Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the next instalment in Ubisoft’s stealth/action-RPG franchise, will be released November 15 across PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X and Amazon Luna. Previously known as Assassin’s Creed Codename Red, the upcoming title will explore the long-requested setting of Feudal Japan through the eyes of two playable protagonists with distinct playstyles and abilities. Assassin’s Creed Shadows was fully revealed by Ubisoft with a near-four-minute-long cinematic trailer on Wednesday, detailing the game’s dual protagonists and its Japanese setting.
Ubisoft promises a vast open world with varied landscapes, dynamic weather and changing seasons for its next Assassin’s Creed title. Set in 16th-century feudal Japan, the game will drop players into the shoes of its two protagonists — Naoe, a lithe and stealthy shinobi assassin from the Iga Province, and Yasuke, an intimidating samurai based on historical legend. The two playable characters will offer distinct playstyles, with Naoe focussed on stealth and assassinations and Yasuke embodying brute combat prowess.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will follow the intertwined stories of its two protagonists, exploring their personal journeys as they encounter pivotal historical figures from the time and help “usher in a new era for Japan.” Both characters will come with their own progression paths, skills, weapon options, and stats, offering players unique ways to approach missions.
Naoe, the shinobi, can use noise, light, and shadows as means of distraction and evasion. Players can equip a variety of stealth-focussed tools like kunai, shuriken, and smoke bombs and infiltrate enemy bases with a grappling hook and parkour skills. Naoe will also don the iconic hidden blade in the game.
Yasuke, on the other hand, will be more in line with recent RPG-style Assassin’s Creed titles, favouring open combat with the ability to attack, parry and block. The samurai can be equipped with weapons like katana, kanabo, bows, naginata, and more. Yasuke is based on a real-life figure of African descent with the same name, who served a Japanese feudal lord in the 16th century.
While the cinematic trailer did not dive into gameplay features, Ubisoft confirmed that a gameplay-focussed trailer will be revealed in June. Additionally, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will allow players to build their own spy networks to gather vital information that reveals new areas and targets. Certain allies can also be recruited to aid in missions.
Alongside the reveal trailer and the launch date, Ubisoft also confirmed the available editions for the game. Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be available in Standard, Gold and Ultimate editions, all of which are up for pre-order now across PS, Xbox Series S/X and PS5. Pre-ordering the Gold and Ultimate editions will grant players three-day early access, Season Pass, and other in-game benefits. Additionally, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will also be available in a Collector’s Edition, which will include additional items like a steelbook, the world map, Naoe and Yasuke figurine, life-size Naoe’s Katana Tsuba, a Wall Creed Scroll, an 84 pages collector’s artbook and two sumi-e lithographs.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will launch on November 15. In addition to current-gen consoles, the game will be available on PC via Epic Games Store and Ubisoft store. Additionally, it will also be available on the publisher’s game subscription service Ubisoft+ and Mac computers with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store.