Assassin’s Creed Origins review bombed and it’s not even Ubisoft’s fault

Assassin’s Creed Origins got a nasty surprise in December 2024, not from a Ubisoft blunder but from a Windows update.

Ubisoft has had its share of performance problems over the years, especially on PC. From Watch Dogs: Legion’s disastrous launch to ongoing stuttering in older titles like Watch Dogs 2, optimization issues have plagued the publisher.

Despite this, Assassin’s Creed Origins was a standout. It earned an 81 Metascore for PlayStation 4 and critical praise for its visuals, characters, and storytelling. Yet, the game has faced a surge of negative reviews recently, and it’s not because of Ubisoft’s usual failings.

The 2017 title, which once had “Very Positive” reviews on Steam, saw its rating plummet to “Mixed” in 2025’s Recent Reviews after Microsoft’s 24H2 update caused crashes, black screens, and freezes for many players. This issue isn’t Ubisoft’s fault, but it’s hurting the game’s reputation anyway.

Ubisoft kicks off 2025 on the wrong foot as 2017 AC drops to Mixed reviews

The real culprit here is Microsoft’s update. Players who installed Windows 11 24H2 reported game-breaking issues.

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Ubisoft games, including Assassin’s Creed Origins, became unresponsive, with players often greeted by black screens instead of Bayek’s ancient Egypt.

Even though both Microsoft and Ubisoft are aware of the problem and working together to fix it, no permanent solution has arrived yet. The only “fix” so far is reverting to the older Windows 11 version 23H2, which isn’t exactly a convenient option.

The backlash is understandable. One player vented on Steam after Ubisoft dropped a 90% discount for the Assassin’s Creed Origins Winter Sale, only for the game to be unplayable on Windows 11 24H2. “Why give a big discount but the game is not playable on PC? SHAME,” they raged.

Looking ahead, Ubisoft is struggling after disappointments like XDefiant and Star Wars Outlaws. With big releases planned for 2025, including a new Assassin’s Creed title and The Outer Worlds 2, the company has a lot to prove.