Alright, let me walk you through how I figured out this whole Ubisoft drama messes with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Saw that headline about the big boss arguing with shareholders and thought, “Right, this is gonna sting the game.”
First thing I did was boot up Shadows again. Needed to see for myself where the cracks might be showing. You know, kinda like poking a bruise. Started with the quests. Felt… basic? Like, go here, stab this guy, fetch that thing. Repeat. Nothing mind-blowing. Remembered older games having way more meat on the bone.
Then I got to the gear system. Oh boy. Found this supposedly epic katana early on. Upgraded it a bit. Then, like an hour later, found an identical one with slightly better numbers. Where’s the unique flavour? The cool effects? Feels like they just cranked out variations on a spreadsheet. Probably cut corners on design time.
Next was the map. Big, yeah. Pretty? Sure. But mostly empty. So many copy-pasted villages, same enemy camps dotted everywhere. Feels thin. Rode my horse for ages between points where something actually happens. Remembered rumours about scaled-down worlds due to “development efficiency.” Betcha that traces back to them money suits screaming for a faster, cheaper launch.
Hit the combat next. Got into a duel. Parry, parry, heavy attack, done. Felt robotic. No real depth like the older titles where you had to really think. Checked the skill trees. Lots of small incremental boosts like “+2% damage” instead of game-changing new abilities. Feels like they focused on quantity over quality, just ticking boxes. Shareholders want that “RPG progression” buzzword? Here you go! Doesn’t mean it’s good.
Here’s the real kicker I noticed after replaying:
- Cut features: They talked about dynamic seasons changing the world dramatically? Barely see it. Snow falls, grass grows… that’s about it. No major gameplay shifts.
- Faction depth gone: Remember those trailers hinting at complex alliances? Mostly window dressing. Join a group, do a few same-y missions, forget them.
- Unique gear downgraded: Legendary weapons? Often just higher stats skins. Zero unique combat animations or special effects most times.
Putting it together? That whole fight between the CEO needing time and the shareholders wanting cash fast? It bled straight into the game. You see it everywhere:
In the shallow systems slapped together to meet deadlines.
In the recycled content filling the oversized map.
In the lack of polish on promised big features that clearly needed more time in the oven.
So yeah, when the big shots argue about money and timetables instead of the game itself? The players feel it. Every watered-down quest, every repeated asset, every missing layer of depth… that’s the shareholder argument hitting your gameplay. Suits win. Gamers lose. Again.