Ubisoft Reveals Contentious Launch of AssassinS Creed Shadows Amid Fan Backlash
PARIS – Ubisoft faced a significant battle to overcome negative reception surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows prior to its launch, according to recent statements from company executives and reporting from game File and kotaku. The conflict stemmed from criticism alleging the game prioritized social messaging over entertainment, leading to a targeted harassment campaign against the developers.
The company pivoted its marketing strategy to emphasize Shadows as “a video game” first, aiming to reassure fans and counter accusations of pushing a specific agenda. As the narrator in a marketing video stated, the game is about ”to stand tall, to take risks, to speak up, even against the loudest haters,” with momentum shifting in Ubisoft’s favor by launch, according to Game File. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot acknowledged being “initially surprised by the extent of the attacks,” but affirmed the company’s commitment to entertainment.
The controversy extended beyond marketing. Ubisoft reportedly canceled a planned Assassin’s Creed game set in post-Civil War America due to concerns about potential political unrest, Game File reported. The company also directly responded to critics on social media, with the official Assassin’s Creed account publicly challenging a prominent account leading the anti-game campaign. Concurrently,developers were reportedly advised to refrain from posting about the release to avoid becoming targets of harassment,according to Kotaku.
While Assassin’s Creed Shadows received positive reviews and achieved strong initial sales-ranking as the third top-grossing game in the U.S.as of June-Ubisoft has since ceased public reporting of sales data. Despite the initial success, Ubisoft announced delays for several unannounced “blockbuster” titles earlier this year, suggesting a cautious approach to future releases following the turbulent launch of Shadows.