Why Assassin's Creed Shadows Leaks Are A Bigger Deal Than You Realized

Assassin's Creed Shadows has had a tumultuous few months, with Ubisoft coming under fire for content in the game, its marketing, and the numerous delays that have pushed the game's release date all the way into March 2025. However, perhaps the worst thing to happen to Assassin's Creed Shadows is that physical copies were shipped out over a month too early, resulting in fans getting their hands on the game well ahead of its scheduled release date. This, naturally, has led to a number of spoilers floating around online, which is detrimental to both fans and developers.

People have been streaming AC Shadows gameplay via Twitch, resulting in fans getting to see an early build of the game pre-post launch patches that typically fix any issues reviewers encounter while playing before release. This isn't the first major leak, but it does help illustrate a growing problem in the video game industry, one that is hurting all types of developers, from indie to AAA, and the consumers of their games, those who would rather avoid story and gameplay spoilers, or those who take bad-faith criticism at firsthand and miss out on playing games they may otherwise enjoy.

What Happened With Assassin's Creed Shadows Leaks?

Physical Copies Got To Fans Early

Assassin's Creed Shadows leaks, unlike other recent AAA leaks, were due to physical copies being shipped out too early to consumers who had pre-ordered the game. This isn't uncommon, as it has happened numerous times, even going as far back as the original GTA 5 launch in 2013, which Amazon shipped early to unsuspecting fans. While there has been no official confirmation on how this happened, it is likely due toAssassin's Creed Shadows' numerous delays, which some stores may not have been completely aware of, or may have misunderstood and released copies earlier than intended.

Ubisoft has responded to these leaks, stating via the official Assassin's CreedX account that the gameplay seen in the leaked footage is not representative of the final product that fans will get their hands on in March. Ubisoft explained that "the development team is still working on patches to prepare the experience for launch" which will likely take the form of day-one patches or even post-launch patches. Of course, this is largely Ubisoft attempting to put out fires - it has also been taking down footage, images, and posts referring to the leaks - but it is also the truth.

Review copies that are sent out ahead of time can be much buggier than the version players receive at launch. Reviewers take this into account, but those who've received these leaked copies won't. Therefore, the Shadows gameplay people are seeing on Twitch could give fans a false impression of the final experience. Regardless, this leak is a small part of an increasingly problematic issue within the gaming industry. In many ways, Assassin's Creed Shadows got off lightly, especially compared to other AAA games that had been leaked well ahead of time, to the detriment of the hardworking developers making them.

Leaks Are Getting Worse In Gaming

Assassin's Creed Shadows Isn't The First To Be Hit

Wolverine with his claws out in the trailer for Marvel's Wolverine.

Leaks have always been prevalent in the industry, but as team sizes and development time have increased over the past decade, along with the high-profile nature of certain releases, they've become more frequent. The most famous example would be the GTA 6 leak, which saw law enforcement across multiple nations get involved in a hunt for the hacker who published 90 videos from the upcoming Rockstar game to the internet, spoiling not only years of hard work but also showcasing an unfinished version of a game that the developer has worked incredibly hard to keep under wraps.

A year later, Insomniac Games, the developer behind Marvel's Spider-Man and the upcoming Marvel's Wolverine, was also hit with a catastrophic leak after deciding to not give into blackmail. That saw Marvel's Wolverine gameplay leak as well as information surrounding future Insomniac games and canceled projects, such as the multiplayer Marvel's Spider-Man game. The leak was incredibly damaging to the company and the people who worked there, as a lot of the leaked documents contained personal and private information regarding Insomniac Games employees.

Ezio in front of a colorized and slightly blurred background of Assassin's Creed Shadows.

I Just Realized If Assassin's Creed Shadows Fails, We Won't Get This Long-Requested Setting Next

Unfortunately, the success of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows is directly tied to a highly requested setting that players want to see.

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In both instances, a hacker or group of hackers were behind the leaks, making them specifically targeted attacks done with the intention of blackmailing or damaging the companies behind the games. However, other information simply gets leaked by unnamed inside sources, often spread via the GamingLeaksAndRumors subreddit. Most recently, details regarding the Switch 2's design and specifications were leaked via these kinds of subreddits and online sources, often coming from third-party accessory manufacturers or people claiming they know someone inside of Nintendo.

These types of leaks aren't quite as impactful as they don't directly impact the livelihood of individuals, but they are nevertheless extremely damaging. Other examples include The Last of Us 2'sstory and gameplay being leaked well ahead of launch, or even when media outlet Kotaku revealed information regarding Fallout 4 prior to its release date. Leaks are happening on a more or less daily basis at this point, but it is often difficult to discern the validity of them, which can become confusing for fans, while inadvertently - or potentially purposefully - damaging the reputations of developers.

Why Leaks Hurt Developers - And Fans

It Ruins Launches And Stories

Assassin's Creed Shadows Yasuke and Nobunaga on horseback.

While some may enjoy leaks as they give them an inside look at a game long before launch, they are not only damaging to the sales and reputations of developers but also do not benefit fans in any way. As aforementioned, leaks like the Assassin's Creed Shadow's one end up painting an incomplete picture of a game, leading to ill-informed expectations, and spoiling crucial story moments that detract from the impact the game may have had. Fans interested in an upcoming game are therefore unfairly punished, especially as it is difficult to avoid spoilers in today's digital age.

Of course, more importantly, these leaks, like the GTA 6, Insomniac Games, and Nintendo Switch 2 ones, directly hurt developers and their projects. The leaked GTA 6 gameplay footage led to misconceptions about how it would look in the final stages and the importance of visuals in early game development. Insomniac's future lineup being spoiled robbed it of the excitement and hype it could build through marketing, which may potentially hurt sales in the future. It also spoiled the look and gameplay style of Marvel's Wolverine, which may negatively set expectations for some before it is even officially shown off.

AC Shadows woman character looking at a blade

Assassin's Creed Shadows Voice Actors On The "Multitudes" Of Naoe & Trophy Hunting Tricks

Assassin's Creed Shadows actors Miyuri Shimabukuro and Mutsuki Iwanaka talk their in-game roles, trophy hunting, and where the series should go next.

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Many attribute the leaking of Half-Life 2 - which negatively impacted its sales -as a cause for Valve never committing to Half-Life 3. This is without mentioning the emotional and financial impact that leaks have on individual developers who have put so much work into a project only to have it spoiled before it's finished. It feels obvious, but leaks do not help the consumer and only hurt the developer. Unfortunately, they're hard to stop, as people's curiosity, greed, and desire to ruin things for others, including Assassin's Creed Shadows, often trumps doing the right thing.

Source: Assassin's Creed/X, GamingLeaksAndRumors/Reddit