Assassin's Creed Shadows release date delayed to 2025

Ubisoft has announced its highly-anticipated upcoming game Assassin's Creed Shadows has been delayed until next year.

Instead of releasing it on 12 November as previously planned, it has been pushed back to 14 February 2025.

It follows the disappointing performance of another of the firm's major titles, Star Wars Outlaws, and concerns from some about how Ubisoft is being run.

The game's executive producer Marc-Alexis Cote said the developers "need more time to polish and refine the experience".

"We understand this decision will come as disappointing news," he said.

"But we sincerely believe this is in the best interest of the game."

In a trading update sent to Ubisoft's investors, seen by the BBC, the firm - which is headquartered in France - said despite the game being "feature complete" it needed more time.

"The learnings from the Star Wars Outlaws release led us to provide additional time to further polish the title," it reads.

Star Wars Outlaws was released in August to strong reviews, but early players complained of bugs and glitches.

In its trading update, Ubisoft notes sales of the game were "softer than expected", which it seemed to be putting down to a lack of polish.

Mr Cote said the firm would refund fans who had pre-ordered the game, and promised a free expansion to anyone who placed a new pre-order for the revised launch.

:story: BBC News