On February 24th, reports surfaced of an early online leak of Assassin's Creed Shadows, with numerous individuals streaming gameplay a 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, thanking those who've already helped prevent spoilers. They concluded by encouraging players to avoid spoilers and look forward to official announcements in the coming weeks.
This leak adds to Ubisoft's recent challenges with the Assassin's Creed franchise. The team previously apologized for unauthorized use of a historical recreation group's flag and for historical inaccuracies in Assassin's Creed Shadows' depiction 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, a successful launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft.
