Assassin's Creed Shadows Streams Early: A Month Before Official Release

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has made an unexpected early appearance online, with gameplay footage now being streamed and shared across the internet—nearly a month before its scheduled release date. According to reports from the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, previously posted content that has since been removed showed images and live gameplay from what appears to be a copy of the game purchased through an online marketplace. Additionally, listings for the game briefly appeared on a U.S.-based auction platform, where multiple copies were reportedly offered at $100 each, as noted by TheGamer.

More recently, Twitch streams featuring Assassin’s Creed Shadows have begun popping up, though they are being taken down swiftly, according to VGC. The official launch date for the game remains March 20, 2025, and IGN has reached out to Ubisoft for comment regarding the leak.

What's The Best Assassin's Creed Game?

Pick a winner

New duel 1ST!2ND!3RD

See your Results Finish playing for your personal results or see the community’s! Continue playing See results

This leak adds another layer of difficulty for Ubisoft, which has already faced numerous challenges surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows since its announcement. Despite these setbacks, Ubisoft recently reaffirmed that preorders for the title are performing well, aligning with those of Assassin's Creed Odyssey—the second most successful installment in the franchise.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot expressed optimism about the game's prospects: “Early previews have been positive, praising its narrative and immersive experience, with both characters playing critical roles in the game’s storyline, as well as the quality and complementarity of the gameplay provided by the dual protagonist approach.”

He continued, “I want to commend the incredible talent and dedication of the entire Assassin’s Creed team, who is working tirelessly to ensure that Shadows delivers on the promise of what is the franchise’s most ambitious entry yet.”

Originally slated for a November 2024 release, the game was first delayed to February 14, and then again to its current release date of March 20, 2025. With high expectations, Assassin’s Creed Shadows not only represents the first full entry in the series since 2020 but also marks a pivotal moment for Ubisoft, which is under pressure following recent commercial disappointments and growing investor concerns.

The promotional period has been rocky, including public apologies from the development team over inaccuracies in the game's portrayal of Japanese culture and unauthorized use of a historical recreation group’s flag. In another blow, collectible figure maker PureArts pulled an Assassin's Creed Shadows statue from sale due to its "insensitive" design.