Assassin's Creed Shadows Gameplay Leaks Before Launch

Assassin's Creed Shadows has surfaced online ahead of schedule, with unauthorized streams appearing nearly a month before its official launch.

As reported by the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, since-deleted social media posts displayed screenshots and gameplay footage from an individual who allegedly purchased the game through an online marketplace. Listings for the game also briefly appeared on a U.S. auction site, where one vendor reportedly sold multiple copies for $100 each, according to TheGamer.

Several Twitch streams featuring Assassin's Creed Shadows have since emerged, though platforms are actively removing them, as noted by VGC. The official global release for Assassin's Creed Shadows remains March 20, 2025. IGN has reached out to Ubisoft for a statement.

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This situation presents another challenge for Ubisoft, which has encountered multiple hurdles with Assassin's Creed Shadows since its initial announcement. Earlier this month, the company maintained that preorder numbers for the title were strong, despite a rocky development and promotional cycle.

In its most recent financial update, the publisher stated that "preorders are solid and tracking similarly to those of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the franchise's second most successful installment."

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot echoed this optimism. "Early previews have been encouraging, highlighting the engaging narrative and immersive world, with both protagonists playing essential roles in the story, as well as the quality and complementary gameplay offered by the dual protagonist system," he commented.

"I want to recognize the extraordinary talent and commitment of the entire Assassin’s Creed team, who are working relentlessly to ensure Shadows fulfills its promise as the most ambitious entry in the series to date."

Assassin's Creed Shadows was initially slated for a November release before being delayed to February 14. A subsequent postponement moved the launch to its current date of March 20.

Considerable expectations rest on Assassin's Creed Shadows—not only as the long-awaited Japanese installment and the first full-fledged Assassin's Creed game since 2020, but also because Ubisoft is counting on its success following recent commercial disappointments and growing investor concern.

So far, the game's promotional efforts have been marred by several missteps. The development team publicly apologized on separate occasions for inaccurate cultural depictions of Japan and for using a historical reenactment group's flag without approval.

Another point of contention arose when collectible manufacturer PureArts withdrew an Assassin's Creed Shadows statue from sale due to its "insensitive" design.