On February 24th, reports surfaced of an online leak of Assassin's Creed Shadows, with numerous individuals streaming the game a full month before its official March 20th launch. 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 stated that the development team is actively working on pre-launch patches, and that currently available online footage doesn't reflect the final game quality. Ubisoft emphasized the negative impact of leaks on player anticipation and thanked the community for its efforts in mitigating spoilers. They concluded with a plea to avoid spoilers and promised further official announcements in the coming weeks leading up to the March 20th release.
This leak adds to Ubisoft's recent challenges with the Assassin's Creed franchise. The team previously issued apologies for unauthorized use of a historical recreation group's flag and for historical inaccuracies in the game's depiction of Japan. The game's release date has also been delayed multiple times, originally slated for November, then February 14th, and finally settling on March 20th. Given recent underwhelming sales figures and investor concerns, the game's success is crucial for Ubisoft.
