When it comes to 2D action platformers, I don’t necessarily need them to be revolutionary. But I do expect a superb execution of the fundamentals – speed, control, and challenge – all of which the upcoming Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is nailing down based on a two-hour hands-on demo I played. That’s not to say it doesn’t have new ideas woven into the formula, it’s just that I came away simply impressed by how this reboot plays like a well-oiled machine.

If you haven’t seen it in action yet, think of it as the classic Shinobi franchise getting the Streets of Rage 4 treatment; a vibrant and expressive hand-drawn art style that looks fantastic in stills and even better in motion. Many of the developers at LizardCube had worked on the Streets of Rage reboot, and it ended up being a great fit because it breathes life into a 2D world in a way few other games have done. A level’s backdrop can give a notable sense of scale, and the illusion of distance in this new Shinobi – what could’ve been a drab shipyard level feels immense when you see the details of huge cranes, ships, and containers in the background. And the interiors painted with neon signs and neo-modern shops and stalls fill the in-betweens with personality. A great sense of style pops in small but effective ways.

A banging electronic trip-hop soundtrack fused with traditional Japanese folk instruments also feeds into its balance of classic and modern sensibilities, vaguely reminiscent of something out of Samurai Champloo. The Art of Vengeance both looks and sounds effortlessly cool.

I went through the opening level that I played earlier this year at Summer Game Fest, which reintroduces series protagonist Joe Musashi as his village and clan are under attack the minute you start. His wife Naoko and understudy Tomoe are introduced as he has to leave them behind to chase down a military invasion led by the antagonist Lord Ruse and a gang of his demonic minions. You’re taught the basics like combos, dodging, wall-jumping, and special abilities, quickly pitting you against a mix of platforming sections to sharpen your mobility and combat encounters to test deftness with the blade and Ninpo specials.

This preview round, however, I cleared two full levels around the midway point, where I had a slew of new abilities and much tougher foes. I had to play both in Arcade Mode which reconfigures levels for a time attack-style version of them, and while the checkpointing was generous, Arcade Mode is all about having a seamless run to earn a high grade in the end. The aforementioned shipyard had pesky drones, guards in riot gear, and enemy ninjas with unblockable dark spells – any combination of these guys made for some tough normal encounters that can get overwhelming if you don’t know who to prioritize. And with clever but trial-and-error platforming challenges, it was a tall task to get through without death (at least on my first try).

I know that on paper, all this may sound like what you should expect from a proper 2D action platformer, but it’s the flow and fluidity of the gameplay that made my time with Shinobi so enjoyable. When I can slice a gang of enemies within a sliver of health and hit the shoulder buttons to pull off a swift and dramatic multi-hit execution, I’m pumped up like I’m stringing a series of glory kills in the new Doom games. The novelty hadn’t worn thin because, like glory kills, it doesn’t get in the way of the flowing fast action, and you get health and Ninpo energy in return as a treat. Hitting your light-heavy combos is all well and good, but when I execute my counterattack Ninpo on a dime to chop down a strong enemy’s health, I’m nodding my head in satisfaction. And Joe’s ultimate ability, which builds up through taking damage, just burns through everything on screen which was clutch in sticky situations that had me popping off when it finished a boss. Even something as simple as going from a platforming section into divekicking a foe to start my combo string in combat sequence is a small but effective thing that shows LizardCube knows what makes 2D action tick.

There wasn’t any real story content to glean from these later levels, but boy, are these stages long. And when they’re capped off with intense boss fights, Arcade Mode can really wear you down – which isn’t a derogatory mark, but rather an indication of demanding Shinobi can be.

It’s not all going from left to right, however. The second level I played was in neon-soaked slums that had three sections to the west, east, and south where I had to find and save children being held captive. This stage leaned more into exploration, where connecting ziplines and jumps to avoid hazards and lurking enemies pushed me to be more precise with movement. Snipers lurking in the distance could one-shot me lest I one-shot them first, goopy slimes moving underground can pop-up for toxic damage, and those damn riot guards are a different kind of challenge in close quarters. The boss fight here was my favorite, which had me thinking more about aerial combos since he could fly across the combat arena – he also had a phase where he would heal up if I didn’t do enough damage in time.

Balancing depth and approachability is one aspect I think Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is getting right from what I’ve played. I have just enough tools to feel equipped for its toughest battles, not overwhelming and not shallow. Thus, the focus is on your mastery of the toolset and reacting to some devastating combat mechanics from enemies. Since it controls incredibly smooth, and is properly paced with a speed to match its style of challenges, the fundamentals of a good 2D action platformer seem to all be here.

The return of our old ninja-themed action games is great to see – well, maybe it’s just this and Ninja Gaiden Ragebound (which also has Streets of Rage 4 lineage via publisher DotEmu). But in the years since both series’ heyday, we’ve seen countless others set the bar higher and higher with games like Dead Cells, The Messenger, and Katana Zero to name a few. To speak for Shinobi specifically, Art of Vengeance feels like an old head coming back to show the youngins that they still got it.

It’ll truly prove whether or not the series still has the juice when Shinobi: Art of Vengeance launches on August 28 this year for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

We’re over halfway through 2025 already, which means it’s time to check in on all of Sony’s PlayStation Studios to see what they’re making and what games are coming to your PS5 in the months and years to come. While the console has received some great exclusives in 2025, including the critically acclaimed Death Stranding 2, none of Sony’s first-party studios have released a new game this calendar year aside from the annual inevitability that is MLB The Show.

So, surely that means plenty of PlayStation’s studios have games coming out soon, or at the very least have secrets up their sleeves, right? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to take a look at here. What are the developers behind PlayStation’s highly-respected library up to now? And how long will it be before we get to both see and play their projects? So let’s dig into what each studio is doing, and when we can realistically expect to see new games from them.

Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog’s attention is now firmly on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a space-faring game with retro 80s vibes. After leaving the future of The Last of Us HBO show in the hands of Craig Mazin, studio head and creative director Neil Druckmann is now working full steam ahead with his team on the Uncharted studio’s first new series since 2013. But aside from a cinematic-heavy trailer at last year’s Game Awards, we’ve seen very little of this sci-fi story.

What we do know is that it stars Tati Gabrielle as Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter who gets stranded on a planet when on the trail of a criminal syndicate called the “Five Aces”. It’s also rumoured to have a deeper combat system than any previous Naughty Dog game, with the reveal trailer giving us a tiny glimpse of its lightsaber-esque gameplay. Oh, and the music is being composed by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. That’s never not a good thing. Could this be Sony’s big 2026 PS5 game? We can certainly hope, but we would love to see some gameplay before making such assumptions.

It would appear that this isn’t the only iron Naughty Dog has in the fire, though, with Druckmann teasing that the studio has a second, unannounced game in development. Could this be The Last of Us Part 3? Uncharted 5? Something completely different? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Santa Monica Studio

Santa Monica Studio released God of War Ragnarok to huge success in late 2022 and followed up with the surprisingly lengthy free Valhalla DLC in December 2023. What’s next for the studio remains a mystery, although we do know Cory Barlog – who led development of 2018’s God of War – moved on to helm a new project in 2021 after leaving Eric Williams to fill Ragnarok’s director seat. Little to nothing is known about that new project, but given it has been in development for a number of years already, it wouldn’t be beyond unreasonable to expect to see it revealed this year.

As for a new God of War game, well, we likely can’t expect that as quickly. Despite the gap between Ragnarok and its predecessor being only four years, the end of Kratos’ Norse saga signals a new direction for the series, which, naturally, means it’ll require a lot more work from the ground up. We can hope, of course, but don’t expect to see everyone’s favourite angry dad any time soon. That said, we wouldn’t say no to a remake of the original trilogy…

Insomniac Games

Insomniac is arguably Sony’s most prolific studio, having released either a Spider-Man or Ratchet and Clank game every couple of years for almost a decade now. Its most recent launch was in 2023 with the hugely successful Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and so – based on pattern – you’d be forgiven for expecting a new Insomniac game in 2025. But in a worrying sign of the fragile state of the games industry, even a game of Spider-Man 2’s magnitude couldn’t prevent layoffs from occurring last year. That capped off what turned out to be a doubly damaging couple of months for the developer, following a huge data breach and subsequent theft.

The data theft revealed that the studio’s highly anticipated Wolverine game is not expected until 2026 at the earliest, but also that a Venom game may arrive before it. Either way, it’s highly unlikely Insomniac will be springing any surprise games this year, and after all the studio has gone through recently, I think it’s fair to allow it as much of a break as anyone.

Sucker Punch Productions

Sucker Punch is following up 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima with Ghost of Yotei, scheduled for an October 2, 2025 release. As showcased in a recent State of Play stream, the standalone sequel takes us to Hokkaido on a revenge quest to deal with the “Yotei Six” — the murderers of protagonist Atsu’s family. With a non-linear quest structure and more varied arsenal, it’s looking set to be a true evolution of Tsushima’s open-world foundations.

Guerrilla Games

Guerrilla followed up 2022’s Horizon: Forbidden West with the Burning Shores DLC one year later as it continued to build out Aloy’s story. With the West Coast-set sequel ending on a cliffhanger, it’s not a stretch to expect the Amsterdam-based studio to be working on the third part of the trilogy next. We wouldn’t expect any news on that one soon, however – the development time between Zero Dawn and Forbidden West was five years, so we’re likely a little while away from seeing Aloy and her metal dinosaur friends again.

What we’re reportedly more likely to see first is a live service Horizon game that is currently in the works, starring “a new cast of characters and a unique stylized look”. Perhaps this is something we can hope to see more of sooner rather than later, although this year may be a stretch, with Sony perhaps reassessing their live service future following the failure of Concord and the troubles facing Marathon.

Housemarque

Finnish developer Housemarque is following up 2021’s Returnal with Saros, another sci-fi action game. Starring Rahul Kohli as Arjun Devraj, players will be taken to a lost off-world colony on the planet Carcosa in order to investigate its mysteries. An evolution of Returnal’s roguelike rhythm, it’s set to deliver Housemarque’s trademark challenging shooter combat when it arrives on PS5 sometime in 2026.

Haven Studios

Originally due for release this year, Haven Studios’ multiplayer shooter Fairgames is now expected in the Spring of 2026. It’s not been smooth sailing for another of Sony’s planned live service offerings, with Jade Raymond — who only founded the studio in 2021 — leaving the project earlier this year. Work is still ongoing on the online heist game, though, but with little to nothing seen of it since the 2023 cinematic trailer reveal, we’re left waiting to see what its gameplay actually looks like.

Bend Studio

Bend has been pretty quiet since the release of Days Gone way back in 2019, aside from giving us a remaster a couple of months back. But in 2022, a few slithers of detail were revealed about what the Oregon studio is currently working on. It shared that its new game will “build upon the open-world systems of Days Gone” but won’t be announced until “the time is right”. Apart from knowing it won’t be a continuation of Deacon St. John’s story, we really know nothing.

It’s been a rocky year for the developer so far, with reports that a live-service game it had been working on had been scrapped by Sony, as well as layoffs impacting 30% of the team as it transitions to its next project. Whether this new game the reduced headcount is working on has anything to do with those details revealed three years ago, or if the studio is starting again from scratch, is unknown. Either way, we wouldn’t expect to hear anything soon.

Media Molecule

Media Molecule spent most of the past decade working on Dreams, the game creation and curation project that was released in 2020. But as a result of significant layoffs at the studio in 2024, live support for the game has now ended, with MM’s current aim being to ensure “Dreams transitions into a self-sustaining platform”. There has since been no news on what the developer’s next project will be.

Team Asobi

Team Asobi gave us one of 2024’s biggest games with the charmingly creative platformer Astro Bot. An ode to PlayStation history, it won many awards and cemented itself as one of the PS5’s very best offerings. Since then, the Japanese studio has continued to support it with regular updates and levels as recently as this summer. But what next? Well, we wouldn’t be surprised to see another Astro game on the way, given the critical and commercial success of last year’s hit. There’s certainly no shortage of obscure PlayStation characters left to sprinkle through more of those colourful levels.

Bluepoint Games

Following the success of both the Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls remakes, Sony acquired Bluepoint Games as a first-party studio in 2021. We don’t know what its first project since joining the PlayStation Studios family is, though, but we do know that the developer has expressed its desire to create an original game, rather than reimagining another classic. Perhaps we could see a reveal soon, but seeing as Sony confirmed that a live service game, which was reportedly set in the God of War universe, was cancelled at the studio earlier this year, it seems unlikely.

Polyphony Digital

Polyphony has been making Gran Turismo for 25 years now, so it would certainly be a shock to see it veer from that path in the near future. GT7 came out around three and half years ago now, meaning maybe the time is approaching for the reveal of the studio’s next racing sim.

San Diego Studio

Similarly, San Diego is well established as the MLB The Show studio. This year’s entry only dropped in March, so we can expect to see another next Spring if history is anything to go by.

Firesprite

Firesprite most recently developed Horizon: Call of the Mountain for PSVR 2, following the studio’s new-found focus on VR games. What’s next is anyone’s guess, however. A new VR game would be the educated guess, but given Sony’s lack of commitment to creating games for its second-generation headset, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the UK studio pivot to something more traditional.

Recent reports discussing layoffs and unrest at the developer suggested that Firesprite was working on a live-service Twisted Metal game, which has since been canceled. It’s currently believed that the studio is now working on a new game called Project Heartbreak. Details are thin on what this is, though, and so we have no idea of when we can expect to see it.

teamLFG

Formed earlier this year as part of PlayStation Studios, teamLFG was spun out of Bungie to create a new team-based action game that draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and “frog-type games”. As to what a frog-type game is, your guess is as good as ours, but the project has been described as letting players “inhabit a lighthearted, comedic world set in a brand-new, mythic, science-fantasy universe”. This one doesn’t seem too far along the production pipeline, though, so we aren’t expecting to hear more anytime soon.

Dark Outlaw Games

Another new PlayStation studio for 2025, Dark Outlaw Games is led by Call of Duty veteran Jason Blundell. Very little else is known about this team or what they’re working on, though.

That’s everything we know about upcoming first-party PlayStation games, and the truth is that very few release dates look to be coming up quickly. Of course, this can and likely will change soon, and with GTA 6 looming on the horizon in 2026, it does make sense that many publishers are waiting for Rockstar to unleash their powerhouse before they make their own moves. That said, that doesn’t prevent 2025 from still looking relatively empty when it comes to PS5 exclusives. Let’s hope that the outlook will look a lot brighter soon, not only for players waiting for new games to play, but for the developers who work so hard to deliver them to us.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Aetherdrift might not have been the most popular Magic: The Gathering set of 2025 so far, but there’s no denying that Wizards of the Coast poured plenty of creative fuel into the engine of the long-running card game.

As a result, there are still some great cards to chase, from The Aetherspark to Ketramose, The New Dawn, and we’ve rounded up all of them below. Looking for more chase cards? We’ve got you covered for Innistrad Remastered and Tarkir: Dragonstorm.

TL;DR: 10 Most Valuable Chase Cards From Aetherdrift

Aetherdrift has dozens of borderless, Fracture Foil, First-Place Foil, and Showcase editions of main set cards, but these are the 10 most valuable.

From a competitive standpoint, not many of these see much play, although Ketramose, the New Dawn is the face of a hot new Modern combo deck.

And for you Commander players, this is a great chance to nab the elusive Radiant Lotus Fracture Foil or the Aetherspark First-Place Foil.

10. Brightglass Gearhulk (Borderless First-Place Foil)

Mario Paint is the latest Nintendo game to be added to the Nintendo Switch Online library.

A SNES classic, Mario Paint encourages all forms of creativity, including art, music, and animation, and — up until now, anyway — was entirely unplayable for anyone who didn’t have the game and the console system from the first time around.

Interestingly, the 1992 OG release permitted players to plug in a mouse controller, which could be why Nintendo has chosen to resurrect the long-lost classic; one of Nintendo Switch 2‘s most hyped features was its new mouse controls, making this a natural, and exciting, game to add to the NSO library.

Nintendo says that Nintendo Switch players who’ve yet to upgrade to the new system can also get involved if they have an OG Switch and “a compatible USB mouse (sold separately).”

Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription-based online gaming service for the Nintendo Switch gaming platform. Memberships include online functionality, allowing you to compete or cooperate with friends, as well as a collection of classic Nintendo games spanning four decades, including titles from the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and, most recently, the new GameCube library. A free seven-day trial is also available.

The GameCube library currently includes The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2. Further titles thought to be joining the service include Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and more. Most recently, Super Mario Strikers was added to the library of GameCube classics.

Nintendo Switch 2 is off to a strong start, with 3.5 million consoles sold, but an analysis on the console’s launch week sales paints a mixed picture of how well games not made by Nintendo are now selling.

“The Nintendo Switch 2 is a vital upgrade over the original Switch if that’s the only way you’ve been able to play games for the last eight years,” we wrote in IGN’s Nintendo Switch 2 review, awarding it 7/10, “but improvements that are mostly playing catch-up and a big price jump make this sequel system about as exciting as a long-overdue phone upgrade in the larger scheme of things.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Ubisoft’s next big patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available today, July 29, 2025, and the publisher has now given a detailed rundown of everything included.

As previously announced, Title Update 1.0.7 adds New Game Plus mode, which will unlock as soon as you hit the credits after completing the game’s story. From here, you have a couple of options: either to restart the game from scratch, or pick up the action from when Naoe first arrives at the game’s hideout. Either way, your hard-earned gear, skills, allies and hideout progression will carry over.

Whether you’re playing New Game Plus or not, there’s a level cap increase from 60 to 80, and a boost in the Knowledge Rank cap from 8 to 10, allowing you to counter the game’s higher-level enemies with the ability to unlock more skills. You can also now upgrade gear at your Forge to level 4, too.

Sweat your way through Shadows’ story a second time via New Game Plus and you’ll unlock a gold katana and long katana for Naoe and Yasuke, respectively, and also snag the last of the following three new achievements/trophies, which this update also adds:

• Enjoy the Ride: Reach Level 80
• Stars Unseen: Reach Knowledge Rank 10
• Worth its Wait: Complete the story on New Game Plus

Finally, Ubisoft has rebalanced some of the game’s money and resources. Players will likely be happy to see a boosted amount of Mon now given from selling items, while purchased items cost less. You’ll also get more resources from dismantling items and from end of season chests.

Ubisoft is set to continue updating Shadows for the forseeable future, with a further patch due in early September that will add the ability to fast-forward the time of day and better unfog the world map when synchronising viewpoints. Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ first major expansion, Claws of Awaji, then arrives on September 16 as the game’s first paid add-on — though it will be free for anyone who originally pre-ordered the game.

Find today’s full patch notes below:

NEW GAME+

• Upon completing the main story on any difficulty, start a new game while keeping all collected skills, gear, Allies and hideout progression from your first playthrough.

KNOWLEDGE RANK & LEVEL CAP INCREASE

• We’ve raised the level cap from 60 to 80, meaning tougher foes with enhanced tactics and awareness – demanding sharper reflexes and smarter strategies.
• To meet this rising threat, we’ve also expanded the Knowledge Rank system to 9 & 10 allowing players to unlock and develop a broader array of skills, passives, and combat techniques to become even more masterful.
• The Forge can now be upgraded to level 4, allowing players to upgrade all weapons and gear to level 80 to have the edge on the rising threats that await.

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Removed a performance warning on MacBook Air when using M4 following improved support.
• Fixed an error in Photo Mode where the “Show UI” prompt was visible in preview mode, affecting players taking screenshots with their native systems.
• Individual items will now have their dedicated page within the store.
• Katsuhime no longer vanishes from the hideout after the previous 1.0.5 fix for the breakup bug.

BALANCING

• Adjusted the number of Mon received from trading. Purchasing items costs less, whereas selling items gives more.
• Increased the number of resources gained from dismantling items.
• Slightly increased the amount of crafting materials needed to upgrade items.
• Rebalanced the end of season chest rewards and increased the quantity of crafting materials and Hideout resources given.
• The Radial Effect upgrade in Yasuke’s Teppo tree had its base damage increased from 25% to 50%, and its damage is now also further increased by other Armor Buster upgrades.
• Allies now gain more health and damage as the player levels up.
• Ronin enemies now have 4 Health Segments, up from 3.

LIST OF BUG FIXES

General

• Cultural discoveries near Katano Castle now appear correctly in the codex after being observed.
• Corrected Naoe’s Kata dialogue in Wakasa.
• Added a ‘Mark all as Read’ option for the Codex menu.
• Added a Level Selector for Knowledge Path.
• Fixed the ‘Limitless’ trophy occasionally not unlocking after obtaining a legendary piece of gear of each type.

Gameplay

• Addressed an issue where players potentially got stuck outside the Animus wall during the Revenge mission in Tsuruga Castle. Get back here!
• Fixed a bug where players could get stuck inside a room in Saika Castle.
• Corrected a bug where players could get stuck whilst exiting the Miyataki Warehouse.
• Fixed a bug where players could get stuck inside rocks in the Obama Hillside area.
• Addressed an issue with Naoe’s Robes of the Enraged.
• Genzaburo’s Teppo Master is back from lunch and is now present at Kaya Shrine.
• Fixed an error with some cross-progression achievements caused if a playthrough was partly on MacOS.

Skills & Upgrades

• Fixed an issue where the “Hidden Hand” cooldown reduction upgrades were not applied.
• Fixed an issue where the “Extended Perception” Shinobi Upgrade didn’t grant the extra tools damage.
• Corrected an issue where the “Nightcrawler” Assassin passive didn’t grant damage at night.
• Corrected an issue where the “Endless Barrage” Tanto Upgrade was instead granting the effect of the “Contemplation” Tanto Upgrade, and vice versa.
• Fixed an issue where the “Invigorating Kill” Tanto Upgrade only worked with the stabbing part of the move and not the throw.
• Addressed an issue where the “Teppo’s Might” Teppo Upgrade only worked with the automatic follow-up shot and not the Teppo melee swing.
• Corrected an issue where perks that increased adrenaline gained on deflect, parry and dodge had little to no effect.
• Fixed an issue where damage assassinations gave less adrenaline than successful assassinations.
• Fixed an issue where the “Ability damage” knowledge tree node had no effect beyond 1st level.
• Corrected an issue where the “Posture damage” knowledge tree node had no effect beyond 1st level.
• Solved an issue where the “Vulnerable damage” knowledge tree node had no effect beyond 1st level.
• Fixed an issue where afflictions had lower durations on civilians than on enemies.
• Fixed an issue where damage reduction perks weren’t applied against some enemy projectiles.
• Addressed an issue where the “Wave of Wasps” Teppo was awarded with a random perk, instead of its legendary perk.
• Addressed an issue where equipping the “Gown of the Spirit” Naoe Light Armor prevented all tools from applying any buildup.

Visuals & Graphics

• Addressed various environmental issues with floating trees and rocks. Tree huggers rejoice!
• Fixed an issue where the glowing eyes on the Mountain Demon Kanabo appeared out of place when the weapon was holstered.
• Corrected an issue where the Ikko Ikki banner within the Hideout did not match its preview.
• Fixed an issue causing the game to crash when previewing hideout cosmetic stations on a building with the Dragon Skin applied to it.

UI

• The database entry for Sen No Rikyu now displays the correct image.
• Corrected an issue where setting HUD visibility to “Disable”, then switching to “ON” would cause some of the HUD modules to not work.
• Fixed a text-only issue where “Armor Avoidance” Long Katana Upgrade stated it granted 100% armor piercing, when it only granted 50%.
• Corrected a text-only issue where “Marksman’s Touch” Teppo Upgrade stated it granted 100% armor piercing, when it only granted 50%.
• Fixed a text-only issue where “Widespread” Tools Upgrade stated it increased the Smoke Bomb radius to 10 meters, when it only increased it to 5 meters.
• Addressed a text-only issue where “Absolute Shockwave” Kanabo Upgrade showed 167% instead of 67%.
• Corrected an issue where the “Improved Ground Assassinate” icon was larger than intended.
• Reworded the “Improved Sense” Assassin Upgrade to showcase the lingering effect duration in seconds.
• Reworded the “Temporal Mastery” Bow Upgrade to showcase the slow time duration in seconds.

Localization

• Corrected the German localization in Rescue the Special Guest.
• Fixed an error where unnecessary characters appeared in the German translation of the “+50% damage on next hit after a kill” engraving.
• Addressed a typo in the “Kirishitan” codex entry for Cristão.

SPOILERS WARNING!

Quests

• Fighting for the Cause: Fixed an issue where Kimura Kei could not be killed because the third attack sequence would not begin. Why won’t you die already?!
• Butterfly Collector: Adjusted the positioning of the Paper Merchant.
• Against The Koga-ryu: Fixed an issue where players could not complete the quest because Katsuhime was missing. Can’t a girl take a break?
• A Promise: Addressed an issue where the servant did not respond to interactions. Rude.
• Temple Stories: Fixed an issue where players could not continue due to being unable to interact with Joken Hokkyo.
• Addressed an issue where killing all Genzaburo soldiers before meeting Koshiro prevented his quest progression.
• Lost Honor: Fixed an issue where players couldn’t progress in the quest because Ise Sadatame was stuck in place.
• Homecoming: Fixed an issue where players could not complete the quest after killing the target in version 1.0.6.

PLATFORM-SPECIFIC FIXES

PC

• “Critical Hit!” achievement now unlocks correctly.
• Corrected the mistranslation of “manual” for the Chinese localization for HUD settings.
• Fixed a typo in the “Collector” achievement for the German localization on Steam and Ubisoft Connect.

Mac OS

• Engravings are now correctly awarded when looting a legendary weapon.

Ubisoft recently announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has now hit 5 million players — and it sounds like a version of the game for Nintendo Switch 2 is on the way, too.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social