On February 24th, news broke of a significant leak affecting Assassin's Creed Shadows. Numerous individuals began streaming the game online, a full month before its official March 20th release date.
The weekend saw further evidence of the leak, as reported by the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit. Deleted social media posts revealed physical copies being sold prematurely, adding to the already widespread unauthorized streams on platforms like Twitch.
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 leaked footage doesn't reflect the final game quality, as the team is still working on pre-launch patches. The company emphasized the negative impact leaks have on player anticipation and thanked the community for its efforts in minimizing spoilers. They concluded with a plea to avoid spoilers and promised more official announcements in the coming weeks, leading up to the March 20th release.
This leak represents another setback for Ubisoft and its flagship Assassin's Creed franchise. The team has 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 already been pushed back multiple times, from November to February 14th, and finally to March 20th. Given Ubisoft's recent struggles with lackluster sales and investor backlash, the success of Assassin's Creed Shadows is crucial for the company.
