Insider Report Adds Context to Assassin's Creed Shadows' Big Delay

The abrupt and lengthy delay of Assassin's Creed Shadows last week, from November to February, surprised fans. Ubisoft cited learnings from Star Wars Outlaws as a big part of the reason. Internally, however, the developers knew it was coming and necessary. Not wanting to release another big game in an undercooked state, there are a few other interesting reasons for the rescheduling, according to a new report.

Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming spoke to sources familiar with the subject, pointing to "a strict development timeline, polishing, and addressing the Japanese community’s cultural and historical accuracy concerns" as contributing factors. A persistent rumour that one of the game's two protagonists, the African samurai Yasuke, was being removed has taken hold among those ignorant of game development, and Henderson quashes that notion.

That said, the developers have reportedly been actively addressing concerns about historicity and Japanese cultural concerns since the game's reveal and external playtesting. Bafflingly, it's alleged that historical experts were brought on much later than is usually the case for AC titles, and miscommunication between teams ensued, with corners being cut to meet asset deadlines.

Some aspects of Yasuke's story and portrayal have been altered, and some architectural details will be changed; that last probably means the removal/alteration of one-legged Torii gate imagery, which is synonymous with Nagasaki's Sanno Shrine, one of few structures still standing after the atomic blast in 1945. Again, in a real rookie move, Ubisoft decided this was imagery it wanted to use as a backdrop for merch, which leaves us scratching our heads over how this and the flag stuff ever got through.