Ubisoft has decided to delay Assassin’s Creed Shadows a further month, in order to incorporate more player feedback into the launch game, it’s announced.

Shadows, which was previously delayed from last November to February 2025, will now be released on Match 20.

In a statement, Ubisoft said the additional development time would allow it to “better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months and help create the best conditions for launch by continuing to engage closely with the increasingly positive Assassin’s Creed community”.

Previously, Ubisoft said it was confident a second delay would not be necessary. In the original postponement, the company announced it was departing from its traditional season pass model, canceling early access to the title, and granting players who pre-ordered the game its first expansion for free.

Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are all behind our teams’ efforts to create the most ambitious Assassin’s Creed opus of the franchise and made the decision to provide an extra month of development to Shadows in order to better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months that will enable us to fully deliver on the potential of the game and finish the year on a strong note.”

The delay comes alongside news that Ubisoft has appointed advisors to review “various transformational strategic and capitalistic options” for the business, following a year in which its market value has more than halved.

Following Assassin’s Creed Shadow’s first delay, and the disappointing launch performance of Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft‘s share price dropped to its lowest point in nearly 11 years. Then, last month, its online shooter XDefiant was discontinued, and three studios were closed.

According to reports, this had led the controlling Guillemot family to explore a potential deal that could take the company private. Speaking in a web call on Thursday, Yves Guillemot declined to comment on the reports.

In Thursday’s announcement, Ubisoft said the company would drive “significant cost reductions” exceeding €200 million annually, but it did not specify how it would do so.

Guillemot said: “We have taken decisive steps to reshape the Group in order to deliver best-in-class player experiences, enhance operational efficiency and maximize value creation.

“We also recently appointed leading advisors and are actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options to unlock the full value potential of our assets. We are convinced that there are several potential paths to generate value from Ubisoft’s assets and franchises. “

Posted: 17 hours, 8 minutes ago
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Source: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ubisoft-has-delayed-assassins-creed-shadows-again-to-incorporate-player-feedback/