After years of waiting and several delays, the time will soon come: Assassin's Creed Shadowsthe long-awaited open-world adventure set in feudal Japan, is finally being released this month. Ubisoft has now announced the worldwide unlock times - and there are a few surprises.
When can you get started?
Ubisoft has announced on X the official release dates for Assassin's Creed Shadows unveiled. On consoles: The game is released on March 20 at exactly 00:00 Local time unlocked. A simple but fair approach - albeit with the usual frustration for those in unfortunate time zones.
PC players, on the other hand, will have to adjust to a global time change. On Steam, the title will be released worldwide at the same time, namely on March 19 at 21:00 PDT, which corresponds to March 20 at 04:00 GMT or 13:00 JST. If you use Ubisoft Connect, you should keep an eye on the official tweet - who knows if Ubisoft has a little surprise in store.
Interestingly, pre-release versions of the game are already available on Xbox Series X/S. PS5 and PC players, on the other hand, will have to wait until March 18 and 17 respectively. Why this difference? A good question to which Ubisoft, as usual, does not provide an answer. Perhaps the PlayStation community simply hasn't generated enough hype yet.
Assassin's Creed Shadows review embargo
When will the first tests be available? According to Ubisoft, the review embargo for Assassin's Creed Shadows also on the March 18 at 6 p.m. CET - i.e. two days before the official release. In the gaming industry, this is a good sign: games whose tests are only published on or after release are perceived to have less confidence in their own games.
The fact that Ubisoft is giving us a two-day head start here could be a sign of confidence - or a clever PR move to influence the opinions of the press before the final verdict of the players. We are curious.
After the bumpy start to their last releases, Ubisoft is betting big on this title. Several postponements should ensure that Assassin's Creed Shadows will be the hoped-for highlight - not only for fans, but also for the beleaguered publisher itself.
Will it be worth the wait? The answer will be given on March 20 at the latest - or two days earlier for the impatient among us.
Assassin's Creed Shadows - Limited Edition
Additional content: The quest "A Dog's Life" (from release), the upcoming expansion "The Claws of Awaji" (at a later date), the download code for the additional content can be found on a flyer in the game box
English 
German