After delaying Assassin’s Creed Shadows once, Ubisoft has decided to delay the game again to March 20th. In a press release, the company says that the extra time will be used to provide more development time for the game. Ubisoft states it intends to incorporate the player feedback it has received over the past three months. Besides improving gameplay quality, the company also aims to polish the Day-1 experience. “We are all behind our teams’ efforts to create the most ambitious Assassin’s Creed opus of the franchise,” Chief Executive Officer Yves Guillemot said.
The press release doesn’t just contain an announcement of Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ delay. In the document, Ubisoft mentions wanting to reshape its company to ‘enhance operational efficiency and maximize value creation.’ It also plans to explore ‘various transformational strategic and capitalistic options’ to benefit stakeholders.
The press release states that Ubisoft will continue to reduce the company’s expenses by being more selective about its investments. Ubisoft then discusses the cancellation of XDefiant and the closure of three studios located in ‘high-cost geographies,’ which is now confirmed to be caused by high wages.
After the lackluster performance of Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft likely wants to ensure that its next big release will succeed. It’s certainly a tall task, considering the numerous controversies and issues that surround the game. To make matters worse, there is even a report of abuse occurring in an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. A spokesperson stated that they were disturbed by the reports, but it’s unclear whether this new controversy has impacted the success of the upcoming game.
Fans aren’t surprised to hear about Assassin’s Creed Shadows getting another delay. Many agree that Ubisoft is being extra careful to ensure they don’t mess up the launch of their next big title. Some commented that Ubisoft likely doesn’t want to deal with the competition in February. The argument is not unreasonable, considering that Monster Hunter Wilds will be released at the end of that month.
