Yesterday, a dev diary showcasing Assassin’s Creed Shadows went live on the IGN China website. Since then, Ubisoft has announced that they are canceling their appearance at the Tokyo Game Show, which was due to take place from September 26 to September 29. In addition, Ubisoft has also canceled press previews of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows press previews were reportedly due to take place next week, with the embargo date being released during that time. However, they have since been canceled. It’s not been confirmed as to why the press previews have been canceled, but it’s a safe guess that it has something to do with the various leaks of Assassin’s Creed Shadows appearing online, and the huge controversy that has gone along with them.
Regarding their appearance at the Tokyo Game Show, they’ve cited their reason as “various circumstances,” which is a very broad and vague response as to why they are no longer showcasing at the exhibition. In addition to their appearance as an exhibitor at the Tokyo Game Show, they’ve also canceled the stream that was scheduled for September 26. Again, the reasons haven’t been stated, but it’s possible that it’s due to the significant amount of criticism Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been facing, with complaints citing that the game is an inaccurate representation of Japanese history and culture.
While the game is still expected to have a preview event at the end of September, it’s unsure as to whether there will be any event showcasing the game at all this month. Ubisoft has had a rocky year financially, with their share prices dropping significantly and their revenue taking a huge hit with games like Star Wars Outlaws and XDefiant not quite performing the way they were hoping.
Additionally, their shareholders are pushing for them to restructure the company, and to hire a new CEO, which, so far, the changes have not happened. Whether they will go ahead remains to be seen.
Although they are no longer doing the live stream showcasing the game, Ubisoft has stated that the ongoing giveaway campaign will continue despite the fact that the broadcast is no longer going ahead.
There is already huge speculation as to whether Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be delayed with all of the ongoing controversy and peculiar cancelations, but now it seems even more likely after they pulled out of the biggest Tokyo Game Show to date. Whether it will be severely delayed or it will just be a couple of weeks or months, remains to be seen.
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