Recent reports have confirmed that Ubisoft’s next journey into the world of Assassin’s Creed (AC) – Shadows – has been delayed once more, now not releasing until March 2025. The reasons for this delay have not officially been announced, however, it has given gaming fans food for thought as excitement brews for the AC universe to reach 16th century Japan.
Ubisoft Under the Hammer
Ubisoft’s latest release, Star Wars Outlaws, was largely received incredibly negatively and launched with a variety of bugs and issues. How an open world style Star Wars game, with heavy influence from the Grand Theft Auto series can fail, is remarkable, however perhaps it has taught Ubisoft some valuable lessons as they gear up to release AC Shadows in the next year and a half.
Games being released with technical issues and glitches is nothing new, and is certainly not unique to Ubisoft, however they have been particularly guilty in recent years. One franchise that they cannot jeopardise with similar issues is Assassin’s Creed. Recent AC games have taken us from ancient Egypt to the Viking invasion of England, and they’ve been at least partly responsible for the open world craze (and as a result, fatigue) that has been prevalent in games across the last decade. Despite varying reviews, the games have always had excellent sales records and unique and beautiful open worlds.
Whilst AC Mirage was more in line with the AC franchise’s routes, it still did have various open world mechanics. However, it was also a release that’s been largely forgotten and failed to make a major impact on the gaming zeitgeist. When was the last time anyone spoke about AC Mirage, for positive or negative? Ubisoft’s next attempt includes a trip to 16th century Japan, and with that, comes a natural comparison to one of the best games in recent years.
Ghost of Tsushima – Open World Perfection
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is one of the finest gaming releases in recent years, and Sucker Punch Studios excelled all expectations with the beautiful world they created. Based in Japan in 1274, we play through the Mongol invasion of the island of Tsushima as the now legendary Jin Sakai. The map is stunning with a vivid colour scheme, vibrant landscapes and includes all the hallmarks of an open world classic.
The combat, variety of side quests, diversity of mission types and the extremely well realised and well-developed characters all lead to a fantastic level of immersion into this world, and it’s widely seen as one of the best PS5 games released so far.
What Can Ubisoft Learn from Sucker Punch?
Despite being set around 400 years apart, the comparisons between AC Shadows and GoT are hard to ignore. Both set in open world locations in historical Japan, and an emphasis on combat, stealth and survival – AC Shadows will live in GoT’s shadow, unless it can grow beyond it.
Whilst the trailer for AC Shadows did lead to some excitement, the details we currently know remain somewhat limited. Its numerous delays have led to further worries but perhaps can be seen as a positive. Ubisoft may be learning from prior mistakes and instead, may be taking a leaf out of Sucker Punch’s book to ensure their release is met positively and is a success.
Thus far, we know that AC Shadows will explore a large open world filled with life, dramatic landscapes and a dynamic weather system which will constantly impact gameplay. In order to be comparable to GoT, this open world must be vibrant, full of character but also unique and true to the Azuchi-Momoyama era in which it’s set.
When it comes to combat, GoT had one of the most unique and exciting combat mechanics ever released. Whilst AC cannot steal this, it needs to ensure it has an electrifying and powerful system that allows personal preference and variety to help suit different styles of player. Stealth is likely to be a huge part of Shadows, and this needs to be done in a delicate way, where the AI antagonists are not idiots, and your choices have very real consequences.
Finally, we need to care about our main character. The story of Jin Sakai in GoT was one full of drama, powerful moments and pure emotion. We deeply cared for this character and progressing their story was incredibly rewarding as the game reached its climax. The stories of Naoe and Yasuke in Shadows must match this level of intensity, character development and emotion in order to draw players into the story.
With time now on Ubisoft’s side to develop a truly wonderful game – which they can certainly be capable of – the AC fan base will be patiently waiting to venture into Feudal Japan. When it finally launches, if it can unpack and deliver just a portion of the magic which made GoT such a success, Ubisoft’s next open-world title could reignite the franchise and prove the studio still has what it takes to deliver top tier games.
