Assassin's Creed Shadows delayed again while Ubisoft feels lost

While the pressure is on for what’s next for Ubisoft after being challenged in all fronts, including gamers, shareholders and analyst, its management including Yves Guillemot, knows that the gaming world is not oblivious of any of the current situations an possible outcomes.

But things could be escalating as Ubisoft announced that a second delay for its highly-anticipated game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, was unavoidable.

Originally set to release on February 14, 2025, the game’s release date has now been pushed to March 20, 20252. This is the second delay for the game, which was initially scheduled to launch in November 2024.

Ubisoft stated that the delay is to allow developers more time to polish the game and incorporate player feedback. The company has been continually checking player feedback from the community and making changes accordingly. The additional time will help create the best conditions for launch by continuing to engage closely with the Assassin’s Creed community.

Ubisoft’s decision to delay the game is also seen as a strategic move to ensure that Assassin’s Creed Shadows becomes a bona-fide hit, potentially attracting more buyers if the company decides to sell.

The game is described as “the biggest entry in the franchise” and is expected to set a new standard for the series.

In the background, this is Ubisoft gaining some time

Before the delay announcement, Ubisoft issued a press release where CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the company has hired top international management consulting firms to explore strategic and capital options for the company’s future.

This move is part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at unlocking greater value for Ubisoft’s assets and franchises.

We made good progress on the strategic and execution reviews initiated a few months ago and are confident that this will position Ubisoft for a stronger future. We have taken decisive steps to reshape the Group in order to deliver best-in-class player experiences, enhance operational efficiency and maximize value creation. We also recently appointed leading advisors and are actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options to unlock the full value potential of our assets. We are convinced that there are several potential paths to generate value from Ubisoft’s assets and franchises.
Additionally, we are all behind our teams’ efforts to create the most ambitious Assassin’s Creed opus of the franchise and made the decision to provide an extra month of development to Shadows in order to better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months that will enable us to fully deliver on the potential of the game and finish the year on a strong note.

Guillemot emphasized that the goal is to pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.

The decision to hire consultants comes amid rumors of a potential sale of the company and it is a normal move when higher ups are unsure what to do next and/or cannot foresee if a new idea will actually be a success or not and how to prepare for either scenarios.

Reportedly, Ubisoft has been in discussions with several potential buyers, including Chinese giant Tencent, which is already a major shareholder. The company is also looking to drive significant cost reductions and adopt a highly selective approach to investments.