Assassin’s Creed Shadows, much like its publisher Ubisoft, has faced countless controversies over the past year. Fans of the franchise have become somewhat disillusioned with it, in large part thanks to a handful of mediocre releases that seem to have abandoned what made the series so great in the first place. WithAssassin’s Creed Shadowsproving to be such a divisive title, it isn’t surprising that some felt it had already missed its chance at redeeming the once iconic series and seeing Ubisoft return to form.
However,Assassin’s Creed Shadow’scountless delayshave put the game in a much better position, especially now that it has been moved out of the overly busy February slot into a far quieter March. Importantly, this delay finally gives the game a chance to showcase not just how the franchise has evolved, but also how much Ubisoft has changed as a developer. While it isn’t guaranteed to save Ubisoft,Assassin’s Creed Shadowscould see fans finally fall back in love with a series that has languished over the past few years.
It Is Responsible For Some Of The Best Open-World Games
It can be easy to write off Ubisoft in today’s gaming landscape thanks to its business practices like Season Passes, microtransactions in single-player experiences, and shutting down multiple projects without giving any way for players to access them once the servers are down. However, during thephenomenalBlack Flageraand even earlier,Ubisoft was at the top of its game, delivering critically acclaimed games one after another. While it had made a name for itself as the blockbuster game developer, there was still a place for that type of experience.
Games likeFar Cry 3,Assassin’s Creed Black Flag,Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, and so many more ushered in an age of high-budget, high-production value experiences that captivated audiences across the world.Ubisoft was a leading developer and publisher within the open-world space, and much of the early to mid-2010s game design was directly inspired and propelled thanks to its efforts. What saw its decline happen so rapidly was its dogmatic belief in its formulas as well as its trend-chasing habits that saw it prioritize monetization over player enjoyment.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Confirms It Will Place More Emphasis On The Modern Day Story Than Recent Games
Assassin’s Creed Shadows confirms that it will place more emphasis on the modern-day story after most recent games neglected that aspect of the lore.
Games likeStar Wars Outlawsfaileddue to a rigid and outdated game design that no longer appeals to players thanks to the innovative efforts of developers like Nintendo and FromSoftware. Ubisoft’s inability to innovate, alongside its many controversies - including the 2020sexual misconduct allegations, telling players to get used to not owning their own games (viaGameRant), and their foray into NFTs - was ultimately its downfall and led to the stagnation of its content. However, that could hopefully change with the release ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows, andplayers may finally see the return of the early and better days of Ubisoft.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Could Be A Return To Form For Ubisoft
It Is Ditching Its Old Business Models
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis, in many ways, shaping up to be a return to form for Ubisoft.From both a gameplay and monetization standpoint,Shadowsappears to offer an experience more akin to Ubisoft’s earlier works, including the likes ofBlack Flagand even earlier. For example,Shadow’sstealth overhaulsare particularly impressive, putting far more credence on the assassin part of the series while still giving those who’ve grown accustomed to the RPG aspects of the recent entries what they want through Yasuke’s character.
It is important to note that these improvements weren’t always necessarily the case. Many of the improvements toAssassin’s Creed Shadows, especially when concerning Ubisoft’s business practices, were done in response to thedisappointing launch ofOutlaws.
Additionally,Ubisoft has scrapped Season Passesand Early Access - both of which fans have soured towards - and has instead opted to give the first expansion away for free to those who pre-order. This is a significant change for Ubisoft, as, on a broader scale,it marks a return to the way games handled DLC in the past, and also shows that Ubisoft is finally listening to its player base. Fans have grown tired of Season Passes and Early Access periods as they require far too much money upfront for potentially little reward, especially if the DLC ends up reviewing poorly.
Ubisoft has also shot downrumors of a battle pass, which all feeds into its newfound approach to monetization. None of this excuses Ubisoft’s past controversies, but it does show the publisher moving in the right direction.It also remains to be seen whetherAssassin’s Creed Shadowswill hold up to scrutiny once it finally shipsafter several delays. While it’s possible it could flop as badly asStar Wars Outlaws, there’s also a chance that it could end up becoming one of Ubisoft’s best games.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Has The Potential To Be Ubisoft’s Best Game
It Has Nearly Two Decades Of AC Games To Learn From
After nearly two decades of crafting not justAssassin’s Creedgames, but open-world experiences in general, Ubisoft has built up a repertoire of unique ideas and concepts few other developers have tried. While it is true that Ubisoft rarely innovates within its own franchises, it occasionally throws out a cool new feature that has never before been seen, such asWatch Dog Legion’splay-as-anyone mechanic.Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas the potential to be the culmination of all of that, learning from the series' past mistakeswhile moving it forward into a new age.
Of course, it equally has the chance to be another disappointment as, while it has undergone several crucial delays, production started on it long before Ubisoft started seeing a decline in sales, especially in its licensed products. However, Ubisoft does seem to learn a little with each outing, shrinking the world size inAssassin’s Creed Mirageafter players complainedValhallawas too big, and even prioritizing parkour - even if it wasn’t perfected inMirage. There is the possibility that,after so many years of tweaking the coreAssassin’s Creedformula, Ubisoft may have finally gotten it right withShadows.
Yes, There Is a Clever Naruto Nod Hidden Within Assassin’s Creed Shadows If You Know Where to Look
Naoe, the ninja in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, has the ability to do the iconic “Naruto run”.
There is a lot riding onAssassin’s Creed Shadowsfor both Ubisoft as a company and fans. Ubisoft needsShadowsto succeed in order to not lose any more money than it already has and gain even more bad press. Fans wantShadowsto succeed because they’re tired of getting the same Ubisoft fare they’ve been getting for years. AfterUnity’sbuggy launch,Origin’sswitching of genres,Odyssey’senormous icon-covered map, andValhalla’sbland open-world, it is absolutely time fans got a goodAssassin’s Creedgame, andAssassin’s Creed Shadows, for everyone’s sake, has to be it.
