On February 24th, news broke of a significant leak impacting Assassin's Creed Shadows. Numerous individuals began streaming the game online, a full month before its official March 20th release date.
The weekend following the initial leak saw further evidence emerge on the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit (now deleted), showcasing physical copies of the game being sold prematurely and additional unauthorized streams appearing on platforms like Twitch.
Ubisoft, the developer and publisher, acknowledged the leak on the official Assassin's Creed subreddit, urging players to refrain from spoiling the experience for others. Their statement emphasized that the leaked footage doesn't represent the final game quality, as the development team is still working on pre-launch patches. They expressed disappointment about the leaks and thanked the community for its efforts in mitigating spoilers. The message concluded with a plea to avoid spoilers and a reminder of the upcoming March 20th release date.
This leak adds to a series of setbacks for Ubisoft and the Assassin's Creed franchise. The team previously apologized for unauthorized use of a historical recreation group's flag and for historical inaccuracies in the game's depiction of Japan. Assassin's Creed Shadows' release date has already been pushed back multiple times—initially from November, then to February 14th, and finally to the current March 20th date. Given Ubisoft's recent struggles with underwhelming sales and investor concerns, the game's success is crucial for the company.
