Players will experience the intertwined stories of Naoe, an adept shinobi Assassin from the Iga Province, and Yasuke, the powerful samurai of historical legend. Discover their personal stories, meet pivotal historical figures, and shape the duo’s common destiny as they usher in a new era for Japan.  

As Naoe and Yasuke, players can master two complementary playstyles, with each character featuring their own progression paths, skills, weapon options, and stats. Whether they embrace Naoe’s stealth skills or Yasuke’s combat prowess, players will have plenty of ways to approach objectives. With Naoe, they will experience refined infiltration mechanics using light, noise, shadows, and changing surroundings to avoid detection from enemies. With Yasuke, they will be able to take on larger groups of enemies with brutal precision. 

The game will let players explore a vast open world with a variety of landscapes evolving through weather and seasons. From spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and pastoral landscapes, feudal Japan comes to life with unprecedented dynamism built from the ground up with the latest version of Anvil engine and the power of new-gen consoles.  

In this troubled period, information is key and will be at the heart of the renewed exploration mechanics. Players will build their own spies’ network to unveil new areas and hunt down targets. Allies with highly specialized skills and abilities can also be recruited to help during missions. The creation of their own customizable hideout will enable players to enhance their network and train their new crew. From base building and layout to decorations and accessories, they will be able to craft a unique place to call home. 

Ubisoft announced that actor Mackenyu, who is best known for his role as Roronoa Zoro in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of “One Piece” and his work in “Knight of the Zodiac” and “Dragons of Wonderhatch”, will make his video game debut, lending both his voice and likeness to Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Mackenyu portrays Gennojo, a charming individual who crosses path with Naoe and Yasuke while they are tracking a crucial target. Players can recruit him in the Shinobi League to aid in their fight against the forces of corruption that are rampant across the land. Mackenyu will be doing both the Japanese and English voice over for this character. 

“I have fond memories of the franchise. I was in middle school when Assassin’s Creed first came out, and I remember my friends and I would gather at a friend’s house and take turns playing the game,” Mackenyu said. “When I heard that the new Assassin’s Creed game would be set in Japan, I knew that I needed to be part of this project.” 

“Mackenyu’s performance added something really special to our game,” said Jonathan Dumont, Creative Director at Ubisoft Quebec, the lead development studio for Assassin’s Creed® Shadows. “His unique energy and charisma breathe life into Gennojo, and we’re eager for players to meet the character and explore his story.” 

Fans pre-ordering Assassin’s Creed Shadows will receive an additional quest for any pre-ordered edition. The Gold, Ultimate, and Collector’s Editions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows were announced as well: 

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

Assassin's Creed Shadows is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, Macs with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store as well as PC (Steam, Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store) on March 20, 2025 at $69.99.