A major Assassin’s Creed Shadows leak has put physical copies of the game in players hands in a development that has Ubisoft scrambling.
Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows has suffered what could be its most devastating blow yet—physical copies of the game have leaked nearly a month before its official release on March 20, 2025. The leak has led to widespread spoilers, unauthorized gameplay streams, and black market sales, dealing a potentially catastrophic hit to Ubisoft’s already precarious financial standing.
For a company that has faced months of public backlash, development controversies, and multiple delays, this leak represents a significant disruption to Ubisoft’s carefully planned release strategy. The publisher was banking on Assassin’s Creed Shadows to help stabilize its incredibly rocky finances. But with this early leak, that plan may now be in jeopardy.
Leaked Copies Flood the Market
Despite any security protocols, physical copies of Assassin’s Creed Shadows have found their way into players’ hands across the U.S. Users on social media and Reddit have flaunted their early access, sharing images of boxed copies, installation screens, and even live gameplay. One user uploaded a photo holding a PS5 copy of the game, while another, X user @DannyStevens__ (now locked), claimed to have purchased the game via Facebook Marketplace, posting images of the box and installation process.
While these posts were swiftly taken down, they were quickly archived and reshared across various platforms.
Adding to the chaos, U.S. auction site Mercari hosted listings for the leaked game, with sellers pricing copies at over $100. One listing even showcased multiple copies stacked, openly for sale. Though Mercari has since removed these listings, the incident has raised significant concerns about Ubisoft’s distribution and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Gameplay Streams and Spoilers Everywhere
As if the spread of physical copies wasn’t enough, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has already started appearing on streaming platforms. At least two Twitch streams showcased live gameplay, confirmed by VGC, before being swiftly taken down. But as with most leaks, archived recordings are already circulating on platforms like Reddit, making it nearly impossible for Ubisoft to control the spread.
With major plot points, character arcs, and gameplay mechanics now being revealed, fans who planned to experience the game fresh on release day will need to tread carefully online to avoid spoilers. Social media platforms, forums, and even YouTube are becoming flooded with leaked footage and storyline details.
A History of Leaks and a Troubled Development
This is hardly the first leak to plague Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The game’s troubled development cycle has been marred by multiple leaks and public missteps. Originally slated for a November 2023 release, Shadows was first delayed to February 14, 2025, and then again to March 20. There were even rumors swirling that another delay was possible—though this recent leak likely cements the March 20 release as definitive.
Earlier this month, an art book for Assassin’s Creed Shadows was leaked online through an unlikely source—a niche illustration website—exposing key details about the game’s story, characters, and environments well ahead of schedule. Adding to the chaos, information about the game’s first expansion, Claws of Awaji, was accidentally revealed via a Steam product page update. The expansion promises a new explorable area, a fresh weapon type, and over 10 hours of additional content—though critics have already argued that this looks more like content cut from the base game to be sold separately later.
Ubisoft’s Supply Chain Under Fire
The leak raises serious concerns about Ubisoft’s ability to secure its supply chain and prevent unauthorized distribution. Whether these physical copies made it into players’ hands due to manufacturing mishaps, retail breaches, or other distribution failures remains unclear. Regardless, the leak has already caused significant damage to Ubisoft’s launch strategy and could severely impact day-one sales.
This isn’t the kind of setback Ubisoft can afford right now. The company has been relying heavily on Assassin’s Creed Shadows to generate much-needed revenue amid financial instability and a string of underperforming titles. With copies circulating on the black market and spoilers spreading like wildfire, Ubisoft now faces the uphill battle of controlling piracy, protecting its launch, and salvaging whatever hype remains around Shadows.
A Game Plagued by Controversy and a Company on the Brink
The leak of Assassin’s Creed Shadows couldn’t have come at a worse time for Ubisoft. Even before this massive breach, the game had already been drowning in controversy since its initial reveal. From historical inaccuracies to allegations of cultural insensitivity, Shadows has been the subject of relentless criticism from fans, historians, and even religious institutions.
One of the earliest points of contention was Ubisoft’s decision to make Yasuke—a supposedly historical Black samurai—the main playable character. While Yasuke is a real figure from Japanese history, his role and influence during the era remain highly debated. Critics argued that Ubisoft took significant creative liberties, prioritizing modern ideological trends over historical authenticity. This sparked widespread debate among fans who had long awaited a traditional Japanese samurai or ninja protagonist in an Assassin’s Creed set in feudal Japan.
The backlash didn’t stop there. Ubisoft faced outrage for its depiction of real-life religious sites, most notably the Itate Hyozu Jinja shrine. In Shadows, players could enter the shrine and damage its interior, including sacred artifacts and altars. The actual temple leaders were so offended by this portrayal that they formally requested Ubisoft remove the shrine from the game entirely, calling the depiction deeply disrespectful.
Further controversies included Ubisoft’s use of unauthorized imagery in concept art, such as the Sekigahara Rifle Corps’ banner, which was used without permission. Then there was the infamous collector’s edition statue featuring a destroyed torii gate—a design that many felt eerily resembled the iconic image of the Hiroshima torii gate post-World War II. The backlash was so severe that the collectible figure maker, PureArts, pulled the statue from sale.
The situation only worsened when fans noticed glaring historical inaccuracies in early trailers, including oversized torii gates, out-of-place flora, and oddly proportioned architecture. Despite Ubisoft’s claims of extensive cultural research, these errors painted a picture of a company more interested in visual spectacle than authentic storytelling.
Ubisoft’s Financial Freefall
While Assassin’s Creed Shadows struggles under the weight of its own controversies, Ubisoft’s financial health has been steadily declining, making this leak all the more catastrophic.
Once valued at over $12 billion in early 2021, Ubisoft’s market worth has since plummeted to under $2 billion—a staggering drop that has alarmed investors and analysts alike. Multiple underperforming releases, combined with the company’s public relations missteps, have only deepened the financial woes. Ubisoft has undergone several rounds of layoffs in an attempt to stabilize, but even those measures haven’t been enough to stop the bleeding.
The company has been banking on Assassin’s Creed Shadows to serve as a financial lifeline, with expectations that the game’s sales would help offset mounting losses. This makes the early leak and the subsequent proliferation of spoilers and pirated copies even more devastating.
Ubisoft has also been grappling with failed projects and canceled games that have drained resources without delivering returns. High-profile titles like Skull & Bones suffered endless delays, while other projects were shelved entirely, leading to wasted development time and sunk costs.
Adding to the financial strain is Ubisoft’s over-reliance on tentpole franchises like Assassin’s Creed, which, despite its popularity, has started showing signs of fatigue among its fanbase. With Shadows already embroiled in controversy and now leaking onto the black market, Ubisoft’s hopes of a blockbuster release delivering the revenue it desperately needs are fading fast.
The Road Ahead
With this latest leak, Ubisoft now finds itself in a dire situation: trying to salvage the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows while battling widespread piracy and managing a PR nightmare. The company has little room for error as it scrambles to control the damage.
If Shadows fails to deliver the sales Ubisoft is counting on, the company could face even more severe financial consequences, potentially putting future projects—and perhaps Ubisoft itself—at risk. As of now, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is still slated for release on March 20, 2025, but whether it can overcome this series of setbacks remains to be seen.
For Ubisoft, the next few months could very well determine the company’s future.
RIP Ubisoft
Couldn’t have happened to a worse company. Good riddance!
They actually used to be good way back when.
All these big publisher’s are going down or getting swallowed up by bigger publishers.
This game looks terrible. No one wants to be a gay black samurai lol. This piece of 
is dead on arrival.
Vaas was fucking awesome.
The whole episode has been a Rollercoaster of hilarity.
In their endeavor to prove what woke male allies they are, Ubisoft have repeatedly shot themselves in the foot. Over and over. Now they’re teetering on the brink of insolvency.
I never moved onto 3. Was always curious how the Desmond story played out.
Sounds like spjackson’s wet dream
Couldn’t have happened to better game!
MAGA!!!
(Because that thread title is all camicom (rip) syntax style)
I never knew we could make thread titles this long,
This thread has taught me something and proven itself valuable.
…and it just keeps going.
Ubisoft released a promotional bubble tea tie–in to celebrate Japanese culture.
(Bubble tea is from Taiwan)
Inside job. They want the stock to tank further.
what absolute nimrods
lol
It is hilarious Ubisoft rewrote the game because of George Floyd. The main guy was originally Japanese. Well soon Ubisoft the company will not be able to breath either.