Ubisoft cancels Assassin's Creed Shadows early access and other changes

As Ubisoft continues facing challenges with its game releases, it has confirmed that AC Shadows won't release in early access as planned. Moreover, the team behind PoP: The Lost Crown has reportedly been disbanded due to unmet sales expectations.

Ubisoft Cancels Assassin's Creed Shadows Early Access ReleaseAssassin's Creed Shadows Collector's Edition's Price Gets Discounted

As announced by Ubisoft through a Discord Q&A session, Assassin's Creed Shadows' early access release has been canceled altogether. Previously, early access was granted to those who bought Assassin’s Creed Shadows Collector’s Edition but now, with the recent development, the game won't be accessible earlier than its actual release date.

This confirmation comes following the announcement of Assassin's Creed Shadows' release date getting delayed to February 14, 2025. The game will launch next year for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Apart from the game's early access release getting canceled, Ubisoft also confirmed that it will no longer be implementing season passes, as well as cutting down the price of Assassin’s Creed Shadows Collector’s Edition from $280 to $230. For those looking to still grab the collector's edition, it will still come with the official artbook, steelbook, figurine, and other announced goodies. In addition, there have been reports claiming that developer Ubisoft Quebec intends to add a co-op mode to Assassin's Creed Shadow that will allow two players to use both of the game's antagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, side-by-side. However, this has not been confirmed nor announced so take it with a grain of salt.

According to Insider Gaming, Ubisoft had decided on canceling early access due to "issues Ubisoft has had thus far maintaining historical accuracy and cultural representation." This was also indicated as one of the reasons for the game's official release date getting pushed back to February next year, on top of Ubisoft Quebec requiring more time to polish the game, per the news site.

Ubisoft Disbands Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Dev TeamPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown Sales Cited as Main Factor

Ubisoft has disbanded the team that worked on this year's acclaimed action-platformer spinoff Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The team behind the game consisted of a group of developers under the company's Ubisoft Montpellier arm. According to a report from French media outlet Origami, the company had decided to dissolve the team, despite positive reviews for The Lost Crown, due to unmet sales expectations. Though the company had not disclosed its sales numbers, it has previously indicated that it was disappointed with the game's performance amid a rocky year overall for Ubisoft.

In a statement to IGN, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown senior producer Abdelhak Elguess said that they are "extremely proud of our team's work and passion at Ubisoft Montpellier to create a game that resonated with players and critics alike, and I am confident in its long-term success." He added, "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is now at the end of its post-launch roadmap with three free content updates and one DLC that released in September."

Elguess said that they are now focused on making the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown available to more players on different platforms. This game is expected to be available on Mac "by this winter." "Most of the team members who worked on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have shifted to other projects that will benefit from their expertise," he added. "We know players have a love for this brand and Ubisoft is excited to bring more Prince of Persia experiences in the future."