Yesterday was quite the day for the announcement of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows game, that’s for sure. Outside of the apparent discourse that set the internet on fire, there was also the tidbit that the game would require an online connection. Let’s be obvious here… most games that are released anymore need an online connection for various things. DRM, updates, and yes, even installs. Don’t tell me you haven’t purchased a console game from the store and discovered it needed to install itself over the Internet. It’s a thing that’s here to stay, despite the constantly growing frustration about it. See what Ubisoft did with its online racing title, The Crew.
However, Ubisoft wants everyone to know that this was taken out of context. I tried to state this on Twitter, but that app proved to be quite the echo chamber. So, Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will not be a mandatory online game. As I mentioned, an online connection will be needed to install the game and install updates, but everyone can play the entire game offline.
An update from the team on Assassin's Creed Shadows. pic.twitter.com/PTY9TXSiEo
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) May 16, 2024
However, there is still some confusion on my part and I’ve reached out to Ubisoft about this. While this update dispels the always online bit, it makes it seem like this was always for the installation. Then, why does AC:S on the PlayStation Store say that the game is “online play required?” There’s a big difference between installing a game and playing a game online.
With that out of the way, that’s one less thing about Assassin’s Creed Shadows that people can be outraged about. Maybe.
There’s not much else to say unless someone wants to comment on why the game isn’t heading to past-generation consoles, such as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Hopefully, that’s just a joke on my end.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released on November 15, 2024, for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Lunda, Mac, and PC via the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store.
