In 2025, two AAA samurai games will fight for sales figures.
Just a few years ago, games set in feudal Japan were a rare sight. However, that has now changed and thanks to titles like Ghost of Tsushima, Rise of the Ronin and Trek to Yomi, the once unusual setting is no longer a unique selling point.
So it’s not surprising that with the postponement of Assassin’s Creed Shadows you can expect two AAA representatives of the feudal samurai game next year. Surprisingly, however, this new competitive situation doesn’t seem to worry the Ubisoft boss.
There is plenty of space for high quality games
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was actually supposed to be released in November of this year. However, as a result of Ubisoft’s declining share price, the game was postponed to February 2025 as part of a new strategy.
Almost in the same breath, Sony announced Ghost of Yotei, the successor to one of the best Sony games of all time. This is also an action-adventure game set in feudal Japan.
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How VGC reported, Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot doesn’t seem to be worried about the new samurai rivals. In a financial report, he expressed calm to investors:
There is plenty of room for high quality games, and these games can sell very well. (…) The focus is on making sure we deliver a fantastic experience. And with the game’s approach of having two protagonists, two different and complementary gameplay styles through Yasuke and Naoe, and the setting being set in feudal Japan, that should make it very appealing.
Guillemot is right and there is actually a lot of room for high quality games that can sell very well. Nevertheless, investors’ fears are not far-fetched.
The market can quickly become saturated and Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yotei not only share the setting, but also the action-adventure genre and the core element of an open game world. And while Yotei’s predecessor Ghost of Tsushima was a complete success, Ubisoft has been struggling with sales failures for some time, which is reducing trust in the publisher.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is expected to be released on February 14, 2024 for PC (via Steam, Epic and Ubisoft), Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. As a result of the postponement, all pre-orders were canceled and early access was completely canceled. In return, those who pre-order the premium edition will receive the first expansion of the game in the second round instead of the earlier access at no additional cost.
