The Assassin’s Creed franchise is gearing up for another chapter, and this time, players can expect to spend between 30 to 40 hours on the primary campaign of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Creative director Jonathan Dumont, who also led the creative team behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, confirmed this during a recent interview.
I had the opportunity to interview Assassin’s Creed Shadows Creative Director Jonathan Dumont. Here are some of the key points:
– Now was the right time for Japan because the team really wanted to do it and it was a dream for them.
– Japan needed movement in the natural world… pic.twitter.com/oMkOnoor7u— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) March 4, 2025
If you’ve been following the series, you might recall that 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage offered a tighter experience, leaning into the action-adventure roots that made earlier entries memorable. In contrast, Shadows is set to broaden its horizons, presenting a more expansive RPG experience reminiscent of titles like Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.
Dumont hinted that completionists should buckle in for over 80 hours of gameplay. This aligns closely with Assassin’s Creed Origins, which clocked in at about 30 hours for the main story and around 85 hours for those who wanted to uncover every last secret. It seems Shadows will follow suit, but it will have its flavor.
For context, let’s take a quick look back: Odyssey‘s main story took approximately 45 hours to finish, while completionists were known to pour around 144 hours into it. Then there was Valhalla, which upped the ante even further, 61 hours for the main storyline and around 148 hours for those who wanted every achievement unlocked.
The good news is that, unlike Valhalla, Dumont mentioned there’s a chance we could see a New Game Plus mode after launch. Ubisoft is taking player feedback seriously and is open to adding features based on community response.
Following some delays, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to release on March 20, 2025. It will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. However, some players got an early taste when the game’s street date was broken in late February. Ubisoft has cautioned against judging the game based on these leaks, emphasizing that any footage circulating online does not reflect the final product.
