Despite being over a month old, Ubisoft Quebec’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows has continued to sell well in the United States and worldwide. According to industry-tracking firm Circana, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was the best-selling game in US markets in March, while it was the second best-selling game worldwide in March, second only to Monster Hunter: Wilds. On top of these sales numbers, Shadows has repeatedly received positive reviews, with many gaming outlets praising the game for its characters, world, and gameplay. While Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke’s story is expected to continue in the upcoming Claws of Awaji expansion, Ubisoft should consider building off the two warriors’ narrative in a future sequel.
Rumor: Assassin's Creed Shadows Could Be Getting Multiplayer
As Ubisoft teases upcoming content, new data suggests that Assassin's Creed Shadows could bring back multiplayer to the franchise.
The History of Assassin’s Creed Direct Sequels
For most of Assassin’s Creed’s early history in the late 2000s and early 2010s, each mainline game was a direct sequel to one another for the modern-day storyline. Assassin’s Creed 2 picks up immediately after Assassin’s Creed 1’s ending with Desmond Miles being rescued by Lucy Stillman to join the Assassins and relive more of his ancestors’ memories to combat the modern-day Templars. This trend continued up until Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, which took place months after Assassin’s Creed 3 and had players play an unknown Abstergo Industries employee instead of the now deceased Miles. Players wouldn’t repeatedly embody the same modern-day protagonist again until Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, which saw gamers play as Layla Hassan in the present.
In terms of the more famous simulations of the past, only one Assassin’s Creed protagonist has ever received direct mainline sequels: Ezio Auditore da Firenze. From Assassin’s Creed 2 to Revelations, players lived through the entirety of Ezio’s life, from a young trailblazing Assassin in Renaissance Italy to a wise and mature mentor in Constantinople. Ezio’s predecessor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, did receive a direct follow-up from the events of Assassin’s Creed 1 in the spin-off Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines as well as parts of Revelations, but never to the degree of his Italian descendant. Ever since Assassin’s Creed 3, no other mainline Assassin’s Creed game has ever been made as a direct sequel to a historical protagonist again, no matter how popular or successful their game was.
Assassin’s Creed Spin-Off Follow-Ups
While no other Assassin’s Creed protagonist received direct sequels besides Ezio, many did have their story continued or expanded upon in spin-off titles. Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation’s Aveline de Grandpré had her story continued in the Black Flag DLC simply titled Aveline. Meanwhile, Assassin’s Creed 3’s main protagonist Connor Kenway briefly returned in the Aveline DLC and was featured in Assassin's Creed Nexus VR. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s Kassandra had her story briefly continued in Assassin's Creed Valhalla via the Crossover Stories DLC, Nexus VR, and is expected to appear in Assassin’s Creed Jade. Assassin’s Creed 3’s Haytham Kenway appears in Black Flag as well as Assassin’s Creed Rogue alongside Black Flag’s Adéwalé. Valhalla’s Basim Ibn Ishaq even got his own prequel title in the form of Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze additionally appears in Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, and Assassin's Creed Identity, which take place before Revelations, as well as Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, which takes place after Revelations.
An Argument for an Assassin’s Creed Shadows Direct Sequel
Ever since the Ezio trilogy, many Assassin’s Creed fans have called for Ubisoft to make more direct sequels following some of the series' most popular protagonists. For example, many fans have requested Ubisoft to make a sequel to Assassin’s Creed Unity about Arno Dorian hunting down Rogue’s Shay Cormac, while others have requested a sequel to Origins following Bayek and Amunet in ancient Rome. Despite these requests, each subsequent mainline Assassin’s Creed game has continued to follow brand-new protagonists in brand-new regions. Given the popularity and success of Shadows, however, Ubisoft should consider developing a sequel to the game after Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe is released. This could help the franchise secure new mascots with Naoe and Yasuke besides Ezio.
Shadows’ base game is essentially an origin story for both Naoe and Yasuke and their Kakushiba ikki as they hunt down the Shinbakufu and rid central Japan of devious rogue agents. Along the journey, Naoe and Yasuke learned more about their connections to the Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order, with Naoe’s parents both being members of the Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins and Yasuke being brought to Japan by Portuguese Templars. Throughout the game, Naoe mentions how she’d like to go out to sea and explore other countries, while Yasuke expresses his desire to remain in Japan. A potential sequel for Shadows could follow up on Naoe and Yasuke connections with the Assassins and Templars as well as their relationship with Japan.
A Potential Assassin’s Creed Shadows Sequel
Based on many story threads set up in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a potential sequel to the game could see Naoe look for her missing mother, Tsuyu, while Yasuke joins her to ensure the Templars never gain a strong foothold in Japan. These objectives could take them to the northern or southern regions of Japan and other nearby islands, allowing players to learn more about late 1500s and possibly early 1600s Japan if there’s a lengthy time jump between games. Along the way, the two could encounter other surviving members of the Japanese Brotherhood possibly including the Japanese Assassins’ founder Alvaro Catarribera. A sequel to Shadows could further shed light on Yasuke’s later life as there is currently little known about the real Yasuke’s fate after Oda Nobunaga’s death.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
