Summary
Multiple copies ofAssassin’s Creed Shadowsappear to have been inadvertently released early despite the game’s launch not being scheduled for nearly another month. There are multiple reports of players gettingAssassin’s Creed Shadows' physical and digital copies early and some legitimate-looking evidence to back up the claims.
The 14th mainline installment in Ubisoft’s action-adventure-turned-action-RPG franchise,Assassin’s Creed Shadowswas originally supposed to have launched back in the middle of November 2024, but it was pushed back to ensure cultural and historical accuracy to a new date of May 09, 2025. A little over a month before the amended launch day was to occur,Assassin’s Creed Shadowswas delayed again, this time set for release on Jul 01, 2025.
With its official launch date still nearly four weeks away, photo and video evidence suggests that some people have received the game early, either through PlayStation Network errors or by receiving a physical copy through unknown means. Both versions of the game seem to be functional, as early players have reportedly shared their thoughts on gameplay and have posted gameplay videos includingAssassin’s Creed Shadows' stealth-based protagonist Naoefighting a group of armed men and the game’s opening loading animations and menu screen. There is also an image album that shares additional details reportedly captured from the menu screens, including a description of Naoe’s weapon Death Whisperer, and sliders for visual options like brightness and contrast.
Some Players May Have Gotten Assassin’s Creed Shadows Nearly a Month Early
Some fans of the series are doubtful that the early releases are legitimate, claiming that the photos and videos have been manufactured as a hoax. Along with the unsubstantiated nature of claims about the return of Animus Anomalies, these fans believe that some clever manipulation of resources could have been used to recreate Naoe’s imagery from previously released footage from Ubisoft. Over on Steam, a bizarreAssassin’s Creed Shadowsparody game calledYasuke Simulatorhas been listed with the same launch date using much more crude artwork.
However, others are more accepting that the games could have been acquired early. Some believe physical copies of the game could have been inadvertently sold or taken illegally by store employees, similar to claims ofMcDonald’sPokemonHappy Mealtoys reportedly being sold online by restaurant employees last month. As for the alleged PSN leaks, the recent 24-hour outage from earlier this month has shown that the system is not without its faults, though there is no official confirmation thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowshas been released early through either source.
