The game released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on March 20, and just before 4pm in Canada, Ubisoft took to social media to say it had crossed the 1 million player mark.
“It’s not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin’s Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!” Ubisoft said.
“Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts for joining this adventure in Feudal Japan. We are beyond excited to start this journey with you!”
While 1 million players on launch day is an impressive achievement, it’s difficult to gauge success when Ubisoft itself hasn’t offered a sales figure or indeed a sales target.
What we do know is that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the top-selling video game globally on Steam right now. Valve’s chart sorts products by revenue, so we can say Ubisoft’s game is currently bringing in more money than any other on the platform.
We also have early days Steam concurrent figures. According to official stats from Valve’s platform, Assassin’s Creed Shadows hit a peak player concurrent figure of 41,412 on Steam on launch day. Assassin’s Creed Shadows released on a Thursday, so it is expected that that figure will grow as we head into the game’s first weekend on sale. We’ll have a better picture of its performance on Steam next week and in the weeks ahead. Neither Sony nor Microsoft make player numbers public.
For some context, BioWare’s single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched on Steam on Thursday, October 31, 2024, and saw a peak of 70,414 players on Valve’s platform.
There is enormous pressure on Assassin’s Creed Shadows to do well for Ubisoft globally after a number of delays and the sales failure of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. Indeed, Ubisoft has suffered a number of high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations in the run up to Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ release.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has also endured a number of controversies, not least in Japan. Yesterday, IGN confirmed that Ubisoft had quietly released a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that made a number of important changes seemingly in response to concern from some Japanese politicians about in-game temples and shrines.
In a remarkable exchange this week, Japanese politician and member of the House of Councillors of Japan, Hiroyuki Kada, raised the issue of Assassin’s Creed Shadows in an official government meeting, and Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan, responded.
On Steam at least, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is going down very well with players. It has a ‘very positive’ user review rating, with 82% of the near 4,000 user reviews marked as positive. IGN’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows review returned an 8/10. We said: “By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Split Fiction is getting a film adaptation, according to Variety, which reports a package is being put together in response to offers for the movie rights coming in from “multiple top Hollywood studios.”
Variety’s sources stated that Story Kitchen, a media company that specialises in film and TV adaptations of games and other non-traditional properties, is currently assembling the project’s writers, director, and cast into a package deal. The upcoming film adaptation of Hazelight Studios’ previous game, It Takes Two, was handled by the same team. Other Story Kitchen projects (formerly known as dj2 Entertainment) include the Sonic the Hedgehog films and Netflix’s Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.
I don’t envy the work it takes to keep an annual series like MLB The Show going. There’s so much to do and perilously little time to do it in, whether that’s adding new features, fixing the things people didn’t like, or writing and producing an entire new season of The Negro Leagues. It’s especially hard when all that time and effort often gets distilled down to a single question: is it worth upgrading from last year? Thanks in large part to fundamental changes to the way the Road To The Show and Diamond Dynasty modes work, MLB The Show 25 answers that question with a resounding yes.
The actual Baseball hasn’t changed a lot this year, which I don’t mind, but there are some nice tweaks throughout. For starters, recent changes like two-way players, adjustments to shift rules, and the pitch clock are all fully incorporated at this point. There are some new quick time events that can happen when you are locked into controlling a single player, rather than the whole team, the most notable of which is the new swim move to avoid tags. I was a little nervous that it would make stealing bases too easy, but the prompt only seems to come up occasionally, and is rare enough to feel more like a treat than a clutch. Infielders now have a few different initial reactions that can have a big impact on how quickly they get to a ball, too. This mostly means that poor defenders play more like it now, so the net effect is worse defense, but I think it’s a worthwhile tradeoff that makes great defenders more valuable, particularly in Franchise mode.
There’s also a new ambush hitting feature where you can “cheat” towards inside or outside pitches, making it easier to hit on the side you choose and harder on the side you don’t. I like it in theory, though I’ve ultimately had more success staying neutral, and so I only rarely use it. Hitting overall still feels great, though something seems off about perfect contact. You still get the same satisfying crack of the bat, but it feels like the vast, vast majority of the time it results in a hard hit out or just a single, which is way too little payoff for what should be the best possible hits. Hopefully that gets adjusted over time.
Franchise, where you get to take control of your favorite team and right the wrongs of ownership (like adding a badly needed impact bat to my beloved Mariners), is pretty similar to last year. The custom game entry, which lets you auto-simulate games until high-leverage situations come up and you opt into taking control, remains one of my favorite features. The way you offer free agent contracts has been overhauled this year: You now prioritize a small selection of targets, and you accumulate interest from them as days pass. It does a great job simplifying the free agent process, and I like the strategy around deciding between joining the pursuit of marquee free agents vs rounding out my roster.
The core of The Show 25 remains as solid as ever.
All that is to say the core of The Show 25 remains as solid as ever, focusing on some small but appreciated updates over sweeping overhauls. And while they may not have fundamentally changed, Franchise and March to October both take advantage of new production elements, like player vs player comparisons. The new G.O.A.T. difficulty is as hard as it sounds, too, with fast pitches, aggressive breaks on balls, and a very small Plate Coverage Indicator. I will freely admit it’s much too hard for me, though I expect people who crave punishing challenges will enjoy this one.
Road to the Show
Road To The Show, where you take control of your own custom ballplayer as they lead up to and then eventually enter the Major League, is where you’ll find some of the larger changes year-over-year – and they do a fantastic job of reinvigorating the mode. Unlike previous years, where you participate in the combine before being drafted into the league, now you begin as an amateur all the way back in high school. It’s brief, but playing out the end of senior year and trying to impress scouts and recruiters while you chase a championship is a fun twist. Pinky Rogers, my two-way pitcher and first baseman, dominated the competition and found himself firmly in the crosshairs of two dozen big league clubs and, in another new addition to The Show, college scouts.
This led to a legitimately interesting choice: do I jump straight into pro ball and start working my way up, or do I go to college, time-skip to the end of senior year, and try to become a highly polished, highly drafted blue chip prospect? I opted for the student-athlete route, and accepted the offer to play for TCU, one of the eight real college teams to choose from. The authenticity was impressive, from recreations of each team’s home and away jerseys as I played through the college baseball playoffs to the distinct TINK as metal bats made contact with the ball. Choosing that route meant I arrived at the Minor Leagues with higher stats and could make the jump from AA to AAA much, much faster than in previous years, which is a big improvement from what has historically been a bit of a slog.
The other big change is to how players are upgraded. Previous iterations of The Show had a “use it to improve it” model, sort of like in an Elder Scrolls RPG, where success with specific actions, like hitting against left handed pitchers or throwing strikes with specific pitches, slowly raised those particular attributes. That’s now replaced by a token system, where you get points to allocate. It might sound like a subtle difference, but it massively changes how you develop as a player. Every good at bat, pitch, play in the field, or training session accumulates progress, which makes the pull of playing “just one more game” very difficult to resist. It’s a little tough to justify doing some of the longer or tougher training minigames, like the Inter-Squad game, when you can just as easily make progress doing simple ladder drills, but it’s a worthwhile tradeoff that has made Road To The Show hard for me to put down.
Storyline
One of the marquee features of The Show is the Negro League storyline, which returns for its third season. It remains one of the most impressive modes in any sports game, combining a mini documentary featurette about Negro League stars like “Cool Papa” Bell or Caleb “Turkey” Stearns with playable moments from their careers. It’s once again anchored with stories from Bob Kendrick, the magnetic president of the Negro League museum, and continues to stand out as an excellent overlap of history and gameplay.
That said, new stories aside, this mode is functionality identical to the previous two iterations, which puts it in a bit of an odd place. I praised the debut of the Negro League in my MLB The Show 23 review, but the lack of advancement over the last few years is disappointing. It’s still a mix of excellent vignettes and basic gameplay challenges (separated by long loading times), but the challenges themselves are often just to get some hits or strike a few people out, which is the same as the gameplay moments from Diamond Dynasty. I know they can do more unique and interesting things, like when your entire defense sat around you when you pitched as Satchel Paige in The Negro League season 1, and the fact that they don’t do that a lot more feels like a missed opportunity to make the gameplay side of this mode stand out.
The other piece that sticks out is the notable absence of an expansive storyline focused on an individual player like we had with Derek Jeter in The Show 24. That extensive look into The Captain wasn’t perfect, but the branching paths and rewards seemed like the next evolution of the Storylines model. It felt like we were just scratching the surface of what Storylines could be, especially when there is no shortage of incredible stories from the last century of baseball history, so The Show 25 not running with that momentum is a tough pill to swallow.
Diamond Dynasty
Diamond Dynasty, the live service corner of The Show where you gather players via card collecting to form your baseball team, is back with a few excellent changes of its own. First, Sets and Seasons, where cards were only usable during a specific timeframe before being retired in most modes, is officially over, and I am so glad for that. Some great cards are rewarded for grinding through multi-faceted programs, and it never seemed worth putting in the work for players that were going to be forced to the bench eventually. Now if you go through the effort to get the top tier Roger Clemens card from his program, for example, you get to keep it, earn XP to upgrade it, and let your favorites be cornerstones of your team. It’s a very, very good change.
The other big update is the inclusion of a new single-player mode called Diamond Quest, which is sort of like a roguelite-inspired board game. It sounds strange, but it’s honestly a pretty fun way to play. You roll a die each turn, and every space you cross can hide a gameplay challenge, a reward of some kind, or nothing at all. The objective is to get to the Stadium (or Stadiums), and win a three-inning game there with your squad. If you win, you get to keep the rewards you accumulated and get a chance at a high level card dropping. It’s fun, very replayable since the contents of the tiles are randomized, and pretty generous with its rewards. I particularly appreciate that you get to choose your difficulty for the Stadium games. Sometimes it’s nice to just take the easy win, while other times it’s worth the risk of losing what you picked up by aiming for a harder challenge, since that increases your odds of getting the best drops at the end.
Control was IGN’s Game of the Year in 2019 – and I was one of the many editors that voted for it – but even I was skeptical when Remedy, a studio known for telling great single-player stories in third-person games, announced it was doing a Control multiplayer game. That project turned out to be FBC: Firebreak, a three-player PvE first-person multiplayer shooter set six years after the events of Control. And in the hands-off demo I saw, it very quickly became clear that my skepticism was completely unwarranted. Firebreak is refreshingly original in an oversaturated space, delightfully weird amidst a sea of same-y military and/or sci-fi online shooters, and perhaps best of all, it doesn’t require a massive commitment like so many of its contemporaries. As game director Mike Kayatta put it, “We’re not about daily check-ins. We’re not interested in monthly grinds. We don’t want to give anybody a second job.” Say it again, Mike, for the people in the back.
FBC: Firebreak is a three-player co-op FPS with, if what Remedy is promising comes to pass, no nonsense. You can play for 20 minutes or a few hours if you want to, with Perk unlocks and new combinations amongst characters keeping things fresh for repeat runs. But what the heck are you doing here, back in The Oldest House, with a bevy of bizarre weaponry in your hands? Essentially, you are volunteer first responders in The Oldest House when things go seriously sideways. Your characters are secretaries, rangers, and other “normal” occupations who heed the call of service. The Federal Bureau of Control wouldn’t say you’re expendable, but…you’re expendable.
When you log in to play, you choose a Job (aka a mission) and a Crisis Kit (essentially, your loadout) before setting the Threat Level (difficulty) and Clearance Level, which determines how many zones you’ll be playing through in a run. The zones are separated by containment doors, which will take you to the next stage of the Job. And the Job I saw is called Paper Chase, and it’s set in a fairly mundane office section of the FBC building. The Hiss are spreading, and it’s up to you and your two teammates to work together to beat them back.
Of course, you can get the hell out of there as soon as you can if you like, but if you want to get your hands on currencies that let you upgrade and buy new gear, you have to escape safely with them. And the longer you spend exploring for currency, the harder it is to make it back to HQ in one piece.
Speaking of gear, that’s where FBC: Firebreak starts to set itself apart from other multiplayer shooters. Many of the guns are charmingly unusual, and most have a homebrew feel, like the hand-cranked snowball-launching gun that can put out fires (or your friends who are on fire) and soak the sticky-note monster (uh, more on him in a bit). Or the cobbled-together zapper that, when fitted with the right nozzle, can rain down lightning storms on a room full of bad guys. Or the large wrench that, when a squeaky piggy bank toy is attached, causes a swirl of coins to pelt your opponents. Don’t worry, though; there are still staples like a machinegun and shotgun – the latter of which is the go-to for after you’ve either soaked or zapped one of the sticky-note monsters.
Many of the guns are charmingly unusual, and most have a homebrew feel.
Oh yes, about them: the entire point of this particular Job is to eliminate all of the sticky notes before they overrun the entire brutalist building. Note the number of sticky notes left to destroy in the upper left corner. It will actually go way up as the mission progresses because, by the end of it, you face off against…a gigantic sticky-note monster. Think Sandman from the end of Spider-Man 3, but made out of sticky Post-It notes instead of sand.
But it’s not just about weird weapons. There are also fun in-universe gameplay mechanics, too, like the office supply shelf that refills your ammo, the makeshift turret you build after literally dumping it out of a box onto the floor, the stereo speaker that keeps the Hiss at bay, and the rinse station that washes any aggressive sticky notes off of your face. Unlockable Perks also inject more spice and variety into the gameplay. A couple of examples I saw: a Perk where each missed bullet has a chance to return to your clip, and another that lets you extinguish yourself by jumping up and down. Also, if you get two of the same Perk you get a stronger version of it. If you get three, you can share the Perk’s effect with nearby teammates.
By the way, in case you’re wondering, you don’t have to have three people in order to play. You can play solo or in duos as well. Meanwhile, Remedy is aiming for a lower minimum PC spec than usual, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, FBC will also support DLSS4 with multi-frame generation as well as nVidia Reflex and full ray-tracing. It’ll also be Steam Deck verified, and it’s launching into Xbox and PC Game Pass on day one along with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium. Finally, there is a post-launch content plan that Remedy isn’t ready to share quite yet, and there will be paid cosmetics, but that’s the extent of the microtransactions.
In fairness, I haven’t actually played FBC: Firebreak yet, so I have to be cautious about my enthusiasm. But so far, it certainly passes the eye test. This is almost certainly not a run-of-the-mill multiplayer shooter, in a very good way. And the fact that it’s a get-in and get-out online game that doesn’t require a massive ongoing time commitment in order to enjoy it is a refreshing throwback to the days when that was the norm.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
It’s a post-apocalyptic, action adventure platformer, and now ReSetna has made 14 updates in just one month after responding to fan feedback. Indie developer Today’s Games calls it a “game reworked by players” and is dedicated to continuing working with its community.
The latest update, the Ruby Armor Upgrade, includes an overhaul of the combat system, better player controls, and a strong focus on the way battles will feel. Players facing the final boss will get a new cut scene, the game’s environments have had a renovation, and the UI has been tweaked to provide clarity for players. Oh, and there’s that gorgeous red armor set too.
Combat improvements
All weapons are improved, more responsive and enjoyable: animations and combos have been re-made and optimized for player’s experience
Axe combo now has fast responsive chain of attacks, Sabre’s attacks are now much more enjoyable and responsive with its parry-counterattack and in-air attacks,
Naginata has also been reworked to feel more impactful and heavier
Lesser projectiles from most basic enemies are now reflectable – the player is now able to avoid annoying ranged attacks, reflect them and still do a strong parry-counterattack while doing tha
ReSetna launched on January 30 on Steam and Nintendo Switch, and its titular robotic hero, ReSetna, has been woken from dormancy by Apex AI to track down the origin of a mysterious signal that is driving robots insane. Luckily there’s back up from a drone companion called IXA who can help out by hacking enemies and providing medical aid.
God of War Ragnarök update version 06.02 patch notes are here to help celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary with details about everything included in the Dark Odyssey Collection.
Santa Monica Studio unveiled the full patch notes today. They come with a breakdown of everything included in the celebratory update, including the Dark Odyssey cosmetics for Kratos, Atreus, and Freya, as well as an updated look for all of the God of War’s godly weaponry. It’s a solid bundle of content available now at no extra charge.
In addition to all of the Norse-themed goodies included in this latest God of War Ragnarök update, players can now enjoy a special customization option. Found as the “Edit Appearance” feature, the option allows players to pick and choose their favorite looks without sacrificing each specific armor’s abilities and skills. For those who have yet to see Kratos fight off Thor and Odin or even if you’re going back for another stab, now is the best time to hop into the sequel regardless of if you’re on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, or PC.
While the Dark Odyssey Collection fills Kratos’ pockets with an armory of cosmetic options that should make series veterans smile, it’s not quite what some had hoped to see from Santa Monica Studio for the franchise’s 20th-anniversary festivities.
When the update was announced last week, some fans called for modern remasters of titles like God of War, God of War 2, and God of War 3. However, no plans for reimaginings like this have been announced, and there’s not been much of a sign that they will eventually be revealed — at least not yet.
Still, these along with some of the other bonuses in store, such as new merch and vinyl releases, promise that Sony is more than willing to keep God of War fans entertained for years to come. As you download the God of War Ragnarök 20th Anniversary Update for yourself, you can read about why we think the series needs to reinvent itself for its next outing.
You can see the full patch notes below.
God of War Ragnarök Update 06.02 Patch Notes:
[Game Version 06.02]
As a gift to everyone who owns God of War Ragnarök, the Dark Odyssey collection is now available in-game at no additional cost!
Inspired by the working name of God of War (2005) and the skin that originally appeared in God of War II as a reward for beating the game on God Mode difficulty, we have brought back the black and gold theme for the anniversary.
Dark Odyssey Collection
Dark Odyssey Armor & Appearance for Kratos
Dark Odyssey Kratos Appearance
Dark Odyssey Armor Set for Kratos (Dark Odyssey Breastplate, Dark Odyssey Bracers, Dark Odyssey Belt)
Dark Odyssey Companion Armor
Dark Odyssey Vestment for Atreus
Dark Odyssey Witch Frock for Freya
Dark Odyssey Weapon Appearances & Attachments*
Dark Odyssey Leviathan Axe [Appearance] & Dark Odyssey Knob [Attachment]
Dark Odyssey Blades of Chaos [Appearance] & Dark Odyssey Handles [Attachment]
Dark Odyssey Draupnir Spear [Appearance] & Dark Odyssey Hind [Attachment]
Dark Odyssey Shield Appearances & Rönd
Dark Odyssey Guardian Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Dauntless Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Stone Wall Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Shatter Start Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Onslaught Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Spartan Aspis Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Rönd
*Please note, the weapon appearances are made for the fully upgraded version of each weapon and will only be available for use upon reaching that upgrade.
Edit Appearance for Weapon and Shield Attachments
With the addition of the new Dark Odyssey weapon attachments and shield rönd in the patch, we have added the ability to use the ‘Edit Appearance’ feature on those components of Kratos’ arsenal.
You’ll be able to pick whatever visual suits your look with the functionality you want for your build!
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Fans quick to celebrate the reveal of a Microsoft Flight Simulator PlayStation Store page were left let down after it was discovered that the actual product is little more than “copycat shovelware.”
Xbox and PlayStation fans gathered to discuss a potential port for the popular flight simulation game after Reddit user CreativeRaspberry314 shared Trophy information related to a potential PS4 and PS5 version earlier today. It would be exciting – if not somewhat unsurprising – to see Microsoft bring more Xbox titles to PlayStation fans, but the spotted store page isn’t officially related to Microsoft Flight Simulator in any way, shape, or form.
“Sadly, this is just a copycat shovelware game,” one Reddit user added. “Straight up shovelware,” another added. “Actually mental tbh, the picture is a straight up rip-off. If it was MSFS, it’d have the same achievements as the Xbox/Steam versions.”
Instead, the Flight Simulator 2025 on PlayStation is being published by a company named Grizzly Games Limited. As spotted by Eurogamer, the company shares a name with Thronefall developer Grizzly Games but is also completely unrelated to that entity. While that team is responsible for other titles like Superflight and Islanders, the Grizzly Games Limited website reveals a catalog of what appear to be mobile games featuring glossy, AI-generated materials. The art for its Flight Simulator 2025 project also appears to be generated by AI judging by some of its muddy plane parts and strange designs.
The Thronefall team, meanwhile, provided a statement to Eurogamer related to the discovery of Flight Simulator 2025 on PlayStation and Grizzly Games Limited. Grizzly Games says it is not associated with the company, adding that it is using “both our name and logo illegally.”
“Furthermore they seem to incorporate the absolute opposite of our values, of what we stand for and what we’re trying to give to the gaming community,” Grizzly Games continued. “Unfortunately our legal resources are limited as a two-person indie team, but honestly I’d love to see this kind of stuff being stopped, especially since it’s not only happening to us but lots of indie devs that just lack the legal power.”
Can shovelware just be banned from the store please?
As of this story’s publication, the Flight Simulator 2025 page remains live on the PlayStation Store. It describes an experience that “sets a new standard in aviation simulation, combining ultra-realistic flight dynamics with breathtaking visuals.” No gameplay for the project has been revealed.
“Can shovelware just be banned from the store please? It’s packed to the brim with it and makes browsing an absolute chore,” another Reddit user added. “I don’t remember it being this bad in prior generations.”
PlayStation took a stand against what many refer to as “spam” titles in 2022. At the time, it was believed the move was made to fight back against easy-to-Platinum games, or titles that exist almost solely for the purpose of increasing players’ Platinum Trophy count. However, many shovelware titles still exist on the PlayStation Store and other digital storefronts today.
We brought a magnifying glass up to the issue last month to take a closer look at how shovelware titles impact both gamers and developers. We spoke to multiple developers to learn more about not only how these games find their way onto digital storefronts but PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox, and Valve’s vetting process.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
The next wave of sale events has arrived, with spring sales popping up left and right to show off a variety of exciting discounts. If you’ve been on the hunt for some good video game deals in these sales, Woot’s a great place to look as it has quite a few to check out in its Spring Video Game Sale. At the moment that includes a great discount on Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds is currently on sale for just $54.99 for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, 21% off its usual price of $69.99. If you’ve had this one on your radar, now’s a great time to grab it for your physical game collection. Woot also notes that the there’s only nine days left of this deal (or it’s available until it’s all sold out), so you’ll want to act fast to pick it up at this price.
Monster Hunter Wilds (PS5/Xbox Series X) for $54.99
If you’re still on the fence about Monster Hunter Wilds, it’s worth noting that we had quite a lot of praise for it. In our review, IGN’s Tom Marks said, “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the traditionally rough edges of the series in smart ways, reducing as much friction as possible that could get in the way of you grabbing any of its exceptionally fun weapons and planting them firmly in a monster’s hide.”
More Game Deals Right Now
This deal on Monster Hunter Wilds just scratches the surface of what’s available right now, though. To see more video game deals, check out our individual roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals. For PC gamers, we’ve rounded up the best Spring Sales. It’s also worth marking your calendar for Amazon’s Spring Sale next week. This will likely feature some more exciting game deals, so it’s worth keeping the sale event on your radar.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Digimon is getting its very own mobile card video game, in the wake of Pokémon TCG Pocket’s runaway success. Bandai Namco has announced Digimon Alysion, a free-to-play online card battler for iOS and Android.
Details are sparse at the moment, with just a teaser trailer and some more info to go off. Revealed during Digimon Con, Digimon Alysion looks to bring all the Digivolution of its card game to the virtual format, complete with pack openings and little pixel arts of the various ‘mons.
— Official Digimon Card Game English Version (@digimon_tcg_EN) March 20, 2025
Fans also got a look at some characters who may play a role in some sort of story. Again, details are scarce, but the introduction of several named characters and Digimon do seem to indicate there could be a story aspect here, which would be a bit different from the narratively sparse Pokemon TCG Pocket.
No release date has been set yet, though Gematsu reported that a closed beta test is planned with details to come at a later date.
Considering how massive Pokémon TCG Pocket has become, Digimon Alysion could be a good play for those who want some more Digimon card battling in their lives. Over on the Pokémon front, the developers have confirmed changes are coming to Pokemon TCG Pocket’s maligned trading system, though it may take a while for them to be implemented.
Digimon Alysion, for whatever it’s worth, does seem to be aiming to port its card game over to more people. Maybe the time is ripe for the Poké-Digi rivalry to reignite. Or, at the very least, fans of collecting cards based around fun monsters will not be hurting for options. We’ll learn more as Digimon Alysion ramps towards an eventual launch.
Ubisoft has activated the Animus once more, this time to take us back to Japan’s Sengoku Period. Assassin’s Creed Shadows features a number of historical figures from 1579, including Fujibayashi Nagato, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Yasuke – the African samurai who served Oda Nobunaga. As with the previous games in the series, these figures are woven into a story that combines fact with fiction to tell a tale of revenge, betrayal, and murder – including that time Yasuke had to kill everyone to gather enough XP to use a gold-tier weapon.
Yes, Assassin’s Creed is historical fiction, and its whole MO has been finding gaps in the past that can be used to tell a science fiction conspiracy tale about a secret society that’s looking to take over the world using the magic powers of a pre-human civilization. While the open-world playgrounds Ubisoft creates are genuinely rooted in history and based on a lot of meticulous research, it’s important to remember they are not actual history lessons – the developers have changed dozens and dozens of historical facts to better suit the story being told.
There are far too many “historical inaccuracies” to include in a single article, but here are ten of our favourite times Assassin’s Creed completely rewrote the past.
The Assassins vs Templars War
Let’s get this one out the way first: there is absolutely no historical evidence that the Order of Assassins was ever at war with the Knights Templar. The conflict between the Assassins and Templars is completely fictional, partly inspired by the (also fictional) conspiracy theories that emerged around the Knights Templar.
The Assassins were founded in 1090 AD, and the Templars were established shortly after in 1118. Both orders operated for around 200 years, and by 1312 both had been disbanded. The idea that these groups have been backstabbing each other through the centuries is absolute nonsense. In fact, the only conflict both orders were involved with was the Crusades, and so there’s only the first Assassin’s Creed game that’s even set in the right time period. While there is evidence they may have brushed against each other, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that either group was ideologically opposed to the other.
The Borgias and their Superpowered Pope
Assassin’s Creed 2 and its follow-up, Brotherhood, focuses on Ezio’s conflict with the Borgia family. Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia is discovered to be the Grand Master of the Templar Order, which is pretty bad news for the Assassins, since Rodrigo – both in the game and in history – is elected as Pope, becoming Alexander VI. However, as we’ve already established, the Templars weren’t around in the late 1400s, so naturally there was no Borgia plot to obtain the magical Apple of Eden and install a pope who could control humanity with god-like powers. Sadly, that also means that Ezio’s brawl with Pope Alexander VI under the Vatican is also pure fiction.
That much was, of course, pretty obvious. But perhaps less obvious is that Assassin’s Creed’s general depiction of the Borgias is pretty mixed as far as historical accuracy goes. While the family’s legacy is steeped in enough sin for them to be easily positioned as villains, the Borgias were not the moustache-twirling Renaissance-era gangsters that Ubisoft paints them as. Rodrigo’s son, Cesare, is reinvented as something of an incestuous, psychopathic leader, despite there being no historical evidence of this, just rumour – in reality, he may not have been all that bad, if you believe Machiavelli, that is…
Machiavelli, Enemy of the Borgias
Speaking of…In Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood, famed political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli is depicted as Ezio’s right-hand-man. At one point he leads the Italian Assassin’s Bureau, and generally aids Ezio’s crusade against the evil Borgias. The problem with all this is that Machiavelli almost certainly wouldn’t have been an Assassin at all – his philosophies around strong authority simply don’t gel with the Creed’s fight against authority.
Furthermore, Machiavelli’s own actions and writings suggest he did not find the Borgia family all that repulsive. He recognised Rodrigo Borgia as a con man, but one who was successful in all his deceptions. As for Rodrigo’s son, Machiavelli actually served as a diplomat in Cesare’s court and considered him a model ruler. Simply put, Machiavelli’s opinions and relationships with Assassin’s Creed’s Italian big bads don’t line up with the real history.
The Incredible Leonardo da Vinci and his Flying Machine
Just as famous as Assassin’s Creed 2’s pope battle is its bromance between Ezio and Leonardo da Vinci. Ubisoft’s depiction of the Italian polymath is actually pretty strong; historical records state he was a witty, charismatic man and that’s exactly what we get. However, his movements through Italy simply don’t match up to da Vinci’s real-life travels. In 1482, Leonardo left Florence and moved to Milan, where he stayed for over a decade. The game sees him move from Florence to Venice in 1481, ostensibly to paint portraits for a noble, but essentially to ensure da Vinci is in the same place as Ezio. This may seem like a small thing, but Assassin’s Creed is generally pretty good at tracking the movements of historical figures and aligning its story with them, so this is actually a pretty substantial change.
Of course, that’s not the fun stuff. The real da Vinci was an outstanding engineer and crafted multiple designs that were far ahead of their time. Across Assassin’s Creed 2 and its sequel, Brotherhood, we see many of da Vinci’s designs made manifest, including a machine gun and a tank. There’s little historical evidence for these having actually been built, but the real flight of fancy is the flying machine that Ezio uses to soar across the rooftops of Venice. While da Vinci was indeed fascinated by the idea of human flight, and the glider-like machine used in-game is very close to the designs he drew, there is no historical account that suggests any of Leonardo’s machines ever took to the skies.
The Bloody Boston Tea Party
One of the most famous events of the American Revolution, the Boston Tea Party saw dozens of men – many dressed as Mohawks to disguise their identities – board three boats in Boston Harbour and dump boxes of tea into the water. While plenty of tea was destroyed, not a single person died – it was a non-violent protest against the recently implemented Tea Act.
In Assassin’s Creed 3, things go pretty differently. Protagonist Connor is the only person among the protesters to wear Native American clothing, and he slaughters at least 15 British guards while his allies prepare to dump the tea. Two of the protesters also get involved in the killing as more guards turn up, resulting in casualties on both sides. Basically, it’s a bloodbath that significantly rewrites the actual events – peaceful protestors are turned into an aggressive mob, presumably because throwing boxes of tea isn’t considered dramatic enough for a video game.
Furthermore, during the mission’s set-up, it’s revealed that the protest was masterminded by Samuel Adams, one of the Founding Fathers. In reality, historians have conflicting opinions on Adam’s exact level of involvement in the protest itself – it’s a good example of Ubisoft using inconclusive evidence to write its own version of history.
The Lone Mohawk
Talking of Connor and his crusade against the British, Assassin’s Creed 3’s whole approach to Connor’s allegiances doesn’t align with the history books. Connor is a Mohawk, and the Mohawk people were actually allied with the British, not the Patriots, during the Revolutionary War. They had enjoyed a good trade relationship with the British, and hoped the Crown would protect their lands from American colonists.
At the time of Assassin’s Creed 3’s launch, Connor’s depiction was debated by a number of historians, who found the whole scenario incredibly unlikely. If Connor were to fight alongside the Patriots, he’d be considered something of a traitor among his own people.
That’s not to say such a thing never happened, though. Akiatonharónkwen, also known by his English name, Louis Cook, is one very rare example of a Mohawk fighting against the British. He became the highest-ranking Native American officer in the Continental Army, and it’s possible that his story inspired Connor’s creation. But, like we said, this kind of occurrence was incredibly unlikely, and so Connor represents the kind of “what if?” question that Assassin’s Creed thrives on. “what if a Mohawk allied with the Patriots?” is pretty fertile ground for a story full of conflict and soul-searching. As to if Assassin’s Creed 3 actually lives up to that premise… well, the game certainly does have its defenders.
The Templar Revolution
While Ubisoft’s take on the American Revolution has plenty of inaccuracies, its issues pale in comparison to Assassin’s Creed Unity’s quite frankly bizarre take on the French Revolution. It reads almost like a counter-revolutionary manifesto; by pinning the blame on the Templars, it practically suggests that the French monarchy and aristocracy were victims of a conspiracy, rather than the corrupt cause of the people’s revolt.
One of Unity’s alt-history sparks for the revolution is a Templar scheme to create a food crisis. Famine was a significant part of the French Revolution, but it was the result of multiple years of food shortages, caused by drought, floods, and bad harvests – natural causes that simply couldn’t be manufactured by a group of Jacobin Templars skulking around Paris. Furthermore, Unity seems to suggest that the Reign of Terror – the historic name for all the street riots and head-chopping – is the whole revolution, rather than just one part of it. In reality, the French Revolution unfolded over many years and was the result of multiple issues – in short, even the smartest Templars would be completely incapable of manufacturing it.
The Controversial Killing of King Louis 16
The most well-known aspect of the French Revolution is the monarchy ducking their heads beneath the guillotine, and the execution of King Louis 16 is naturally a prominent part of Assassin’s Creed Unity. The game depicts the vote on his punishment as being neck-and-neck (so to speak) with the ballot being swung by a single vote from a Templar conspiracist. Such a result suggests that killing the King was something of a controversial, divisive issue among the assembly, but this couldn’t be further from the truth; the real result was 394 to 321 in favour of execution – an easy majority.
Unity is remarkably soft on the French aristocracy, who were the target of widespread anger across the population. In reality, The King was accused of treason in part due to his attempt to flee France to Austria, from where he could plot a counter-revolution. This naturally made him look even worse than his already tanked reputation, but this is barely addressed in Unity. It’s just one symptom of the game’s overall neglect to explain the true causes of the revolution.
Jack the Assassin
Among the wildest, most borderline-offensive warpings of history committed by Assassin’s Creed is its version of Jack the Ripper. In reality, he was one of London’s most brutal serial killers, having murdered a number of prostitutes in the Whitechapel area in 1888. According to Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, though, he was a rogue Assassin attempting to take over the London Brotherhood.
As Syndicate’s story goes, Jack trained under Jacob Frye, but over the years became disillusioned with the Brotherhood’s Creed. He eventually wrestled control of the organisation away from Jacob, turning it into a ruthless gang that dominated the criminal underworld in London’s East End. In an attempt to stop his reign of terror, Jacob assigned a group of initiates disguised as prostitutes to kill Jack. They all failed, gruesomely murdered by Jack before they could complete their mission. Thankfully, Jacob’s sister, Evie, was able to step in and kill him before he could do any further damage.
This is all a pretty classic example of Assassin’s Creed’s “you don’t know the real story” shtick. Much of the police work surrounding the real Jack the Ripper was inconclusive, and to this day his identity and the true tally of his victims are unknown.
The Assassination of the Tyrant Julius Caesar
The killing of Julius Caesar is not only one of the most important political assassinations in the entirety of human history, it’s also one of the most well-documented. He was stabbed 23 times by a group of conspirators who believed his dictatorship was a threat to the values of the Roman Republic. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Assassin’s Creed Origins ignores many of the facts in order to paint its own picture of the events – one in which Caesar is a proto-Templar who must be killed to prevent global terror.
There are a multitude of issues with Origin’s depiction of Caesar’s assassination, including the design of the Roman Forum and the order of events that brings Caesar to the Senate. However, the strangest element of it all is the game’s depiction of Caesar. His opponents in the game are depicted as fighting for land for the people, not just the privileged – which, funnily enough, was exactly what the real Caesar stood for. In fact, his many political reforms included the redistribution of land to the poor and retired soldiers. Maybe his in-game adversaries should have checked his political record…
When Aya confronts Ceasar’s grieving widow, Cleopatra, after having led the assassination plot, she says that “The people call you a dead tyrant’s whore.” In reality, while by no means a clear-cut hero, Caesar was an incredibly popular leader among the Roman people. Origins frames his death as a victory over a tyrannical pre-Templar leader, but historically, Ceasar’s assassination triggered the Liberators’ Civil War, which led to the collapse of the Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. It’s not exactly the victory Origins would like you to believe it is and, paradoxically, the assassination only creates a domino effect towards the exact kind of world the conspirators were aiming to avoid.
The teams working on the Assassin’s Creed games go to great lengths to create games that are packed with truly authentic historical elements, but as you can see, that authenticity is often far from accurate. And that’s okay! After all, this is historical fiction, not historical documentary. It is just a video game, after all. What are your favourite examples of Assassin’s Creed bending the truth? Let us know in the comments.
