Ubisoft Addresses Assassin's Creed Shadows Leak

Yesterday, February 24, we reported that Assassin’s Creed Shadows had leaked online, with numerous people streaming the game a month ahead of its official release date on March 20.

Over the weekend, as noted by the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, now-deleted social media posts revealed physical copies of the game being sold before its street date, and multiple streams of the unreleased game appeared on platforms like Twitch.

Ubisoft, the developer and publisher, has responded to the leak, confirming on the Assassin's Creed subreddit that they were aware of the issue. They urged players not to "spoil the experience for others."

"We are aware that players have accessed Assassin’s Creed Shadows ahead of its official release. Our development team is still working on patches to ensure the best experience at launch, and any footage shared online does not reflect the final quality of the game.

"Leaks are unfortunate and can reduce the excitement for players," Ubisoft stated. "We kindly ask you not to spoil the experience for others. Thank you to our community for already taking steps to protect everyone from spoilers.

"Stay in the shadows, avoid the spoilers, and keep an eye on our channel for more official surprises in the coming weeks! March 20 will be here soon!"

The leaks represent another challenge for Ubisoft and its flagship Assassin's Creed series. The development team has previously had to apologize for using a historical recreation group's flag without permission, and for inaccuracies in Assassin's Creed Shadows' depictions of Japan.

Assassin's Creed Shadows was originally set to release in November, but Ubisoft delayed it first to February 14, and then to the current release date of March 20. With struggling Ubisoft needing a strong performance after disappointing sales of other recent releases and facing investor backlash, the success of this game is crucial.