The advantage of being a time traveler is the whole universe is yours. You can go everywhere; it’s just a matter of when. Assassin’s Creed has left its stamp on numerous countries and time periods, but one proved elusive. Ninja-like, even. Despite being one of the settings most coveted by fans, Feudal Japan kept getting skipped. Its time in video game purgatory is at an end, however, and it turns out that fans aren’t the only ones who wanted this change. During our hands-off presentation for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, a member of the Ubisoft team revealed that they have been wanting to make an Assassin’s Creed game set in Feudal Japan for a “long time.”
AC: Shadows and the Road to Japan
Ubisoft’s development team is huge, so it’s no shock that at least some members have wanted AC to explore Japan for a while now. It’s unfortunate that didn’t happen sooner. I’m looking forward to Shadows, but it arguably missed the cresting wave of fan enthusiasm. We got Ghost of Tsushima in 2020, and with its Steam release, Suckerpunch has even brought PC players in from the cold. Judging by the hand-off presentation, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows seems solid. It just stings a little to know that the devs (or at least some of them) have wanted this project for a long time and it’s only happening now.
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Summer Game Fest 2024 GuideThat said, developers are human. There’s only so much time, money, and caffeine to go around. In the years since Ghost of Tsushima‘s release, Ubisoft gave us Valhalla and Mirage. Controversial though it is, Valhalla is a sprawling game that took a legitimate stab (or axe swing) at the Viking experience. Even if I had a genie with infinite wishes, I’m not sure I’d swap the release dates of Valhalla and Shadows. If anything, the competition might push Assassin’s Creed: Shadows to be even better. The devs aren’t the only ones who’ve wanted this game. Let’s see what they’ve done with all that time and ambition.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
