Ubisoft has apparently revealed the first expansion for the Japanese game Assassin’s Creed Shadows after announcing another delay.
As reported Insider gamesThe game’s Steam page was temporarily updated to include information about a 10-hour downloadable content called Claws of Awaji, which will add a brand fresh map to the open-world game.
“Pre-order now to receive a bonus mission and the upcoming Claws of Awaji expansion,” reads the Steam page. “Journey to a new region, get over 10 hours of additional content and unlock new weapons, new skills, equipment and abilities.”
The wording is a bit misleading, as it makes it seem like Claws of Awaji is only available to those who pre-purchase the game, much like the previously announced Thrown to the Dogs “bonus mission.” This would be unusual, however, as larger expansions of this type are usually reserved for season passes.
That being said, Ubisoft is abandoning the season pass model for Assassin’s Creed Shadows after major changes in practice due to the impoverished performance of Star Wars Outlaws. In addition to scrapping the season pass, which typically allowed players access to two larger expansions for an additional $30, Ubisoft is canceling plans to charge players more to play on launch day. It is therefore assumed that DLC expansions such as Claws of Awaji will be free for all players.
While details are constrained to a miniature paragraph posted on Steam, the name Claws of Awaji sheds some lightweight on what players will find in the DLC. Ubisoft quietly revealed the Assassin’s Creed Shadows world map in the Collector’s Edition trailer, which showed off nine detailed regions and one petite island left empty.
This island is likely the title Awaji the Claws of Awaji refers to, meaning this currently empty area of the map should be filled in via DLC one day. Awaji Island is perhaps best known for its importance in the Japanese Shinto religion, where it is said to be the first island created in the world thanks to the legend of Izanagi and Izanami.
As Assassin’s Creed has delved more and more into mythology rather than just history in recent releases, especially the RPG series that Shadows belongs to, fans may be able to delve deeper into Japanese legends with the addition of the Talons of Awaji.
Of course, it will take longer than expected before this becomes possible, as Ubisoft has once again delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows, this time to March 20. For the first time, the release date of November 12 was moved to February 14.
A lot rests on the shoulders of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as not only is it a long-awaited game set in Japan and the first full Assassin’s Creed game since 2020, but also the struggling Ubisoft needs to perform well after recent flops and investor frustration.
However, the promotional period hasn’t been particularly positive so far, with the development team having to apologize on various occasions for inaccuracies in Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ depictions of Japan and using the historical recreation group’s flag without permission.
Another controversy emerged when collectible figure maker PureArts withdrew the Assassin’s Creed Shadows statue from sale due to its “insensitive” design, which, combined with two delays, has fans becoming increasingly impatient.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter for IGN. He will talk about The Witcher all day long.
