Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the latest entry in Ubisoft’s long-running AC series, is one of the biggest games set to launch in 2025, with ample expectations weighing on it. So far, the dual story of Yasuke and Naoe has proved very intriguing, and there’s certainly evidence to suggest Shadows will be a bigger, bolder, and more innovative game, compared to its predecessors.
As with all things, we can only wait to see how the adventure will turn out – but in the meantime, let’s pore over everything we know, and what to expect when it finally launches.
Here’s everything revealed about Assassin’s Creed Shadows so far.
Table of Contents
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Release Date and Platforms
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently set to be released on 20 March 2025. With two delays handed down already, it will likely stick to this date – but stay tuned for more news.
The game will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Why was Assassin’s Creed Shadows delayed?
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been delayed publicly twice, due to a need to refine and polish the game. Here’s what Ubisoft had to say the first time (September 2024): “This is an ambitious addition to the franchise, a rich experience that can be lived through the eyes of two unique protagonists – but we realise we need more time to polish and refine the experience, pushing further some of our key features.”
The second delay (January 2025) outlined a similar reason: “While we’ve already made remarkable strides, we believe a few additional weeks are needed to implement [player] feedback and ensure an even more ambitious and engaging day-one experience.”
Read: Assassin’s Creed Shadows delayed again, as Ubisoft announces group “reshape”
Ubisoft is likely looking to create the most polished, complete game at launch as there’s a lot riding on the success of Shadows. After a string of financial disappointments, and the overall downturn of the global games industry, the reality is Shadows needs to be a win for Ubisoft.
That means releasing it in the best condition possible, in the hopes it will be a sales success and help the company turn its financial fortunes around. You can read more about Ubisoft’s ongoing economic challenges here.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Story details
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you will embody two unique protagonists – Yasuke and Naoe – who live in 16th Century Japan. This period and setting is often referred to as “Feudal Japan” due to the complex politics of the era, defined by dictatorial governments.
Against this backdrop, Yasuke and Naoe fight for different reasons, but for a “common destiny.” While Ubisoft has stayed relatively vague about what to expect of their individual stories, we know Yasuke and Naoe’s stories will intertwine, and that they’ll be working together for a just cause.
Key characters: Who are Naoe and Yasuke?
Naoe is a stealthy shinobi assassin who prefers to stick to the shadows. She largely fights with a thin katana blade, and also wields smoke bombs, shuriken, kunai, and a grappling hook. Like all assassins, Naoe also uses a Hidden Blade for stealth takedowns. In action, Naoe is very sleek and deadly, although she lacks the hardiness and strength of her companion, Yasuke.
Yasuke is a fully-armoured samurai who also wields a katana, but mostly in front-on battles. Unlike Naoe, he is not stealthy, and is instead more of a wrecking ball. In addition to a katana, Yasuke can use a metal club known as a kanabō, and a musket-like gun known as an arquebus.
Notably, the Assassin’s Creed version of Yasuke is based on the historical figure of the same name. He served as a samurai under the rule of Oda Nobunaga, and is commonly regarded as the first Black samurai. It’s believed Yasuke arrived in Japan as a servant of preachers, before he was recruited by Nobunaga. At this stage, it appears Shadows will adapt elements of this story, to add realism to the game’s main narrative.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows – New gameplay features
Dual protagonists
One of the biggest new features for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is more meaningful inclusion of dual protagonists. While past games of the series have included two main heroes – most notably, AC Syndicate – Shadows will mark the first time these protagonists are genuinely different, with opposite play styles, gameplay, and available weapons. This feature should mean more variety in levels, and more choices for players.
Weather systems
Another major new feature recently mentioned by Ubisoft relates to changing weather patterns in the game. All four seasons will be represented in AC Shadows, with these changing up the environment you’re able to explore.
“The seasons offer the ability to go and see the same location in a different season, but also a different weather state, so from a player point of view, it’s a different visual experience and also [a different] gameplay experience,” art director Thierry Dansereau told GamesRadar+ of this system.
In Summer, you may be able to traverse a lake and hide underwater. In Winter, that lake may be frozen over, forcing you to think of new ways to approach a particular quest. Likewise, dynamic weather systems and a day/night cycle will also force players to think outside the box.
Player-guided exploration
One other change worth noting is that Ubisoft has said exploration will be more player-driven, with less hand-holding in discovering next steps. Players will need to investigates clues presented to them, and then figure out where they’re going, based on those clues.
“We didn’t want to hold the player’s hand too much with icons and markers,” game director Charles Benoit said.
“We wanted to craft an open world where information was key and would become a form of reward … In Shadows, information is something you need to look for and earn, whether through your spies, NPC encounters, or through your own eyes. In short, we want players to discover all our cool secrets on their own terms through investigation, their spy network, or by observing the world.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: PC system requirements
An early version of the Assassin’s Creed Shadows system requirements appeared on the Epic Games Store several months ago, with the following details:
MINIMUM SPECS
- CPU: Intel i7-4790 / AMD Ryzen5 1600
- Memory: 8 GB
- Storage: 100
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB / AMD RX 570 4GB
- Direct X12
RECOMMENDED SPECS
- Intel i7-8700k / AMD Ryzen5 3600
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 100
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 2070 8GB / AMD RX 5700XT 8GB
It’s important to note these specifications are no longer visible on the Epic Games Store, and it’s very likely they could have changed since publication. We expect a refresh of these specs closer to the launch of the game, so stay tuned for a more accurate listing.
