Despite Assassin’s Creed Shadows ‘Controversy’, The Original Announcement Overperformed and “Drove sales throughout the catalog”

Ubisoft’s upcoming game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, has been in the headlines for its controversies, but it seems like all these controversies are only making things easier for Ubisoft.

In the recent sales report for the first quarter of the Financial Year 2025, Ubisoft revealed that the popularity of the Assassin’s Creed franchise overperformed, particularly after the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The game is in the spotlight because the depiction of Yasuke in the game has been opposed by many. In fact, some fans in Japan have filed a petition to cancel the game.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Unaffected By Its Controversies

Ubisoft‘s Assassin’s Creed has been one of the most popular historical action-adventure video game series for over a decade now. Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is the fourteenth major installment in the series, takes the fans to the Sengoku period in Japan for the first time in the franchise.

Ubisoft recently revealed the sales report for the first quarter of the Financial Year 2025. In the report, Ubisoft clearly mentioned that the Assassin’s Creed franchise “overperformed” after the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Shadows,

The Assassin’s Creed and The Crew brands reported growth driven by last year’s launches contribution. Assassin’s Creed overperformed, benefiting from the Assassin’s Creed Shadows reveal that drove sales throughout the catalog.

Ubisoft believes that they had a solid start to FY25, especially with the release of XDefiant. Apart from Shadows, the company aims to successfully launch its other most highly-anticipated title, Star Wars Outlaws, this year.

Petitions Have Been Filed For The Cancellation Of Assassin’s Creed Shadows

The next Assassin’s Creed game features two protagonists: Naoe, a female shinobi, and Yasuke, an African samurai inspired by the historical figure of the same name. A petition was filed last month claiming that Yasuke’s depiction is inaccurate and disrespects the Japanese culture, demanding the cancellation of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Not just that, Ubisoft was also accused of stealing Yasuke’s katana design from One Piece‘s Roronoa Zoro’s Sandai Kitetsu. The merchandise was revealed at the Japan Expo in Paris but it’s safe to say that it was not very popular among the fans.

Ubisoft has confirmed that Rainbow Six Mobile and The Division Resurgence will not be released in FY25 as the teams are taking the necessary time to ensure the projects are completely ready.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is all set to be released for PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, macOS, and iPadOS on November 15, 2024. Do you think the game will meet the set expectations? Share your opinions in the comments!