Ubisoft and the Assassin's Creed game franchise have had a bit of a rough time of late, with recent installments to the franchise largely having received a lukewarm or even negative reception. Now, just two months ahead of the official launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows—which is slated to revive much of the allure of some of the older Assassin's Creed games—Ubisoft is reportedly pulling out of the Tokyo Game Show and cancelling early media previews of the game.

Ubisoft Japan broke the news via a post to the company's official X account, although it doesn't reveal why it cancelled the September 26 broadcast, citing only "various circumstances" for the cancelled appearance. Alongside the cancelled Tokyo Game Show showcase, Ubisoft has also reportedly cancelled the subsequent Assassin's Creed press previews, which were scheduled for next week. The cancellation of both of these events has led fans to speculate about potential launch delays for the next Assassin's Creed game.

Dear Community,
Regarding our online participation in "TOKYO GAME SHOW 2024" scheduled for September 26th at 3:00 PM.
Due to various circumstances, we regret to inform you that we have decided to cancel our participation.
The currently ongoing gift campaign commemorating the official broadcast will continue.
We apologize for the short notice.
We sincerely apologize to everyone who was looking forward to the broadcast.
Ubisoft Inc.

While this hardly serves as confirmation that the game will be delayed, it's certainly possible, especially given the current shape of the gaming industry. That would explain why both the showcase and the press previews were both cancelled around the same time—especially if there is still a lot of work to do to get the game in a working state. This also isn't the first time that Assassin's Creed Shadows has run into trouble—earlier this year, Ubisoft faced criticism from fans over the historical accuracy of one of the game's protagonists.

Yasuke, an African samurai, caused an uproar in the Assassin's Creed fan base, because there were some suggestions that he never existed in history in the first place. Others, meanwhile, were unhappy that he was being portrayed as a samurai, arguing that he was a weapons carrier instead. While most historians are almost 100% certain he existed, others have their doubts, and those doubts have created a bit of a rift in the gaming community. Regardless, the concerns about the historical accuracy are unlikely to be the cause of any cancelled events or press previews, since Ubisoft has already addressed the origin of the game's protagonist when the community first raised the issue.

The Assassin's Creed Shadows team has a message for our Japanese community.

Update Sep 25th: Ubisoft has confirmed via a post to the Assassin's Creed X account that Assassin's Creed Shadows is delayed until February 14, 2025. In the post, Ubisoft says that the game is "an ambitious addition to the franchise" and that it needs more time to "polish and refine" the experience. Additionally, Ubisoft will be refunding any existing Assassin's Creed Shadows pre-orders and giving those who pre-order access to the game's first expansion for free when it ships.