After a number of leaks, Ubisoft has finally made it official: Assassin’s Creed Shadows will release for Nintendo Switch 2 on December 2 priced $59.99 / £49.99.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version includes all content updates introduced since the game’s release, as well as cross progression across all platforms and touch screen support, “making navigation of menus, maps, and the hideout more intuitive than ever.”
Ubisoft has also confirmed Assassin’s Creed Shadows is Game-Key Card game, which means Switch 2 players will have to download the game before they can play. Game-Key Cards have sparked a vociferous debate because they’re essentially useless unless your console is connected to the internet.
In September, a Ubisoft developer who worked on the Nintendo port of Star Wars Outlaws defended the use of Game-Key Cards, saying the real reason why the Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws uses a Game-Key Card was due to the console’s data speeds, and how quickly the hardware can read information from its bespoke cartridges, versus games downloaded to the console’s internal memory.
Later in September, Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi implied that developers are choosing Game-Key Cards not necessarily from a cost perspective, but a performance one, as the format enables them to bring smoother-running games to the Switch 2. Nintendo recently launched a survey designed to poll the Switch 2 userbase on its thoughts surrounding digital and physical games.
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you choose between a Shinobi or Samurai and explore the open world of Feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and pastoral landscapes. IGN’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows review returned an 8/10. We said: “By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade.”
Earlier this week, IGN reported that Assassin’s Creed franchise boss Marc-Alexis Côté had departed Ubisoft after a career spanning more than 20 years. Just a few days later, Côté made it clear that his shock exit from Ubisoft was not his decision.
In a post on LinkedIn, Côté said he bore “no resentment,” but wanted to make clear to former colleagues and fans that he had not quit the Assassin’s Creed franchise after 15 years of his own free will. The news came just two weeks after Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft’s biggest brand, became operated by Vantage Studios, the separate business entity formed by Ubisoft with a 25% stake from Chinese giant Tencent that will also now oversee all future Far Cry and Rainbow Six games.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
