The firstAssassin’s Creedgame to feature feudal Japan,Shadowsis a highly-anticipated title many years in the making. Although initially slated for release on August 21, 2025, it was delayed three months to June 01, 2025, in a Ubisoft announcement this past September.
And as of today,Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas been delayed again - this time to Jul 26, 2025, according to an announcement on the officialUbisoft UKX (formerly Twitter) account. The publicly released statement claims that the additional month is required to give the development team more time to incorporate player feedback. If nothing else, though, it’s worth noting that this is a much shorter delay - just one month compared to the initial three month pushback.
Why Assassin’s Creed Shadows Was Delayed Again
More Development Time & “Transformational…Options”
Ubisoft UK’s Marc-Alexis Coté pretty clearly outlines the reason for the delay in this public statement:the development team needs time to incorporate additional player feedback. Ubisoft has willingly solicited player opinions on the game in a series of Gameplay Overviews. Released in a series of blog posts and videos, these served to showcase the various gameplay features in the upcoming title. And Ubisoft’s robust social media channels have allowed players to comment on these previews extensively,sometimes resulting in controversy.
But amid all that,Ubisoft did get some constructive feedback during this process, and theAssassin’s Creed Shadowsdev team is taking the time to make that work in-game. This announcement originates from a press release by Ubisoft, shared on X byWario64, which suggests that it’s encountered “increasingly positive” feedback from fans, and intends to continue working closely with them during the additional development time.
The press release also suggests thatthe company is currently under review by “leading advisors,“who are investigating “transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.” Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot is quoted as saying:
“Additionally, we are all behind our teams’ efforts to create the most ambitious Assassin’s Creed opus of the franchise and made the decision to provide an extra month of development to Shadows to better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months that will enable us to fully deliver on the potential of the game and finish the year on a strong note.”
Our Take: Let The AC Shadows Team Cook
Something About A Delayed Game…
There’s an old, oft-quoted adage of uncertain origins that holds that a late game is only late until it’s released, whereas a bad game is bad forever. In the age of day-one patches and seasonal content updates, badness is a lot less permanent, but there’s still a kernel of truth in that statement.Having more development time is never a bad thing; it means more time to make a game as good as it can possibly be, and (hopefully) a lack of crunch and a better work-life balance for the developers working on it.
New Kind of Assassin’s Creed Game Teased For 2025
A new Assassin’s Creed game could be coming out in 2025, but this one would be for the tabletop and feature miniatures instead of a new video game.
I can’t really fault Ubisoft for that; while the wisdom of incorporating player feedback is situational, it’s reassuring to know developers are at least considering what players might want out of their games. I want to playAssassin’s Creed Shadowsas much as the next fan, and I was just as excited for the February 14 release date as anyone else. But for the sake of the developers' health and the best possible version ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows, I’m willing to wait as long as I have to.
Sources:Ubisoft UK/X,Ubisoft/YouTube,Wario64/X
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Set during Japan’s Sengoku period, two distinct protagonists—Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a historical African samurai—must navigate political intrigue and violent clashes between the Assassins and Templars. Players can switch between stealthy, shadow-based gameplay with Naoe and Yasuke’s direct combat approach, exploring the duality of their missions in a beautifully rendered open world.
