Ubisoft announced Assassin's Creed Shadows, set in 16th century feudal Japan and available on 15 Nov

Ubisoft has revealed the long-awaited trailer for its next mainline Assassin's Creed game, now officially titled Assassin's Creed Shadows. Formerly known by the moniker Codename: Red, AC Shadows will transport gamers to the tumultuous era of Sengoku-era Japan, a setting that fans has long requested for.

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Set to launch on 15 November, Assassin's Creed Shadows will be available on multiple platforms, including PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S. The trailer offers an exciting glimpse into the game’s visual direction as well as gameplay, introducing players to its dual protagonists: the shinobi Naoe and the samurai Yasuke.

Interestingly, Shadows follows in the footsteps of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate by letting you play as two distinct characters, each with their own narrative arc and specialised skill set. Naoe embodies the archetype of the stealthy assassin and is adept in the arts of infiltration and subterfuge, while Yasuke is exactly the opposite – all muscle and sword fights. Both are in many ways reminiscent of past protagonists from Syndicate’s Eivor and Kassandra.

If Yasuke sounds familiar to history buffs, it’s because the character drew inspiration from the real-life African samurai who served under the warlord Oda Nobunaga. He’s Japan’s first and possibly only black samurai. Ubisoft seems to be doing away with the franchise's usual fictional protagonists and instead looks to add some authenticity to its storytelling.

In typical Assassin’s Creed fashion, Shadow’s open-world exploration promises to immerse players in the rich tapestry of feudal Japan, from bustling cityscapes to serene forest groves. Players will also have the opportunity to forge alliances, expand their spy networks, and customise their hideouts.

Ubisoft also announced the different editions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows too:

• The Gold Edition will include the base game, the Season Pass (including a bonus quest with additional unlockable content as well as two upcoming expansions) and three days early access to the game.
• The Ultimate Edition will include the base game, the Season Pass, the Ultimate Pack and three days early access to the game. The Ultimate Pack will contain the Sekiryu Character Pack (Naoe and Yasuke outfit and weapon, trinket and mount), the Sekiryu Hideout Pack, 5 Skill points and a Red and black photo mode filter.

• The Collector’s Edition will include the base game, the Season Pass, the Ultimate Pack, physical content and 3 days early access to the game. The physical content will be a Steelbook, the World map, Naoe and Yasuke Figurine, life-size Naoe's Katana Tsuba, a Wall Creed Scroll, an 84 pages collector's artbook and 2 sumi-e lithographs.

Ubisoft will release the first gameplay trailer in June.

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