Assassin's Creed Shadows immerses players in 16th century Japan. The country is heading toward a brutal path to unification, where unrest grows as new coalitions appear and corrupt foreign influences infiltrate the land.Players will experience the intertwined stories of Naoe, an adept shinobi Assassin from the Iga Province, and Yasuke, the powerful samurai of historical legend. Discover their personal stories, meet pivotal historical figures, and shape the duo’s common destiny as they usher in a new era for Japan.
As Naoe and Yasuke, players can master two complementary playstyles, with each character featuring their own progression paths, skills, weapon options, and stats. Whether they embrace Naoe’s stealth skills or Yasuke’s combat prowess, players will have plenty of ways to approach objectives. With Naoe, they will experience refined infiltration mechanics using light, noise, shadows, and changing surroundings to avoid detection from enemies. With Yasuke, they will be able to take on larger groups of enemies with brutal precision.
The game will let players explore a vast open world with a variety of landscapes evolving through weather and seasons. From spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and pastoral landscapes, feudal Japan comes to life with unprecedented dynamism built from the ground up with the latest version of Anvil engine and the power of new-gen consoles.
In this troubled period, information is key and will be at the heart of the renewed exploration mechanics. Players will build their own spies’ network to unveil new areas and hunt down targets. Allies with highly specialized skills and abilities can also be recruited to help during missions. The creation of their own customizable hideout will enable players to enhance their network and train their new crew. From base building and layout to decorations and accessories, they will be able to craft a unique place to call home.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is about to turn one!
Since launch, the experience has evolved with new features and updates, shaped in large part by your feedback. Our recent parkour refinements are a direct result of regular feedback sessions, both in person and online, with our most engaged players and creators.
On behalf of the entire Shadows team: THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THE JOURNEY! This past year has been a rewarding learning experience for us, built on this strong collaboration. We want to carry this mindset forward as a foundation to further strengthen our connection with you in the future.
Come celebrate with us on March 20!
Now it’s time to celebrate! Tune in to our official Ubisoft Twitch channel for a livestream starting at 10AM PT / 1PM ET with a focus on our latest game update and we might even reveal the winners of our Parkour Challenge, along with some drops and giveaways.
As we reach this milestone, Shadows will be moving into its final phase of support.
We’re winding things down with smaller, less frequent updates… but still a few surprises! At the same time, our teams will begin shifting more focus toward what’s next for Assassin’s Creed.
So, what’s next?
Codename HEXE
While we know we haven’t shared much about this one yet, it’s being built with great care by our veteran team here at Ubisoft Montreal. Expect a unique, darker, narrative driven Assassin’s Creed experience, set during a pivotal moment in history. You may have seen the recent news: I have recently taken the role of Creative Director for the project, in addition to my new responsibilities as Head of Content.
We are taking the time to deliver on its ambitious vision, which means we’ll be quiet for a while longer, but we love seeing all the enthusiasm happening on our channels and can’t wait to unveil more when the time is right.
Codename INVICTUS is progressing steadily with a test and learn approach.
Codename Invictus is a PvP multiplayer Assassin’s Creed experience led by a dedicated team of For Honor veterans at Ubisoft Montreal.
We understand there’s a lot of curiosity around this project: yes, it’s a new approach to multiplayer in the franchise, but it isn’t quite what the rumors have suggested. With player feedback at the heart of our approach, we’re exploring ways to bring the community in earlier so we can shape the experience together.
The team is incredibly passionate about what they’re building, and their work reflects our broader goal of offering a wider variety of experiences within the Assassin’s Creed universe.
Beyond these, we have several other projects currently in the works, all at different stages of development, including Assassin’s Creed Jade. We’re also looking into bringing coop back to Assassin’s Creed—a detail we know didn’t go unnoticed. And while we recently chose to pivot away from an early project, the lessons from that work are already helping shape our approach going forward.
What matters most to us is giving each project the time it deserves and releasing them when they are ready.
Speculation around Assassin’s Creed is not new, but it’s worth repeating: “Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.” Well, except in this case, some whispers have a little more wind in their sails. Keep your spyglass on the horizon.
Now, let’s look at imminent updates!
Expect more news on the Netflix live-action series very soon!
Yes, it’s been a long time in the making, but Assassin’s Creed is taking the leap to a live-action series! You may have seen news about the cast lately, and we can’t wait for you to discover more.
Finally, continuing to support our older games matter to us. We know how much those titles mean to many of you, and that they’re often the first entry point for new players discovering the franchise.
And on this topic, we have a last thing to share…
A free 60 FPS patch for AC Unity is coming to Xbox One and PS5 tomorrow! We know some of you have been waiting for it for a long time, so get ready to re-experience 18th century Paris and Arno’s fancy parkour moves with more smoothness on consoles! And for our Xbox players out there, we’ve got a little treat, as multiple Assassin’s Creed games will be playable for free for a limited time via Xbox Free Play Days, from April 2nd to 6th! Perfect time to try Unity in that 60 FPS beauty.
Thank you for being part of the journey.
As we conclude this update, for all our projects in development, we want to involve our most engaged fans in shaping them. If you’d like to be part of that, join the conversation—whether on our Discord or across our online channels. We’re always look for passionate voices to share ideas, perspectives, and feedback to inspire our work and help shape the future of the franchise.
Until next time, Assassins.
Assassin's Creed Shadows is available for Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam, Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store).
More articles about Assassin's Creed Shadows