Ubisoft has had a challenging year with the cancelation of multiple games and the multiple delays to one of its flagship titles, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. However, there’s a chance that it could all turn around now that Shadows’ release date has been locked in for March 2025. Importantly, these delays and challenges have led to a hopefully improved Ubisoft, one that listens to fans, and that is evidenced by Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ first major piece of DLC.

Many may not know about AC Shadows’ first expansion, Claws of Awaji. The Shadows’ DLC was leaked back in January, although Ubisoft never officially confirmed it until much later. While Ubisoft has kept the DLC fairly under wraps, it has promoted it a little through trailers and posts on the game’s official website. The few details that it has openly discussed are quite exciting, and point to a fairly significant expansion, the likes of which Ubisoft is well-known for. However, it is what Claws of Awaji symbolizes for Ubisoft as a whole that’s important.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Has A Massive Free DLC

It’s Over 10-Hours Long

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ first expansion is set in the new open region of Awaji, a mysterious island that is being threatened by the Sanzoku Ippa, a villainous faction exclusive to the DLC. It has over 10 hours of content for players to get through, including the main story, side quests, and learning the new weapon it introduces, the Bō staff. Its length alone makes Claws of Awaji a DLC bigger than most games, not to mention the fact that it adds a whole new area for players to explore.

Interestingly, players will need to approach this new region with a different mindset, as the Sanzoku Ippa will be hunting them, rather than the other way around. According to the somewhat limited information about the DLC – which is due to release later in 2025 – players will need to “avoid the traps and ambushes set by those deadly new foes” as they navigate through the island, attempting to uncover its many secrets. Fans will need to utilize Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ improved stealth mechanics to survive and turn the tables on their enemies.

This DLC is completely free to everyone who pre-orders any edition of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, including physical copies. However, once the pre-order period has passed and AC Shadows has officially launched, fans will still be able to purchase the DLC when it eventually releases. Of course, the DLC isn’t dropping on day one, so even those who get it for free via the pre-order will need to wait for its release. However, this shift in strategy shows that Ubisoft has finally started listening to fans.

Ubisoft Is Learning From Fans

It Has Ditched The Season Pass Model

The fact that Claws of Awaji is free was not always the case. Assassin’s Creed Shadows used to have a season pass model, in which people would pay a large sum of money upfront for DLC that they had no idea whether it was going to be good or not. This traditional style of monetization has grown unfavorable over the years, with fans finding it to be too much of a gamble, especially when Ubisoft’s games have declined in quality recently. Fortunately, Ubisoft abandoned the season pass model for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, instead opting to sell each DLC individually.

It is worth noting that Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be receiving two major expansions post-launch, including Claws of Awaji. While the second expansion has not yet been announced, this means that fans have even more to look forward to once they’ve beaten the game.

The season pass wasn’t the only thing Ubisoft scrapped in its dramatic shift in strategy for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It also removed the early access pre-order bonus, which would have allowed fans to play the game several days early if they paid enough for the privilege. Fans have soured significantly on early access for AAA games, especially when it often doesn’t work, such as with Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. Ubisoft removing it is definitely a step in the right direction and illustrates it is listening to fans’ complaints.

However, these changes didn’t come from nowhere. Much of this was a direct result of the Assassin’s Creed Shadows controversy, Star Wars Outlaws being a critical and commercial failure, and Ubisoft’s declining stock value at the time. Ubisoft has needed to change strategy for years, but failed to as it was still working up until recently. The same can be said for other developers, who are similarly realizing the fact that players aren’t receptive to season passes or early access anymore. Nevertheless, it is still a positive change and one that should influence future releases.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Should Be The Blueprint For Future Ubisoft Games

Its Approach To DLC Is Perfect

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ approach to monetization as well as its pre-order bonuses should become the blueprint for future Ubisoft games. Giving a huge expansion away for free for those who pre-order the game is a genuinely meaningful incentive that makes risking putting down lots of money for a game that could be as broken as Star Wars Outlaws was at launch worth it. These changes are more consumer-friendly and feel like a return to form for the industry, as selling the base game followed by DLC down the line is how it should be.

However, it’s unlikely that Ubisoft will copy this monetization strategy wholesale with its future titles. Giving away a 10-hour expansion for free seems a little too generous, which is perhaps evidenced by Ubisoft’s lack of marketing for this promotion. It also came as a result of the controversy surrounding both Outlaws and Shadows, which Ubisoft will likely attempt to avoid with its next game. There may not be a need to quell fan outrage again, so Ubisoft may consider offering smaller-scale pre-order bonuses in the future.

Regardless, if Ubisoft leaves behind the season pass model and early access bonus, then that’s a huge win for fans. It ensures that people aren’t paying for products they have no guarantee will be functional at launch, and it also means that Ubisoft can’t prey on player FOMO. Ultimately, these changes are for the best and are demonstrative of a hopefully renewed developer with a better understanding of what its fans want. Considering that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is also a return to form mechanically and narratively, it seems like Ubisoft may finally be on its way to a comeback.