Charles Benoit, who has been with Ubisoft for 19 years in various Game Design and Direction roles for the Assassin’s Creed franchise (as well as for Watch Dogs and For Honor) addressed the reasons behind the delays for AC Shadows in an interview with Screen Rant. He discussed that the development time had been spent focusing on “tweaking and polishing,” rather than a “big shift” in aspects of the gameplay or design. While Benoit mentions that the development of AC Shadows during this period has focused on making the progression balanced, and the parkour and combat experiences smoother, he clarifies that these adjustments are “really minor,” stating:
“The real addition we did [with the delay time], it’s a bit of more going back on the parkour and seeing, okay, what can smooth out the parkour on those roofs? You saw the roofs — there is a lot of complexity in the architecture. So, how can we make it smoother? How can we speed up some transitions?
“And the fights, same thing. Can we polish the realization, make it more impactful? And so, it was more tweaking and polishing more than okay, let’s redo this or adding that. We did some change on the progression balancing, but it’s a really minor. We felt we had the experience, but just polishing it and making it more balanced, it really helped for that.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Delays, Explained
Minor Improvements Rather Than Major Overhauls
After two game delays for Shadows, plenty of fans were concerned about the progress of the game, voicing worry over how it may be progressing behind the scenes. Benoit’s new details on the team’s focus during the extended development for AC Shadows offer insight – and reassurance – that the delays have allowed the team to refine core gameplay elements rather than overhaul key aspects of the hugely popular stealth-action series.
Parkour has been a major selling point of the game so far, and hearing that the developers have used the additional time granted by the delays to perfect and refine this mechanic – among others – should be music to the ears of those who are keen to see what changes the game will bring to the franchise. As a previous game in the franchise, Assassin’s Creed Unity launched with an infamous number of bugs and technical glitches (especially with parkour), Ubisoft’s focus on fine-tuning the game’s systems should ensure “smoother” parkour, and “impactful” combat, which are the two foundations of the Assassin’s Creed experience.
Our Take: Game Delays Are Rarely A Bad Thing
Ironing Out Technical Issues Will Ensure A Smoother Release
While any delay is typically met with disappointment from those eager to get their hands on a game, it’s ultimately for the best that any title is shipped in the best state possible. Following some technical issues with Star Wars Outlaws launch last year Ubisoft described that players’ “valuable feedback” would be implemented after the company had experienced “learnings” from the launch, which may be a factor in the design to ultimately delay Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In the case of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft appears to be taking the time to address the finer aspects of the AC experience, which will be set in 16th-century Japan for the 14th iteration in the mainline series.
2024 was a disappointing year for Ubisoft, as games like XDefiant, Skull and Bones, and Star Wars Outlaws all arguably failed to capture audiences, with the latter being significantly notable for its disappointing sales. Ubisoft’s focus on polishing the next AC game shows a commitment to quality. While fans’ patience may have been tested, it’s a small price to pay for what many hope will be a memorable experience in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
