Ubisoft confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be playable on Steam Deck when the game launches. The game developer was able to add and improve some important elements of the game during the period between its release delays. Ubisoft’s focus on having a successful launch for the game came after it had back-to-back failures.
Assassin’s Creed is one of the biggest and most financially successful action adventure franchises in gaming history. With 13 main games under the franchise, Ubisoft has set the stage for a new iteration of the game with a Japanese twist to join the ranks in 2025.
Ubisoft confirms Steam Deck support for Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Many of you have been asking about Steam Deck. We are happy to say that we are supporting Steam Deck at launch and are currently awaiting the level of classification from Valve. More info to come soon.
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) March 12, 2025
Ubisoft, the developer behind Assassin’s Creed Shadows, announced that the game will be supported by the Steam Deck console at launch. Ubisoft had initially revealed that the game wouldn’t be playable on Steam Deck at launch. Assassin’s Creed Shadows was planned for a global release on March 20, 2025, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. According to Ubisoft, the French developer was only waiting for Valve, Steam’s parent company, to assess and classify how well the game runs on the device.
The French developer’s ability to add Steam Deck support was attributed to the repeated delays that impeded its release in 2024. Assassin’s Creed Shadows was initially planned to be released on November 15, 2024. However, the game’s release date was changed to September 25, 2024. The release was then changed for a second time, with the developer announcing the game’s current release date as January 2025. The Assassin’s Creed maker stated that it had decided on the delays to use feedback and enhance the game after it faced criticism.
Ubisoft also used the game release delays to adjust and improve some of the game’s core elements. The French game developer improved the game’s parkour mechanics. The parkour mechanics are a critical component of the Assassin’s Creed game franchise. Gamers had also raised concerns about the gameplay due to the game being set in Japan’s Sengoku period. The lack of towering buildings in the game’s setting forced Ubisoft to rethink its movement dynamics. The delays also allowed for the addition of a “Canon Mode” to the game in response to criticism for it having multiple endings.
Ubisoft continued to promote the game and engage gamers to ensure its successful launch. The French company altered its strategy to include an expansion for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that will be available through 2025 for all versions of the game. The expansion, “The Claws of Awaji,” is available through pre-order, with no word yet on whether it’ll be sold separately. The change in strategy was implemented after Ubisoft failed to launch Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora successfully.
Gamers react to Assassin’s Creed Shadows Steam Deck support
Gamers went online to express their opinions on Assassin’s Creed being supported for Steam Deck at launch. Some gamers said that the decision was a massive win for Ubisoft. The gamers said that Assassin’s Creed Shadows being able to run on Steam Deck will prove that the game is optimizable. Some gamers added that the decision proved that Ubisoft was finally listening to gamers, and as such, they would support the developer and reward the effort by playing the game when it is released.
However, other gamers shared a different opinion, with many being skeptical about the game’s performance before it hit the shelves. Some gamers said that the game would likely run as badly as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla did on the Steam console due to the game’s hardware demands. Some gamers added that the high VRam requirements and lack of features such as ray-tracing would limit the game’s ability to seamlessly work on consoles with low specs. Other gamers pointed out that Ubisoft’s tendency to require gamers to create and sync multiple accounts may prevent them from playing the game.
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