Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Release date, platforms, characters, more
UbisoftUbisoft has officially unveiled Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the project formally known as Codename Red.
The publisher originally teased the game during Ubisoft Forward 2022, promising the long-requested Feudal Japan setting.
AC Odyssey developer Ubisoft Quebec leads the title whose full reveal went live on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, complete with a cinematic trailer confirming Assassin’s Creed Shadows will star two protagonists.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ cinematic and gameplay trailers
On May 15, Ubisoft unleashed a cinematic world premiere trailer for AC Shadows. The announcement confirmed long-running rumors, specifically about the dual protagonists Naoe and Yasuke.
A first-look gameplay trailer premiered during Xbox’s June 2024 games showcase. The quick look showed both Yasuke and Naoe in action. Check it out below:
Ubisoft Forward 2024 shared an extended gameplay walkthrough, which runs 13 minutes in length. This particular preview depicts Yasuke’s brutal combat style that relies on his brawn and heavier weapons.
Naoe takes center stage in the walkthrough’s back half, slinking around in the shadows and dousing out lights in a way that would put a smile on Sam Fisher’s face.
A World Trailer for AC Shadows went live in mid-September, showcasing a closer look at some of the locales in the open-world epic. Dense forested areas, villages, temples, and seaside cliffs will all be playgrounds for the Feudal Japan setting.
The video additionally highlights season changes, with one scene showing Yasuke trekking through thick snow while another sees Naoe navigating much warmer environments.
What platforms will AC Shadows launch on?
The next Assassin’s Creed experience will launch on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Luna platforms, according to the game’s pre-order page on the official Ubisoft Store.
Does AC Shadows have a release date?
After being delayed in September 2024, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now be released on February 14, 2025, and not November 2024 as was initially planned.
Special editions for Assassin’s Creed Shadows
In addition to the standard version priced at $69.99, the new Assassin’s Creed entry will launch with three extra additions.
The Gold Edition costs $109.99, offering three days of early access and a Season Pass that promises a day-one bonus quest and a pair of post-launch expansions.
For $129.99, players can purchase the Ultimate Edition, packed with everything in the Gold Edition plus the Ultimate Pack. The Ultimate Pack will feature all of the following:
- Sekiryu Character Pack: Gear and weapon sets for both Naoe and Yasuke, the Sekiryu Beast, and the Dragon Tooth trinket
- Sekiryu Hideout Pack: 4 unique ornaments to customize the hideout for your shinobi league
- 5 skill points
- Red Dragon filter for Photo mode
All three versions are currently available to pre-order, complete with the ‘Thrown to the Dogs’ quest as a pre-order bonus.
Ubisoft/GameStopPre-orders for a physical GameStop-exclusive Collector’s Edition have also gone live, boasting a price tag of $279.99 (PS5/Xbox Series). The Collector’s Edition includes:
- Diorama figurine with dual protagonists
- Ultimate Edition: Base game +3 days early access + Season pass + Ultimate pack
- Steelbook
- Hardcover artbook
- Shinobi’s metal tsuba replica with stand
- Silk Creed Kakemono roll
- Set of 3 sumi-e lithographs
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ setting and characters
AC Shadows has long been confirmed to take place during the feudal era of Japan, a period which lasted several hundred years. Late in 2023, an Insider Gaming report claimed two heroes would headline the Feudal Japan-set adventure.
The reveal has since confirmed as much. Yasuke, a historical figure, will star as the title’s Samurai character, with the fictional hero Naoe playing the part of a Shinobi.
In the above character breakdown video, Associate Narrative Director Brooke Davies noted that very little is known about Yasuke, an African man who landed in Japan in 1579 – the time at which AC Shadows’ story begins.
Yasuke’s real-life connections with the Jesuits, Portuguese, and other figures like Japanese daimyō Oda Nobunaga helped inform how the game’s developers integrated facts into this piece of Assassin’s Creed fiction.
Meanwhile, Naoe hails from the Iga province, which is “known as the birthplace of Shinobi.” Though she’s not a historical figure, the creative team incorporated antiquity into Naoe’s personal narrative by making her the daughter of an actual legendary Iga Shinobi, Fujibayashi Nagato.
The protagonists, thus, come to the events of Shadows from different sides, since Yasuke and Oda Nobunaga launch an attack against Iga. Their differing perspectives will also factor into their playstyles, with Yasuke’s Samurai build favoring combat while Naoe as a Shinobi emphasizes stealth.
Does AC Shadows always need to be online?
It was initially reported that Assassin’s Creed Shadows would require a mandatory Internet connection and would be a fully online game. The official Assassin’s Creed Twitter/X account has now confirmed that an Internet connection is only needed to install the game.
Once it’s installed, you can enjoy Assassin’s Creed Shadows offline without needing to connect to the Internet.
For more on all things related to the Assassin’s Order, check out our Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe hub and read up on every assassin confirmed for MTG: Assassin’s Creed.