Ubisoft has addressed concerns raised over the delayed launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows coinciding with the Sony-published title Ghost of Yotei in 2025.
Ubisoft Says Assassin's Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yotei Can Both Sell Well
Simultaneous Release Won't Hurt AC Shadows' Sales Numbers
Following the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Shadows' release getting delayed to 2025—coinciding with the launch of the Sony's Ghost of Tsushima sequel, Ghost of Yotei—Ubisoft has assuage concerns raised over the simultaneous launches of the two competing games that bear great similarities. Earlier today, Ubisoft announced that it has delayed the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows from November this year to February 2025. Meanwhile, the newly announced Ghost of Yotei, from Sony and developer Sucker Punch, has targeted a similar release window for next year.
"I would like to say that there’s a lot of space for very high quality games, and those two games can sell very well," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said during a recent conference call. Ubisoft was reportedly asked whether the fact that both the historical, Japanese-influenced action-adventure titles releasing in 2025 would harm the sales performance of its flagship title, Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Ubisoft Chief Financial Officer Frederick Duguet said that the company's main priority was to ensure Assassin’s Creed Shadows meet its standards for quality, learning from its past struggles with the underwhelming release of Star Wars Outlaws. "On the competition related to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the focus is really to make sure that we deliver a fantastic experience," he explained, additionally noting that its "dual protagonist approach," with Yasuke and Naoe, as well as the characters' different yet complementary gameplays should make the game "really enticing."
Both Assassin's Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yotei take place in Feudal Era Japan, but Ubisoft expressed optimism that it will offer a great experience with Assassin's Creed Shadows next year as they take their time with polishing and improving the game. "So all the focus and everything that really informs our decision [to delay the game] is to make sure that we polish the game and provide this fantastic promise," he added.
Ubisoft additionally said that development on Assassin's Creed Shadows' main features is complete, but had decided to give its developer, Ubisoft Quebec, more time to improve the game following last month’s lackluster Star Wars Outlaws launch—which was heavily criticized for being released at a perceived unpolished state. Earlier this month, a minority stakeholder called on for a complete rehaul in Ubisoft as the company reported underwhelming sales of Star Wars Outlaws.
Ubisoft's share price declined this month, reportedly tumbling "more than 50% over the past 12 months," according to the Wall Street Journal, due to the poor performances of its recent titles and postponements of its other games such as Rainbow Six Siege and The Division to the end of March 2025.
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Ubisoft CEO says Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yōtei ‘can both sell very well’ in 2025
