Summary
It’s not uncommon for AAA games to be delayed these days, and that’s especially true of highly controversial titles such asAssassin’s Creed Shadows. However,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis a bit of a different story than most, as it has faced nearly insurmountable odds against criticism, despite being what would have otherwise simply been the setting and gameplay manyAssassin’s Creedfans have been dreaming of for quite some time. On account of this criticism,Assassin’s Creed Shadowswas already delayed once, moving its release date from June 22, 2025 to May 25, 2025, and now it has been delayed once more, with a new release date of July 13, 2025.
The reason for this delay, Ubisoft has stated, is so that the studio can focus more on refiningAssassin’s Creed Shadows' gameplayby continuing to incorporate feedback from players. While this may work in favor of the game’s quality in the long run, it’s still a bit of a disappointment for those who have long awaited its release.Assassin’s Creed Shadows' quality isn’t the only thing the most recent delay might benefit either, as its new release date could help it to avoid a launch window that has become famous for an unprecedented number of big titles all being released in the same month this year.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Latest Delay Might Work in Its Favor
February 2025 Is Stacked With Big Titles
By now, it’s fairly common knowledge in the gaming space that February 2025 is poised to be one of the biggest launch windows in video game history, and this was previously made even truer byAssassin’s Creed Shadows' addition to the lineup after its first delay. While2023 was one of the biggest years for gaming, it has been a long time since a single month was so stacked with highly anticipated titles, and most of them AAA at that.
The biggest titles launching in February 2025 are as follows:
While each of these games appeals to a vastly different audience, for the most part, it simultaneously means thatFebruary 2025’s biggest game releasesencompass a wide variety of genres, from open-world RPG to RTS to action adventure. When all is said and done, wereAssassin’s Creed Shadowsstill slated for a February 14 launch, it might find itself completely outnumbered, especially in light of the dissension it has been drowning in ahead of its release.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Latest Delay Distances It From the Competition
Delaying a game once or even twice for the sake of ensuring its quality is one thing, and it’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for why a studio might choose to do so. However,Assassin’s Creed Shadows' most recent delayalmost kills two birds with one stone, not only giving Ubisoft more time to focus on implementing player feedback and refining its gameplay, but also effectively distancing it from many of 2025’s biggest releases. There are over a dozen games launching in March, but none of them pose as much a threat toAssassin’s Creed Shadowsas those launching in February. As such, the upcomingAssassin’s Creedgame’s new release date of March 20 might be a necessary evil.
Of course, there are no guarantees thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowswon’t be delayed again, in light of Ubisoft’s renewed focus on gameplay quality and Day-1 experiences. It’s clear that Ubisoft is doing everything it possibly can toencourage a more positive reception ofAssassin’s Creed Shadowsthan the developer’s latest games have been able to achieve. For now, fans will have to wait until the third week of March to see how everything turns out, and hopefully they won’t have to wait any longer than that.
