Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been a very troubled game for Ubisoft, and has plagued the publisher/developer with numerous issues.

To say that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is Ubisoft’s do or die moment would be a bit of an understatement. After all, the company has been subject to numerous controversies as of late, with multiple failed projects as well – putting its sustainability in serious jeopardy.

As per recent reports online, Shadows might already have been leaked in its entirety to multiple users, which could be a cause of concern for them – assuming it wasn’t intentional in the first place.

Physical copies of Assassin’s Creed Shadows distributed to multiple players

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been leaked | Image Credit: Ubisoft

Detailed by multiple reports online, physical versions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows have made their way to the hands of players nearly a month ahead of its official launch on March 20, 2025.

This naturally, includes only the console versions of the game – that is, for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 – and not the PC, which is digital only. This information has been verified by multiple owners of said copies, with many of them providing in-game screenshots to verify the same.

Depending on the nature of the leak, and how many users have had their hands on the game – the situation could be most dire for Ubisoft, who is already treading on thin ice with its recent controversy with the title in Japan.

Shadows has been a very controversial title thanks to its inclusion of Yasuke as one of its dual protagonists, with many calling the game ‘woke’ in its wake. It’s not just player opinion that’s haunting Ubisoft, though.

The game was recently charged with legal action in Japan. This is thanks to its ‘inappropriate’ depiction of Shrines, many of which can be easily destroyed. The footage, which showcased the destruction of the Shrine, has not stood with officials from the Itate Hyozu Shrine, who consider it highly offensive.

Wake up, Ubisoft “defender,” and hear our voice! What kind of Assassin’s Creed game destroys an actual religious site? Japanese culture is consumed but receives no respect. Here is a perfect example. pic.twitter.com/UsfWMgy53n

— Shohei Kondo (@shoheikondo) January 31, 2025

As depicted in the video, players can enter and ransack the shrine to their heart’s content. It should be kept in mind here that players are not directed to destroy anything here – it is simply the player’s own actions on show here.

Ubisoft has been facing a lot of controversy recently | Image Credit: Ubisoft

However, the possibility of being able to do so has caused a fair bit of controversy. Ubisoft is no stranger to controversy at this point, but a leak of this magnitude could very well spell doom for the franchise and the company as a whole.

Even more damning is the fact that these players have access to a full version of the game, and could release gameplay clips (containing an awful lot of spoilers) to the public, further ruining the game for everyone.

A genuine slip up, or an intentional marketing ploy?

Ubisoft is yet to respond | Image Credit: Ubisoft

While gaming leaks aren’t exactly anything new, a leak of this magnitude with no proper response from Ubisoft seems to be quite an interesting situation. After all, one would expect Ubisoft of all people to crack down on leakers with extreme prejudice.

It could be argued that Ubisoft could very well have staged this in an attempt to gain more publicity for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. After all, any publicity is good publicity.

Ubisoft’s social media handles seem to be handling the situation remarkably well given its severity, and the fact that there are barely any spoilers being released onto the internet also adds credibility to the theory.

However, at the end of the day, a theory is all this is, and Ubisoft could very well be attempting to take their time and discuss legal options in order to combat leaks.