(Image: Ubisoft)
Assassin's Creed fans are playing Shadows game three weeks ahead of release in 'unfortunate' leak
by Joshua Boyles · Manchester Evening NewsAssassin's Creed Shadows is set to launch on March 20, 2025, but it appears that some fans have grown tired of the game's several delays. As confirmed by Ubisoft, the full game has leaked three weeks ahead of launch with players able to access and play the game well before it's supposed to be released.
Rumours that Assassin's Creed Shadows had been spotted in the wild first appeared on Reddit with one user warning other like-minded fans to be aware of spoilers.
Attached to the post was an image of an online marketplace listing that showed someone holding three boxed retail copies of the latest Assassin's Creed game, charging $100 (plus a buyers protection fee) to have it delivered early.
Another Reddit post shows that some of these players who've managed to gain early access have even taken to recording their gameplay and posting it online. While Ubisoft has been quick to remove as much of the leaked video material as possible, there are still a few pieces of evidence left linked on Reddit.
The leaked gameplay shows the player running around as both Naoe and Yasuke, the two playable protagonists in this new entry in the Assassin's Creed series. While we've already seen plenty of gameplay from previews of the game, these leaks are already confirming key aspects of the story, meaning we're almost certainly in spoiler territory if you're keen to play the game without any prior knowledge.
Ubisoft responded to the leaks swiftly, releasing a statement on X late last night. "We are aware players have accessed Assassin's Creed Shadows ahead of its official release. The development team is still working on patches to prepare the experience for launch and any footage shared online does not represent the final quality of the game," the statement reads.
(Image: Ubisoft)
Ubisoft continues: "Leaks are unfortunate and can diminish the excitement for players. We kindly ask you not to spoil the experience for others."
It's currently unclear what might have caused these early leaks to happen. Ubisoft has not publicly mentioned if the game has gone Gold (the term used for when a game is 'finished' and ready to be printed), but the copies appearing in the wild appear to be retail copies that have broken their street date.
What's also confusing is that you can't even officially pre-load Assassin's Creed Shadows from digital storefronts yet, either. However gamers are accessing Ubisoft's latest open-world adventure, it's clear it's not via the traditional means.
(Image: Ubisoft)
While Assassin's Creed Shadows has seen some mixed receptions from its most recent previews, the responses to Ubisoft's statement make it seem like fans are still genuinely excited for this latest release. "People really do just wanna bring this game down. It hurts, everything is looking so cool!"
The official release date of March 20 is only a few weeks away, so fans don't have that much longer to wait until they can get their hands on the game properly. If you're yet to place a pre-order, I've hunted down the cheapest places you can do so: