After a leak suggest Assassin's Creed Shadows will be getting a battle pass, Ubisoft sets the record straight on what you'll actually be paying for

Or what you won't be paying for, rather.

After an Assassin's Creed Shadows battle pass appeared to leak online, Ubisoft sets the record straight on if you have to pay for it or not.

While a lot of players might engage with them, battle passes aren't exactly a universally loved thing, as it's essentially just homework designed to keep you playing while nothing else is going on. They suck, honestly, and when a leak earlier this week seemed to suggest that the incoming Animus Hub, the hub area for Assassin's Creed games starting with Shadows, would have a battle pass that unlocks things like cosmetics, red flags were obviously raised at the prospect. It wasn't clear if it would be paid or not, with people obviously concerned that a paid battle pass attached to a single player game existed at all.

Now, over on the Assassin's Creed subreddit, Ubisoft has shared a statement on the matter clarifying whether you will need to spend extra money to collect said rewards or not. "Hello everyone. It has come to our attention that inaccurate rumors have been circulating online regarding the upcoming Animus Hub (ex-codename Infinity)," reads the post. "We wanted to take this occasion to clarify that all the rewards available in the Animus Hub will be entirely free. There are no paid subscriptions or paid battle pass featured in the Animus Hub. Players will have access to regular content & missions at no extra cost. We will unveil more details about it closer to the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Thank you!"

With Assassin's Creed Shadows being important as it is for Ubisoft (a developer who might be acquired by Tencent because it's doing so poorly), it's not surprising that it would want to set the record straight on something like this. It is good news that anything battle pass adjacent in the Animus Hub will be free, so let's just hope it stays that way.

Assassin's Creed Shadows was delayed in September, so it's now set to be released February 14, 2025, where it'll be available on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.