Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed Shadows will soon dive deeper into the Assassins vs. Templars war, while its first story expansion, Claws of Awaji, launches September 16.
Ubisoft has confirmed that the long-running conflict between the Assassins and the Templars—one of the core pillars of the Assassin’s Creed franchise—will soon take a more prominent role in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In a recent developer AMA, the team revealed that while the initial focus was on establishing the setting and protagonist, a deeper exploration of this iconic rivalry is planned for the near future.
According to the developers, the decision to hold back on the Templar storyline at launch was intentional. “With Shadows, we wanted to properly set our protagonist in the setting before expanding on the Assassins vs. Templars,” they explained. While the main game only scratches the surface—especially through the Critical Role story drop—players can expect more revelations soon, potentially through future DLC or sequels.
The game’s narrative already hints at this larger conflict. Assassin’s Creed Shadows features the Kakushiba Ikki organization, widely regarded in in-universe lore as Japan’s equivalent of the Assassin Brotherhood. This connection suggests that the historical shadow war will inevitably reach Japanese soil, intertwining with the fates of the game’s characters.
Post-launch content for Shadows has been steady, with free updates and new features arriving since release. However, the game will not include the popular Discovery Tour mode seen in titles like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla. Instead, Ubisoft has integrated educational resources directly into the main game through a “Historical Codex,” which provides historical context for notable figures, locations, and architecture without requiring a separate mode.
“On Shadows, we have decided to integrate the Historical Codex directly in the main game so it’s available to everyone,” a developer explained. “Compared to past titles, all players can access that historical information without leaving the core experience.”
The studio also confirmed that there are no current plans for a standalone “Japan Discovery Tour” similar to previous eras explored in the franchise.
Since launching on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been a commercial success, amassing over five million players by July. Ubisoft is now preparing the game’s first major story expansion, Claws of Awaji, which will release on September 16. The DLC was included as a free bonus for pre-orders, but players who purchased the game later can buy it separately. Importantly, the expansion’s content can only be accessed after completing the main storyline, so newcomers don’t need to worry about spoilers disrupting their first playthrough.
With its rich Japanese setting, strong player reception, and the promise of delving into one of the franchise’s most iconic conflicts, Assassin’s Creed Shadows seems poised to keep fans engaged for months to come. Between the upcoming Claws of Awaji expansion and future deep dives into the Assassins vs. Templars war, the game’s narrative is set to expand in exciting and historically immersive ways.
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