Ubisoft has been gearing up for the official launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but the game has been leaking footage online thanks to some physical copies going up on certain auction sites.
While Ubisoft has been unable to contain the leaks, they say the footage released online does not represent the final product because the patches still need to be downloaded.
An ‘Unfortunate’ Leak
In an official statement from Ubisoft (via VGC), the company says that the leaks were ‘unfortunate,’ but they still don’t give a good look at the final version of the game. They say:
“We are aware players have accessed Assassin’s Creed Shadows before 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.”
Though some footage of the game has already found its way online, Ubisoft does commend the online community moderators for taking action and trying to prevent even more spoilers for the game from coming out online. They continue:
“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.”
Can Spoilers Ruin a Game Based on History?
The main hook of the AC franchise has always been its basis on actual history, so the fate of characters like Oda Nobunaga will likely be the same as what happened in real life.
Then again, the fantasy element of the game always concerns what “really” happened and how the assassins secretly shaped the course of history, so if there are going to be spoilers, they will concern the original character, Fujibayashi Naoe, who is one of the playable characters in the game alongside Yasuke.
What’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows about?
In the latest mainline entry for Assassin’s Creed, players are transported to Feudal Japan and must navigate the intricate world run by real-life historical figure Oda Nobunaga.
In the game, players can switch between two characters: the very real legendary samurai Yasuke and the game’s original character, Naoe, who has connections with the Brotherhood.
While Yasuke is a straight-up fighter who can take enemies head-on, Naoe is more of the traditional Japanese assassin, scaling buildings and performing sneaky kills with her special equipment. Depending on their preferred playstyle, players can switch between the two and approach missions as they see fit. Will they go in swinging with Yasuke? Or will they prefer the quiet way with Naoe?
The AC games have evolved throughout the years since the first title, and they’ve become these sprawling, massive historical worlds for players to spend hundreds of hours in. While the formula has become obvious for AC at this point, Shadows promises to shake things up a bit and ‘reward’ players with gathering information in the game and not revealing everything too directly.
It’s unclear whether players will find it clever or tedious, but at least the devs are trying something new this time.
Watch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows when it launches for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 on March 20.