Ubisoft Responds to Assassin's Creed Shadows Leak

On February 24th, reports surfaced of an online leak of Assassin's Creed Shadows, with numerous individuals streaming gameplay a month before its official March 20th release. The GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit highlighted now-deleted social media posts showcasing pre-release physical copies and unauthorized Twitch streams.

Ubisoft, the developer and publisher, acknowledged the leak on the Assassin's Creed subreddit, urging players to refrain from spoiling the game for others. They emphasized that the leaked footage doesn't represent the final game quality, as the team is still applying patches. Ubisoft expressed disappointment over the leaks and their potential to dampen player anticipation, thanking those who've worked to prevent spoilers. They concluded with a plea to avoid spoilers and promised further announcements in the coming weeks leading up to the March 20th launch.

This leak adds to Ubisoft's recent challenges with the Assassin's Creed franchise. Previous apologies were issued for unauthorized use of a historical recreation group's flag and historical inaccuracies in Assassin's Creed Shadows' portrayal of Japan. The game's release date has been shifted multiple times, from an initial November launch to February 14th, and finally to March 20th. Given recent underwhelming sales and investor concerns, Ubisoft is heavily reliant on Assassin's Creed Shadows' success.