Assassin’s Creed Shadows producer says four years is ‘the right balance’ to make a new entry

The lead producer of Assassin’s Creed Shadows says he thinks four years of development is the “right balance” for new entries in the series.

In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Ubisoft‘s Karl Onnée explains that Shadows will have been in development for four years by the time it’s released in November.

This makes it the longest development cycle for any Assassin’s Creed game to date, and 25% longer than that of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

According to Onnée, four years is an ideal development cycle, because it gives the team enough time to get feedback on what it’s created and use that feedback to deliver meaningful iterations without rushing things.

“It’s always a balance between time and costs, but the more time you have, the more you can iterate,” Onnée explained.

“Yes, you can put more people on a project and do it in a shorter time, but that doesn’t give you more time to iterate, because it takes time to get the feedback from your players, your team… and then see what works and what doesn’t and how to improve it.

“Four years, I think, is the right balance to go from conception to production and get the feedback necessary to adapt.”

Set for release on November 15, 2024, Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes place in 16th century Japan.

The game has been the subject of some criticism on social media, amplified by the likes of Elon Musk, who wrote about its supposed “injection of DEI” (diversity, equity and inclusion) because one of its protagonists, Yasuke, is Black.

The reception led to Ubisoft posting a statement on social media, acknowledging the online discourse around Yasuke and other elements of the game.

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In its statement, Ubisoft stressed that the Assassin’s Creed franchise has always strived to be inspired by history rather than faithfully depicting it.

“Our intention has never been to present any of our Assassin’s Creed games, including Assassin’s Creed Shadowws, as factual representations of history, or historical characters,” it said.

“Instead, we aim to spark curiosity and encourage players to explore and learn more about the historical setting we get inspired by.”