Yesterday, February 24, we reported that Assassin’s Creed Shadows had leaked online, with numerous people streaming the game a month ahead of its official release date on March 20.
Over the weekend, as noted by the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, now-deleted social media posts revealed physical copies of the game being sold before the official street date. Additionally, multiple streams of the unreleased game surfaced on platforms like Twitch.
In response to the leak, developer and publisher Ubisoft issued a statement on the Assassin's Creed subreddit. They acknowledged the issue and urged players to refrain from spoiling the experience for others. Ubisoft stated, "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. 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!"
The leaks pose yet another challenge for Ubisoft and its flagship Assassin's Creed series. The development team has previously had to apologize for using a historical recreation group's flag without permission and for inaccuracies in Assassin's Creed Shadows' depictions of Japan.
Assassin's Creed Shadows was originally slated for a November release, but Ubisoft postponed it first to February 14, and then to the current release date of March 20. Given struggling Ubisoft needs it to perform well after disappointing sales of other recent titles and facing investor backlash, the success of this game is crucial.
