Ubisoft has announced another delay of Assassin’s Creed Shadows after improving the game and collecting player feedback over the past three months. The company also shared an update on its business restructuring and strategy.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Why has Ubisoft delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows again?
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which was originally scheduled for November 12, 2024 and then moved to February 14, 2025, has now been delayed to March 20. This marks an unprecedented move for a franchise known for always arriving on time and delivering strong results during holiday seasons.
Ubisoft said it has achieved visible progress since November and collected valuable feedback from players.
“While we’ve already made remarkable strides, we believe a few additional weeks are needed to implement that feedback and ensure an even more ambitious and engaging day-one experience,” Assassin’s Creed VP and executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté said in a statement, adding that the company remains committed “to delivering a high-quality, immersive experience—fostered by ongoing dialogue between our players and development teams.”
In a separate strategic update, Ubisoft noted that this delay is part of its “renewed focus on gameplay quality and engaging Day-1 experiences.” CEO Yves Guillemot emphasized that the company aims to create the “most ambitious Assassin’s Creed opus of the franchise.”
This announcement comes just two days after Ubisoft showcased Shadows’ parkour system, presenting new mechanics and features.
Ubisoft updates its strategy amid financial struggles and worsening financial outlook
- In addition to delaying Shadows, Ubisoft announced today that it has appointed advisors to review and pursue “review and pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.”
- This comes amid reports of buyout talks between the Guillemot family and Tencent, the company’s second-largest shareholder. On January 8, Insider Gaming reported that the parties halted the negotiations until the release of Shadows. The publication noted that pre-orders “were high before the game’s [first] delay and are still looking strong, but expectedly still behind that of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.”
UPDATE: During a conference call, Ubisoft CFO Frederick Duguet refused to comment on buyout reports, only saying that the company “will inform the market if and when a transaction materializes.”
- It remains to be seen how this news will affect Ubisoft’s stock price when the Paris Stock Exchange opens tomorrow. The shares closed at €12.35 per share and, at the time of writing, were down slightly to €12.33 during extended-hours trading.
- Overall, Ubisoft has fallen 45.51% since January 2024.
- In its strategic update, the French publisher announced that it is also taking “decisive steps” to reshape the company to deliver “best-in-class player experiences, enhance operational efficiency and maximize value creation.”
- This means its cost-cutting initiatives will continue, with Ubisoft now saying that it expects to cut over €200 million in various expenses by FY25/26 (ending March 31, 2026). As part of these initiatives, the company shut down XDefiant last month and closed three studios “in high-cost geographies.” As a result, around 277 employees were laid off.
- “We are convinced that there are several potential paths to generate value from Ubisoft’s assets and franchises,” Guillemot stated today.
- As for the publisher’s financial performance, Ubisoft now expects its Q3 (three-month period ended December 31, 2024) net bookings to reach €300 million — down from the previous outlook of €380 million.
- The French company cited lower-than-expected Holiday sales (“mainly for Star Wars Outlaws”) and the XDefiant shutdown as the main reasons for the forecast cut.