‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Disaster Continues To Unfold As Ubisoft Pulls Out Of Tokyo Game Show, Cancels Scheduled Press Previews

Yasuke (TBA) receives a new mission in Assassin's Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Yasuke (TBA) receives a new mission in Assassin's Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft

In the latest indicator that things are not going well for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft has not only announced a last-minute cancellation to their plans to exhibit the highly controversial title at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, but the developer has also reportedly pulled the plug on the game’s scheduled press previews.

Yasuke (TBA) draws his blade in Assassin's Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Yasuke (TBA) draws his blade in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft

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This recent storm of bad news for the action-adventure franchise’s first Japan-based entry first made landfall on the morning of September 24th when the official Japanese Assassin’s Creed Shadows Twitter account shared an image announcing that they would no longer be participating in the aforementioned TGS.

“Regarding our online exhibit at Tokyo Game Show 2024 scheduled to start at 3:00 PM on September 26th, we regret to inform you that due to various circumstances, we have decided to cancel our exhibit,” wrote Ubisoft. “The currently ongoing giveaway campaign [in which the developer is offering a ¥5,000 yen gift cards to five random fans] to commemorate the official release will continue.”

“We apologize for the short notice,” they concluded. “We sincerely apologize to everyone who was looking forward to the release.”

Ubisoft Japan announces they will no longer be presenting at the Tokyo Game Show 2024.
Ubisoft Japan (@UBISOFT_JAPAN) via Twitter

As if this wasn’t bad enough for Ubisoft, just a few hours after this initial TGS announcement, Insider Gaming‘s Tom Henderson reported that, per his “various sources”, the developer had canceled the entirety of Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ upcoming press previews.

“The Assassin’s Creed Shadows press previews were scheduled to take place next week,” explained Henderson of the cancelled events, “and the embargo date for the previews would be announced then.”

Yasuke (TBA) reveals himself in Assassin's Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Yasuke (TBA) reveals himself in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft

RELATED: ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Art Director Responds To Criticisms Regarding Game’s Depiction Of Japan: “We’ve Paid A Lot Of Attention To Stay As Respectful As Possible To Japanese Culture, But Creative Choices Are Made On Our Side”

At current, Ubisoft has yet to publicly provide any specific details regarding their reasoning behind their above cancellations.

However, in light of the absolutely abysmal state of Shadows‘ gameplay, visual aesthetics, and overall presentation, many players have begun to speculate that these recent moves are being done ahead in service of an upcoming delay to the game’s release date, which would theoretically push it back from its currently planned November 15th debut.

Yasuke (TBA) and Naoe (TBA) look to the future in Assassin's Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Yasuke (TBA) and Naoe (TBA) look to the future in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft

And in further compounding their Assassin’s Creed Shadows related issues, while all this re-scheduling is going on, the game has also found itself under fire due to the recent reveal that a planned Qlectors figure featuring protagonists Yasuke and Naoe features the latter leaping from a broken Japanese torri gate, which many have considered to be in poor taste due to the nation’s reverence of a one-legged torri gate in Nagasaki which survived the initial atomic bomb blast during World War II, itself seen as a national symbol of the tragedy that took place due to the conflict.

Yasuke and Naoe prepare for a fight in Purearts' Qlectors figure
Yasuke and Naoe prepare for a fight in Purearts’ Qlectors figure

All in all, it seems Shadows is likely, if not at least briefly, headed back to the drawing board.

However, given how far along the game is in development, it’s unlikely that any additional ‘polish’ will do anything more than put a fresh coat of paint on a freshly laid dropping.

NEXT: ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Lead Producer Claims “We Are Trying To Create A Game That Is As Authentic As Possible”

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