Assassin’s Creed Shadows' physical copies leak early, players already uploading gameplay

Ubisoft’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows has leaked ahead of its scheduled March 20 release, with physical copies appearing in the wild. Several users have posted images and gameplay footage online, confirming that some players have already gained access to the game weeks before launch.  

The leak first surfaced on social media platform X/Twitter, where a user shared a PlayStation 5 physical copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows alongside a download-in-progress screen. Initially met with skepticism, further proof came through when the user posted direct gameplay footage, showing the game running on their system. The footage includes a character selection screen featuring “Naoe,” one of the game’s protagonists, as well as a glimpse at Animus Anomalies (a gameplay feature from past Assassin’s Creed titles that involve breaking the historical simulation within the game’s world - first introduced in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla).

The Reddit thread that pointed towards this piece of news also detailed that this leaked version appears to be an older build, likely missing some of the polish and improvements Ubisoft had planned for the final release. While leaks are not uncommon for major releases, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is now joining a long list of high-profile games that have hit the public before their official launch. In 2020, The Last of Us Part II suffered a massive leak that revealed critical story spoilers months before release. In 2022, God of War Ragnarok physical copies were sold nearly two weeks early, which led to widespread story spoilers that frustrated both players and developers.

These leaks typically occur due to mishandled retail shipments, where stores accidentally sell copies before the intended date. In some cases, warehouse workers or distributors are responsible. Ubisoft has had to deal with similar issues before, with Assassin’s Creed Mirage leaking before launch and even Assassin’s Creed Odyssey being playable ahead of time through loopholes in digital preloads.

The early release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows should raise concerns for Ubisoft, as spoilers and unfiltered gameplay may spread before the official embargo lifts. While the leaked version is reportedly missing some last-minute finishing touches, it may still shape early impressions of the game - and fans of the franchise could be more or less hyper-critical. With less than a month to go until launch, it's possible that the French game publisher will likely take steps to limit further leaks. However, it's fair to assume that the damage may already be done.